Light Novel and Manga Haul July 2023

About

I was expecting to barely have enough books to even do a manga haul this month. My self control obviously needs work.

The books in this haul are a mix of Amazon orders, new and used, and purchases from my local store.

Comics

Avatar: The Last Airbender: The Rift

This is the fourth omnibus in the recommended reading order for the Avatar comics, at least as far as I know. I think this is the library edition. For most of the Avatar comics, the paperbacks seem to be the individuals, and the hardcovers tend to be the omnibus library editions.

What is it?

A comic omnibus of The Rift that continues the story from the TV show, Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Light Novels

The Scum Villain’s Self-Saving System: Ren Zha Fanpai Zijiu Xitong, Vol 1

This book is a danmei, which is a genre that is exploding in popularity right now. Danmei is essentially the Chinese equivalent to Boys Love. I generally love stories with BL couplings, so I got this book to try some danmei.

I specifically chose this one to try, because it’s rather short as a series. It only has four volumes in total. The series is a trilogy, with a fourth book that covers content for both past and future. So, if I like the series, it won’t be a huge commitment to finish it.

What is it?

From what I can tell, it’s a historical isekai BL romance.

Manga

The Apothecary Diaries, Vol. 8

The Apothecary Diaries is a fantastic series and I highly recommend it. The review for this volume is already available. Volume nine will release on August, 15th.

What is it?

A Chinese inspired historical mystery romance.

Flame of Recca, Vol. 18, 19, & 22

Flame of Recca is out of print, but I started my collection in middle school, so I want to finish it. The remaining volumes are higher in price, so they likely will not be seen in my hauls very frequently. I also will be purchasing them out of order from here on out, because it’ll be entirely based on what I find at reasonable prices based on availability.

What is it?

An action adventure featuring supernatural powers and magic items with a similar vibe to Yu Yu Hakusho.

Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, Vol. 5

I love this series. I’m a little behind on the English releases, but I’m trying to catch up. My goal is to catch up to the current releases before I watch the anime. There’s still time before that airs.

At the time of this post, reviews for the first four volumes are available. Five should be up in the near future.

What is it?

A fantasy story about an Elf mage coming to terms with how long her lifespan is compared to those around her.

Inuyasha VIZBIG Edition, Vol. 5

I’ve already read the Inuyasha manga, but I’ve never had my own physical copies. I’m working on that with these editions. It’s not a high priority, though, so I won’t be getting them often. Reviews for this series will likely wait until I feel like doing a re-read, which will probably be a good while.

Recently, I’ve also started getting the sequel series, Yashahime. I haven’t read any of it, yet, but reviews for it will be up eventually.

What is it?

A Japanese time travel adventure romance with demons.

Noragami Omnibus, Vol. 6 (volumes 16-18)

I’m getting these as they release, and I have plenty to get started on whenever I feel like it. This series is one of the manga I’m looking forward to reading the most. I just haven’t found the right time to start it.

What is it?

An urban fantasy focused around gods and the spirit world.

Tail of the Moon, Vol. 15

This is the final volume of the Tail of the Moon series. It completes my collection, so after all these years, I can finally finish reading it. This series will be on the short list for manga I will be reading.

What is it?

A romance story about an incompetent ninja girl sent to woo Lord Hanzo.

Manga Haul June 2023

About

While the book haul for this month is huge, my manga haul is actually normal. I believe all of my manga this month come from Amazon. Three of them are new, and one of them is from a marketplace seller pre-owned.

Black Cat, Vol. 16

This volume puts me at only two remaining. I’m grabbing them pre-owned as I manage to find them in reasonable condition at reasonable prices. It’ll be nice when this out of print collection is complete so I will be able to focus on another one. I’ll likely focus on Flame of Recca for my out of print collection after this one.

What is it?

An action adventure starring an ex-assassin gunman turned bounty hunter, and supernatural powers.

The Titan’s Bride, Vol. 2 & 3

These volumes catch me up to the current releases. Volume four is supposed to come out sometime in December. I’ve already read these and posted reviews for them, so feel free to check out my reviews for all three available volumes.

One Two Three

Minor content warning for this series, it has dubious consent in some parts, so just beware if you are sensitive to that kind of thing. Also, it’s completely uncensored. There are no black/gray bars, no blurring, and no bright light to hide things. It is entirely explicit.

What is it?

A cute and sweet smutty BL isekai featuring size difference.

Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon, Vol. 1

I’m not in a rush to get all of these. They seem to be releasing rather slowly, and I’m in no hurry to read them. I still need to finish the anime, which is apparently very different.

A little extra information, because I’ve seen people confused about this. Yes, Inuyasha’s child is a quarter-demon. She is not the main character here. The half-demon for the title mostly refers to Towa, one of Sesshomaru’s twin daughters. Towa is the main character of the group in the same way Kagome is in Inuyasha.

What is it?

A sequel series to the renowned Inuyasha, starring the daughters of both Sesshomaru and Inuyasha.

