Manga to Read This Summer (and beyond!)

It’s never too early to get your summer manga reading list together. Mostly because making reading lists is sort of my way of not just buying every single manga I see. It hasn’t been working terribly well.

And oh boy, when it rains it deluges. Since starting to work with Seven Seas, they have been sending me PR emails every other day. and I figure that instead of submerging you with them myself I would just group them all in as handy dandy little post every once in a while. And this is such a post!

So let’s see what Seven Seas will be releasing this summer:

I’M IN LOVE WITH THE VILLAINESS Manga Series

Volume 1 to be released in July 2021

By Inori and Aonoshimo, the new manga adaptation of the bestselling and critically acclaimed yuri isekai light novels!

Ordinary office worker Oohashi Rei wakes up in the body of the protagonist of her favorite girls’ otome game, Revolution. To her delight, the first person to greet her is her favorite character, Claire Francois–who just so happens to be the main antagonist of the story. Now, Rei is determined to do what the game never allowed: romance Claire instead of one of the male leads. But how will her villainous lady love react to that?!

I’ve actually heard quite a bit about this light novel series and I do like Yuri. I tend to like it even better with pictures because I’m an art lover….

SLOW LIFE IN ANOTHER WORLD (I WISH!)

Volume 1 to be released in August 2021

All Itsuki wants is an easy isekai life to take him far, far away from the stress of his salaryman slog. When a beautiful goddess sends him to a fantasy world and gives him the opportunity to choose his own ability, he makes certain he won’t ever have to work again. If only his new life were that simple… Turns out his new “pocket change” skill won’t do him much good when it comes to fighting giant bugs and winning arguments at the guild. Will Itsuki ever get the chance to live the lazy life of his dreams?

SUNDOME!! MILKY WAY Mature-rated

Volume 1 to be released in August 2021

Sundome!! Milky Way by Kazuki Funatsu, is a sexy and out-of-this-world alien comedy from the creator of Yokai Girls!

Sakura Yoshitake works hard at his corporate job and has very little time to himself. While driving home from his grandma’s birthday party, he sees a UFO and crashes his car! A horrifying alien approaches the wreckage, and he promptly passes out. Yet when he awakens in his apartment, he finds a beautiful half-naked woman sleeping next to him. His mystery savior is none other than the alien who caused his accident. She’s come to Earth to seduce a human man for the purpose of having a baby…only whenever he touches her, she gets so embarrassed that she transforms back into her terrifying alien form! What’s Yoshitake to do about this sexy alien stuck in his apartment? And how is she ever supposed to have a baby if she can’t even kiss someone without losing control?!

Can you get too old for mature content? When I was a kid I was all about that mature fiction but now I find I’m into some pretty immature stuff.

LONER LIFE IN ANOTHER WORLD Light Novel Series

Volume 1 to be released in August 2021

A sarcastic isekai comedy about surviving in a fantasy world with only the weirdest magic powers. Inspired the hit manga!

When acerbic loner Haruka gets transported to another world with his class, he’s not big on adventuring, but he wouldn’t mind some cool magic of his own. Unfortunately, the magic powers are first-come-first-served, and by Haruka’s turn, there’s nothing good left to choose from. Now he’ll have to take on this fantasy world the hard way, with a hodgepodge selection of bizarre skills…and with all the girls in class tagging along!

So I’m not gonna lie, after reading that description, I put the manga on my to read list…

HAPPY KANAKO’S KILLER LIFE Manga Series

Volume 1 to be released in August 2021

When Kanako accidentally applies to work at an assassination agency, the timid office worker discovers that she has a knack for bumping people off. Will she ever earn the respect of Sakurai, her prickly and kinda hot co-worker–and why is she still having silly workplace problems when she’s employed with hitmen?! This full-color manga is dangerously funny!

