I ended up picking up a few more things than I had initially planned to in July (including more anime series than usual). Partly to blame was the huge month-long anniversary sale at RightStuf. Granted, some of the items that I ordered during the sale didn’t arrive until August, so they won’t be found in the list below. Also not represented (although perhaps they should be) are the books that I bought as replacements for some of the materials that I already owned but lost to water damage from a radiator leak last month. But as for the manga to arrive in July that do appear on the list below that I was especially happy to see, there was Kentaro Miura’s Berserk, Volume 38 (the previous volume was published in 2013), Shigeru Mizuki’s Kitaro and the Great Tanuki War (technically released in June), and Izumi Tsubaki’s Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun, Volume 8 (which continues to be a delight). I also finally got around to picking up Tetsu Kariya and Akira Hanasaki’s Oishinbo, A la Carte: Izakaya: Pub Food, the final volume of the series to be published in English. July had a fair number of interesting debuts in store for me, too, including Gou Tanabe’s H.P. Lovecraft’s The Hound and Other Stories (a nice addition to the horror manga available in translation), Yuki Fumino’s I Hear the Sunspot (a truly lovely manga), and Haruko Ichikawa’s Land of the Lustrous, Volume 1 (which, if nothing else, has stunning artwork).

Manga!
The Ancient Magus’ Bride, Volume 7 by Kore Yamazaki
Berserk, Volume 38 by Kentaro Miura
Blame!, Omnibus 2 by Tsutomu Nihei
Bungo Stray Dogs, Volume 3 by Kafka Asagiri
Don’t Be Cruel: Plus+, Volume 1 by Yonezou Nekota
Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma, Volume 18 written by Yuto Tsukuda, illustrated by Shun Saeki
Fruits Basket, Omnibus 2 by Natsuki Takaya
Hana & Hina After School, Volume 2 by Milk Morinaga
H.P. Lovecraft’s The Hound and Other Stories by Gou Tanabe
I Hear the Sunspot by Yuki Fumino
Kitaro and the Great Tanuki War by Shigeru Mizuki
Land of the Lustrous, Volume 1 by Haruko Ichikawa
The Legend of Zelda: Legendary Edition, Omnibuses 3-5 by Akira Himekawa
Love Com, Volumes 5-13 by Aya Nakahara
Million Tears, Volume 1 by Yuana Kazumi
Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun, Volume 8 by Izumi Tsubaki
Oishinbo, A la Carte: Izakaya: Pub Food written by Tetsu Kariya, illustrated by Akira Hanasaki
Princess Jellyfish, Omnibus 5 by Akiko Higashimura
Samurai Crusader, Volumes 1-3 written by Hiroi Oji, illustrated by Ryoichi Ikegami
Twinkle Stars, Omnibus 3 by Natsuki Takaya
Your Name, Volume 1 written by Makoto Shinkai, illustrated by Ranmaru Kotone

Comics!
The Backstagers, Volume 1 written by James Tynion IV, illustrated by Rian Sygh
Blood Brothers: Hermanos de Sangre written by Fabian Rangel Jr., illustrated by Javier Martin Caba
Electric Ant, Issue 1: Your First Kiss edited by Ryan Sands
For When You Can’t Sleep at Night by Skye Ali
Husband & Husband, Volume 1 by Aaron Ferrara
Living Space by Elise Schuenke
Loved & Lost written by Tyler Chin-Tanner
Ravina the Witch? by Junko Mizuno
Rutabaga the Adventure Chef, Book 2: Feasts of Fury by Eric Colossal
Stages of Rot by Linnea Sterte

Novels!
Gosick, Volumes 1-2 by Kazuki Sakuraba
Legend of the Galactic Heroes, Volume 4: Strategem by Yoshiki Tanaka
Your Name by Makoto Shinkai

Anime!
Captain Harlock Space Pirate: The Complete Series directed by Rintaro
Death Parade: The Complete Series directed by Yuzuru Tachikawa
Gangsta: The Complete Series directed by Shukō Murase
Gosick: The Complete Series, Part 1 directed by Hitoshi Nanba
The Story of Saiunkoku: Season 1, Parts 1-3 directed by Jun Shishido
Space Dandy, Seasons 1-2  directed by Shinichirō Watanabe
Yona of the Dawn, Parts 1-2 directed by Kazuhiro Yoneda

After the ridiculousness of May’s Bookshelf Overload, the number of manga, comics, and other books that I picked up in June seems completely reasonable. But even though it was a small month, it was still a great month. First of all, one of the manga I was most looking forward to this year was released–Kabi Nagata’s My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness. (Although the work is more than deserving of it, I won’t be doing a formal, in-depth review, but I did write a Quick Take of it a few weeks ago.) I was also particularly excited for the debut of Satoru Noda’s Golden Kamuy and the continuation of Makoto Yukimura’s Vinland Saga in June. Hirohiko Araki’s Manga in Theory and Practice: The Craft of Creating Manga should also present an interesting read once I finally get the chance to get around to it. Currently, though, I’m reading Kazuki Sakuraba’s novel A Small Charred Face. It isn’t due to be released until September, but the folks at Haikasoru were kind enough to send me an advanced copy. I really enjoyed Sakuraba’s Red Girls: The Legend of the Akakuchibas and have been looking forward to the translation of A Small Charred Face for quite some time. So far, it’s been fantastic; look for a review to come soon!