Manga Haul May 2023

About

All of the books in this haul are either from Amazon or my local bookstore. Two of the manga are pre-owned purchases. Everything else is new.

Don’t mind the purple dot. My camera app just has that randomly now.

Comics

Avatar: The Last Airbender: The Promise

From what I can tell, this is the second omnibus in the recommended reading order. This is the library edition. There’s another version of the omnibus, but it looks like it is paperback only. This one is hardcover, and the description implies it has more content than the other version. After getting this one, I now have one through three.

What is it?

A comic omnibus of The Promise that continues the story from the TV show Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Manga

Black Cat, Vol. 20

These are out of print and tend to be expensive, so it’s a slow journey completing my collection. I’m grabbing whichever volumes I can find at a decent price, and in decent condition, whenever I find them. This volume puts me at three left. I almost have them all!

What is it?

An action adventure starring an ex-assassin gunman turned bounty hunter, and supernatural powers.

Inuyasha VIZBig Edition, Vol. 4

I’ve already read the Inuyasha manga, but I’ve never had my own physical copies. I’m working on that with these editions. It’s not a high priority, though, so I won’t be getting them often. This puts me at approximately twelve volumes out of fifty-six. Each VIZBig volume contains three standard volumes.

What is it?

A Japanese time travel adventure romance with demons.

My Happy marriage, Vol. 2

I read and reviewed volume one of this manga already. It appears to be releasing rather slowly compared to the norm. Both the light novel and manga currently only have a few volumes each in English, but I highly recommend trying the series in whichever format you prefer. It’s very good. I just hope volume two holds up. I’m not sure when I’ll get around to reading this volume, yet.

What is it?

A Cinderella inspired historical romance with paranormal aspects.

Noragami Omnibus, Vol. 5 (volumes 13-15)

I’m getting these as they release, and I have plenty to get started on whenever I feel like it. It’s just a matter of fitting them in. I have no idea when that will be, but they are on my long list of things to get to.

What is it?

An urban fantasy focused around gods and the spirit world.

Skip Beat! Vol. 48

I’m up to date on my collection for this series. It’s in my pile of things to read in the near-ish future, and I will be keeping up on purchasing the latest volumes as they come out. I’m excited to catch up on reading these. This series is one of my favorite shojo manga.

What is it?

A revenge showbiz story with comedy and romance.

Tail of the Moon, Vol. 14

One more volume after this one and my collection for the series will be complete. Once I have them all, I will add it to my read soon pile.

What is it?

A romance story about an incompetent ninja girl sent to woo Lord Hanzo.

Manga Haul April 2023

About

My haul is a little small this month. This is closer to what it is usually like, though. There are only five books this month. All of these are either new or used from Amazon, or from my local book store.

Flame of Recca, Vol. 16 & 17

I’m still slowly working my way through getting the volumes for this series. These put me approximately half way through the total volume count. It looks like they might be more expensive from here on out, so they might not pop up in my hauls as frequently.

What is it?

An action adventure featuring supernatural powers and magic items with a similar vibe to Yu Yu Hakusho.

Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, Vol. 4

I love this series. I’m a little behind on the English releases, but I’m trying to catch up. My goal is to catch up to the current releases before I watch the anime. There’s still time before that airs, and I don’t think there is a release date, yet, aside from just, “this year,” so I’m not too worried about it.

Reviews for volumes, one, two, and three, are already available.

What is it?

A fantasy story about an Elf mage coming to terms with how long her lifespan is compared to those around her.

Soul Eater: The Perfect Edition, Vol. 1

I love Soul Eater, but my first exposure was the anime. I hear the manga is significantly better. Either way, I already planned on getting the manga eventually. The perfect editions are hardcovers, and I see no reason not to get a favorite series in hardcover, so these are the ones I will be going with.

What is it?

A fantasy setting where people are trained to be warriors called meisters and wield weapons, that are actually people who become the weapon. They collect tainted souls in hopes of someday turning their weapons into their ultimate form to be used by Death himself. Sometimes this task involves saving the world.

This series is said to be in the same universe as Fire Force, which I have not yet read.

The Titan’s Bride, Vol. 1

I’ve heard good things about this series. I didn’t think it would get a localization, so I’m glad it did. If it didn’t, I was set on ordering a Japanese copy after I learned enough of the language to be able to read it. My BL collection is slowly expanding.

What is it?

An erotic, uncensored, BL isekai with a size difference theme.

Manga Haul March 2023

About

This haul also contains some comics, because I figure they are similar enough to share the same post. Any time I get comics, they will be in the manga hauls. They will be in the manga section of the index as well whenever I review any.

All of these are Amazon purchases, except for Noragami and Detective Conan.

Comics

Avatar: The Last Airbender: The Lost Adventures & Team Avatar Tales

This is the first comic omnibus recommended to read for this series. The Lost Adventures are stories that take place during the events of the TV show. Team Avatar Tales takes place later. A reading list I looked at implied that section should be read way way later, but I doubt it matters. My guess is they were both put in this book because they can be read close together.