OK, this sounds pretty amazing to. Another one for my list. These posts are going to hurt my wallet…

SKIP AND LOAFER Manga Series

Volume 1 to be released in August 2021

Excellent student Iwakura Mitsumi has always dreamt about leaving her small town, going to a prestigious university, and making positive change in the world. But she’s so focused on reaching her goals that she’s not prepared for the very different (and overwhelming) city life that awaits her in a Tokyo high school. Luckily, she makes fast friends with Shima Sousuke, a handsome classmate who’s as laid-back as she is over-prepared. Can this naive country girl make it big in Tokyo with Sousuke by her side? This charming manga was nominated for the 2020 Manga Taisho Award and is sure to skip its way into your heart.

REBORN AS A SPACE MERCENARY: I WOKE UP PILOTING THE STRONGEST STARSHIP! Manga Series

Volume 1 to be released in August 2021

Sato Takahiro was an ordinary office worker and hobbyist gamer until the day he woke up on a spaceship–one that strangely resembled a craft from a favorite space-shooter game. With a decked-out ship, a crew full of babes, and a fantastic universe to explore, he’s going to make the most of his good luck and create the life he’s always dreamed of!

You know, Space Isekai is a very underserved genre. This could be interesting. I hope it’s good enough to start a trend. Sci-Fi is just as good a fit for Isekai as Fantasy is!

MY STATUS AS AN ASSASSIN OBVIOUSLY EXCEEDS THE HERO’S Light Novel Series

Volume 1 to be released in August 2021

When Akira’s class is magically summoned to another world, he and his classmates are awarded fantastical powers–but while one of them is lucky enough to become a true Hero, Akira becomes a mere Assassin. However, against all odds, the Assassin just might be the most powerful role of all! Harboring doubts about the intentions of the king, Akira uses his newfound strength as a master of the shadows to uncover the secrets and conspiracies of the crown.

CALL TO ADVENTURE! DEFEATING DUNGEONS WITH A SKILL BOARD Manga Series

Volume 1 to be released in August 2021

Based on the prize-winning web novels in Japan. In a time when dungeons and monsters have appeared in our world, a struggling modern adventurer finds a fantasy dungeon–and a special treasure–under his Hokkaido home!
 
It’s been five years since strange dungeons opened up around the Earth, spilling monsters into our world. Average citizens everywhere have risen to the challenge to become adventurers, fighting these fantasy creatures and clearing out dungeons as best they can. Among them is Karaboshi Haruki, a 27-year-old rookie overlooked by everyone and…less than successful at beating monsters and finding treasure. Unsure how he can compete with much more powerful adventurers, an opportunity is dropped into his lap–a dungeon suddenly appears right beneath his home! Could this be a place for him to train? Even better, he discovers a Skill Board that allows him to level up faster! The dungeon-diving adventures Haruki has always dreamed of are just getting started.

This sounds a lot like something I would like. I tend to prefer urban fantasy to straight up fantasy and that tweak is enough to get me intrigued.

DESIRE PANDORA Mature-rated Manga Series

Volume 1 to be released in August 2021

Takai Tsukasa might humbly call himself an armpit connoisseur–he really knows his stuff (the stuff being the beauty of women’s shapely armpits). But for all of his meticulous study, will he ever find pitch perfect pits? A careless wish on a magic ring gives him a chance to find out by summoning the most gorgeous woman alive–but said woman just so happens to be a demoness! In a classic case of “be careful what you wish for,” things are about to get sweaty and perhaps a little too hot for Takai to handle.

DISCIPLE OF THE LICH: OR HOW I WAS CURSED BY THE GODS AND DROPPED INTO THE ABYSS! Light Novel Series

Volume 1 to be released in September 2021

An ordinary teenager is transported to a fantasy world, accidentally gets on the bad side of the gods, and is dumped in the bottom of the world’s deepest dungeon with no skills or magic. Ouch! Once there, he meets a mysterious girl…who happens to be undead. But despite her general dislike of humans, she decides to help him out. Can the two of them make it back to the surface? They might just be a more powerful combo than anyone was expecting!

I still have to get into light novels because…I like art. But I know I’m missing out. I have discovered so many amazing LN adaptations.