Manga!
After Hours, Volume 1 by Yuhta Nishio
Dorohedoro, Volume 21 by Q Hayashida
Erased, Omnibus 2 by Kei Sanbe
Golden Kamuy, Volume 1 by Satoru Noda
Goodnight Punpun, Omnibus 6 by Inio Asano
Liselotte & Witch’s Forest, Volumes 1-3 by Natsuki Takaya
My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness by Kabi Nagata
Pet Shop of Horrors, Volume 9 by Matsuri Akino
Prison School, Omnibus 7 by Akira Hiramoto
The Royal Tutor, Volume 1 by Higasa Akai
Sweetness and Lightning, Volume 5 by Gido Amagakure
Ten Count, Volume 4 by Rihito Takarai
Vagabond, Omnibuses 10-12 by Takehiko Inoue
Vinland Saga, Omnibus 9 by Makoto Yukimura
The Water Dragon’s Bride, Volume 1 by Rei Toma

Comics!
Bara Emergency, Collection 1 by Nero O’Reilly
Boundless by Jillian Tamaki
Boy, I Love You edited by Kou Chen, Emily Forster, and Eric Alexander Arroyo.
Combed Clap of Thunder by Zach Hazard Vaupen
Cosmic Commandos by Chris Eliopoulos
Deanthology: Collected Works of Dechanique, 1995-2016 by Deanna Echanique
Destiny, NY, Volume 1 written by Pat Shand, illustrated by Manuel Preitano
Let’s Speak English by Mary Cagle
Not Drunk Enough, Volume 1 by Tessa Stone
Siegfried, Volume 3 by Alex Alice
Space Battle Lunchtime, Volume 2 by Natalie Riess
Steam Clean by Laura Kenins

Novels!
The Great Passage by Shion Miura
The Sacred Era by Aramaki Yoshio
Slow Boat by Hideo Furukawa
A Small Charred Face by Kazuki Sakuraba
Sound! Euphonium by Ayano Takeda

Nonfiction!
The Cultural Revolution: A People’s History, 1962―1976 by Frank Dikötter
Manga in Theory and Practice: The Craft of Creating Manga by Hirohiko Araki

Ah yes, May. The month that I know I will end up adding a tremendous amount of material of various types to my collection if for no other reason than this little event called the Toronto Comic Arts Festival.  I picked up so many comics at TCAF 2017! Fortunately, I budgeted for this well in advance. In addition to all of the new things in May, I also found some interesting older manga like Yukinobu Hoshino’s Saber Tiger and Seiji Horibuchi’s Shion: Blade of the Minstrel. (Also, a heads up for those who might be interested in the series, it looks as though The Story of Saiunkoku is likely going out of print.) As for May’s preorders, I was especially excited to see the most recent volumes of Nagabe’s The Girl From the Other Side, Izumi Tsubaki’s Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun, and Kanno’s Requiem of the Rose King, as well as the debuts of Haruko Kumota’s Descending Stories and Ryoko Kui’s Delicious in Dungeon. Also the first omnibus in Gengoroh Tagame’s My Brother’s Husband, one of my most anticipated releases for 2017.

Also in May, I received an early copy Yeon-sik Hong’s Uncomfortably Happily for review although the volume wasn’t technically released until June. Hopefully, my review of the manwha conveys just how much I enjoyed the work. Speaking of reviews, I’m currently working on an in-depth review Tomoyuki’s Hoshino’s ME, one of my most anticipated novels in translation of 2017. (This novel was also technically released in June rather than May, but I managed to snag an early review copy.) In general, I find Hoshino’s work to be challenging but ultimately rewarding. One of the other novels that I was particularly looking forward to this year was Inheritance from Mother by Minae Mizumura, whose previous work in translation I adored. Another May release worth mentioning is Shun Medoruma’s In the Woods of Memory, credited as the first novel by an Okinawan author to be translated into English.