MONSTER GUILD: THE DARK LORD’S (NO-GOOD) COMEBACK! Manga Series

Volume 1 to be released in September 2021

by Tourou, a comedic and (anti)heroic fantasy in which a defeated villain builds a motley crew for his monstrous comeback!

It’s hard to defeat a mighty hero when he keeps coming back to life–in fact, it’s impossible. The Dark Lord, stuck in a loop of battling a good guy who won’t stay dead, finally loses the fight and meets his own end…or so it would seem. The Dark Lord saved himself by putting his soul into an empty vessel, and now he’s about to stage his own comeback. He may be weak now, but along with his newly formed fellowship of misfits–a slime, an orc, an ifrit, and a dark elf–he’s convinced he can rebuild his evil empire, one bumbling step at a time.

This could be fun!

KARATE SURVIVOR IN ANOTHER WORLD Manga Series

Volume 1 to be released in September 2021

When 34-year-old Nozaki Hitoshi is hit by a truck, he is sent to a fantasy world by a dismissive god and dropped into a harsh wilderness without even the clothes on his back. His only salvation is a newly granted karate skill and his general survival instincts. Luckily, Hitoshi is up for the challenge–he’ll weave clothes out of tree bark, test fruit for poison, and crawl through the mud to test his kicks and punches against goblins and other creatures. No matter how much he levels up in this world, he still longs to find other humans to share his solitude. An engrossing fantasy that pits karate technique against swords and sorcery in another world!

THE MASTERFUL CAT IS DEPRESSED AGAIN TODAY Manga Series

Volume 1 to be released in September 2021

By Hitsuzi Yamada, a sweetly comedic manga about a cat who cooks, cleans, and succeeds at adulting more than the woman who expected him to be a pet!

When Saku took in a stray black cat, she never expected that he would become the equivalent of a housekeeping life partner. But Yukichi, a giant cat who towers over Saku, is not your ordinary feline. He takes great pride in his culinary skills, and a good sale at the supermarket always gets his whiskers twitching. Saku may not have her act together yet, but at least she has Yukichi!

Well this is obviously meant for me. Like entirely for me. Did I somehow write this in my sleep?

CLASSMATES Manga Continuations: SORA AND HARA and O.B.

Seven Seas will publish the manga Classmates Vol. 5: O.B. for the first time in North America in print and on digital platforms in a single omnibus edition in November 2021. The book will be released in January 2022

The continuing books in the Classmates Boys’ Love manga series by Asumiko Nakamura: first, Sora and Hara, a single volume tale, followed by O.B., a two-volume story to be released in one beautiful omnibus!

In Sora and Hara, learn more about the teacher Hara Manabu, a gay man who feels somewhat adrift in the world. He spends his days teaching at an all-boys school, his nights out on the town. While at a gay bar, he meets a young man named Sorano and makes an instant connection. But things become complicated when he sees Sorano again–as a new student at school! Hara immediately shuts down the possibility of a relationship, although the situation is unearthing issues from Hara’s youth, when he himself had complicated sexual feelings in his teens…and the current emotional baggage that still lingers with his now-graduated student, Rihito. In this darkly comedic drama about love and aging, a seen-it-all teacher has more learning of his own to do.

In O.B., Hikaru and Rihito may have graduated high school, but their life beyond is just beginning! Can these two boys keep their relationship strong while they grow into adults together? Meanwhile, many of their friends, including their former teacher Hara, are dealing with their own relationship drama.

Admittedly, this is getting pretty far from summer….

When I edited this post, I went to find all the covers and I was a bit disappointed by how samey they seem. The two shoujo manga look like each other and the rest just sort of blend together for me. They’re pretty but they don’t stand out. With the exception of KARATE SURVIVOR IN ANOTHER WORLD. I think the font and composition jumps out at you so great job! And OB, where the framing makes it very different.

I’m actually looking forward to doing another one of these posts in a month or so and seeing what those covers look like!