Manga!
Bloom into You, Volume 2 by Nakatani Nio
Cat Eyed Boy, Volumes 1-2 by Kazuo Umezu
Cells at Work!, Volume 4 by Akane Shimizu
Delicious in Dungeon, Volume 1 by Ryoko Kui
Descending Stories: Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju, Volume 1 by Haruko Kumota
Dreamin’ Sun, Volume 1 by Ichigo Takano
The Girl From the Other Side: Siúil, A Rún Volume 2 by Nagabe
Gangsta: Cursed, Volume 2 written by Kohske, illustrated by Syuhei Kamo
Girls’ Last Tour, Volume 1 by Tsukumizu
The High School Life of a Fudanshi, Volume 1 by Michinoku Atami
Haikyu!!, Volumes 11-12 by Haruichi Furudate
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, Part 3: Stardust Crusaders, Volume 3 by Hirohiko Araki
Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun, Volume 7 by Izumi Tsubaki
Murciélago, Volume 2 by Yoshimurakana
My Brother’s Husband, Omnibus 1 by Gengoroh Tagame
My Love Story!!, Volume 12 written by Kazune Kawahara, illustrated by Aruko
Pet Shop of Horrors, Volume 10 by Matsuri Akino
Pet Shop of Horrors: Tokyo, Volumes 1-8 by Matsuri Akino
Requiem of the Rose King, Volume 6 by Aya Kanno
The Royal Tutor, Volume 1 by Higasa Akai
Saber Tiger by Yukinobu Hoshino
Shion: Blade of the Minstrel by Seiji Horibuchi
The Story of Saiunkoku, Volumes 1-9 written by Sai Yukino, illustrated by Kairi Yura
Sweetness and Lightning, Volume 5 by Gido Amagakuure
Yona of the Dawn, Volume 6 by Mizuho Kusanagi

Manhwa!
Uncomfortably Happily by Yeon-sik Hong

Comics!
5 Worlds, Volume 1: The Sand Warrior written by Mark Siegel and Alexis Siegel, illustrated by Xanthe Bouma, Matt Rockefeller, and Boya Sun
Adventure Girlfriends, No. 1-2 by Morgan Shandro
Adventure Girlfriends: Vignettes by Morgan Shandro
Aim High Bird Friends by Linda Teaa
Banchan in Two Pages, Issue 2 by Robin Ha
Blinded by the Ice by Saicoink
Blindsprings, Volume 1 by Kadi Fedoruk
Blossom Boys by Tanaw
Butterfly Dream by PlumLi
The Disappearance of Melody Dean by Alexis Sugden
Eidoughlons: A Field Guide for the Aspiring Dumplingmancer by Jade Feng Lee
Electric Ant, Issue 2: Exquisite Corpses edited by Ryan Sands
Elements: Fire edited by Taneka Stotts
Expired Seafood, Volume 2: Tied Up by Various
Fujoshi Trapped in a Seme’s Perfect Body, Volume 2 written by Seru, illustrated by Joberu
Fujoshi Trapped in a Seme’s Perfect Body: Wedding Night written by Seru, illustrated by Kisumi
Go Gently edited by Christine Wong and Victor Martins
Half Moon Heroes, Issue 1 by Jade Feng Lee
Haunted: A Fairytale by Natalie Andrewson
Hearts for Sale by Miyuli
Hemlock, Issue 1 by Josceline Fenton
Hidden by Kou Chen
Love Debut by Deandra Tan
Mana, Volume 1 by Priya Huq
Martial Spirit by Dirchansky, Wai Au, and Kage
Oh Dear! Mr. Dear by Wai Au
Our Cats Are More Famous Than Us by Ananth Hirsh and Yuko Ota
Plant Fever Zine, Volume 1 by Various
Queen Street by Emmanuelle Chateauneuf
Ram-com by Emily Forster
Ramen Robot Cafe by Dandra Tan
Safe by Anna Sellheim
Shattered Warrior written by Sharon Shinn, illustrated by Molly Knox Ostertag
Shit and Piss by Tyler Landry
Smokescreen by A. C. Esguerra
So Pretty / Very Rotten by Jane Mai and An Nguyen
Starrytellers edited by Samantha Calcraft and Alisha Jade
Super Life on the Hill by Dirchansky, Kim Hoang, and Wai Au
(Tr)eat Yoself by Wai Au
Wax & Wane by Kelly Bastow and Caitlin Major
What Is A Glacier? by Sophie Yanow
You & a Bike & a Road by Eleanor Davis

Light Novels!
Tokyo Ghoul: Past by Shin Towada

Novels!
The Eternal Zero by Naoki Hyakuta
In the Woods of Memory by Shun Medoruma
Inheritance from Mother by Minae Mizumura
Kamikaze Girls by Novala Takemoto
ME by Tomoyuki Hoshino
Missin’/Missn’ 2 by Novala Takemoto
Notes of a Crocodile by Miaojin Qiu

Anthologies!
Monkey Business: New Writing from Japan, Volume 7 edited by Motoyuki Shibata and Ted Goossen

Nonfiction!
Manchu Princess, Japanese Spy by Phyllis Birnbaum