This is the hardcover library edition. It looks like the library editions might be the best ones to get. Some of the comics only have the library editions as hardcovers. They seem to have more content than the paperback versions, too. At least, that’s what the descriptions seem to imply.

What is it?

A comic omnibus of The Lost Adventures & Team Avatar Tales building more onto the story from the TV show Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Avatar: The Last Airbender: The Search

From what I gather, this is the third omnibus in the reading order. I got the third before the second because it was cheaper at the time. I think this one is the library edition. There’s another version of the omnibus, but it looked like it was paperback only. This one is hardcover, and the description implied it had more content than the other version.

What is it?

A comic omnibus of The Search that continues the story from the TV show Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Manga

Black Cat, Vol. 14

I only need four more volumes for this series: 15, 16, 18, and 20. They’re out of print, so my collection for these advances slowly with pre-owned copies.

What is it?

An action adventure starring an ex-assassin gunman turned bounty hunter, and supernatural powers.

Detective Conan, Vol. 2 (Japanese Edition)

This book is a late birthday gift. With this volume, I now have one through three of this series in Japanese. I like to look through them every so often to see which words and phrases I can pick out. It’ll be a while before I can actually read them, but they are good motivation to keep me learning the language.

What is it?

A mystery series in which a secret organization turns the protagonist into a child via medicine.

Flame of Recca, Vol. 14 & 15

I think there are about eighteen more volumes in this series. Slowly, but surely, I’m working my way to getting them all.

These are out of print, so I buy all of them pre-owned.

What is it?

An action adventure featuring supernatural powers and magic items with a similar vibe to Yu Yu Hakusho.

Noragami Omnibus, Vol. 4 (volumes 10-12)

I can probably start reading these any time now. As long as I don’t read them one after the other and work them into a rotation, it should be okay. I just don’t want to catch up to the release and have to wait. At this point, I’ll just add them into my rotation whenever I feel like getting around to them.

What is it?

An urban fantasy focused around gods and the spirit world.

Tail of the Moon, Vol. 13

This series is almost complete. There are only two more volumes left, and then I can put it on my list of things to read.

What is it?

A romance story about an incompetent ninja girl sent to woo Lord Hanzo.

Light Novel and Manga Haul February 2023

About

I didn’t expect to have enough books for any kind of haul this month. I neglected to consider my birthday. This haul contains the usual purchases for myself, as well as birthday gifts.

Light Novels

Bofuri: I Don’t Want to Get Hurt, so I’ll Max Out My Defense, Vol. 1

This is a gift from a friend. That same friend recommended this series to me initially, which led to me putting it on my wishlist. I’m aware the anime is available, but I haven’t seen it, yet.

What is it?

A funny and interesting VRMMORPG themed series.

Manga

Flame of Recca, Vol. 13

Thirty more volumes to go for this series. It’s going to be a while. This one was an Amazon order as a pre-owned copy since it’s out of print.

What is it?

An action adventure featuring supernatural powers and magic items with a similar vibe to Yu Yu Hakusho.

Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, Vol. 3

This is a fantastic series. It does a great job portraying how elves think compared to the average person. I’m behind on volume releases, but I’ll catch up eventually. I highly recommend this if you enjoy fantasy or D&D type settings. Thankfully my local bookstore carries these, so I can get them quickly when I want them.

The reviews for volumes one and two are already available. Volume three will be up soon.

What is it?

A fantasy story about an Elf mage coming to terms with how long her lifespan is compared to those around her.

Kamisama Kiss, Vol. 1-4

I originally found this anime on Hulu, and loved it. The anime does not have a complete ending, so of course, I added the manga to my wishlist. These volumes were gifts from two people.

What is it?

A romantic comedy about a girl who takes over a shrine as its god.

Noragami Omnibus, Vol. 3 (volumes 7-9)

I’m making steady progress on obtaining these as they release. Another volume or two and I might have enough of a buffer to work them into my reading schedule.

What is it?

An urban fantasy focused around gods and the spirit world

Ouran High School Host Club, Vol. 4-5

These were gifted to me. I’m excited to be making progress on my collection for this series. It’s been on my list of things to finish reading for so long that I have to start over. I’m so glad I’ll have my own set eventually. Originally I read them by borrowing from a friend.

What is it?

A gender bend, slice of life, comedy, romance.

The Rising of the Shield Hero: The Manga Companion, Vol. 1

I’ve never had a manga labelled as a manga companion before, so I’m not entirely sure what that means. I THINK it means it’s just not the original source material. If that’s the case, then I’ve had a lot of manga companions that were not labelled as such. The original material in this case is the light novel version of the series. This book was a gift.

What is it?

An isekai featuring a poorly treated protagonist in a world similar to a video game.

Spice & Wolf, Vol. 1-3

This is the manga version of the popular light novel series, Spice & Wolf. Every volume is marked as explicit content, but upon flipping through a bit, it looks like that’s just because Holo is frequently naked. Nipples are included in the art, so they have to be more careful about the rating. These volumes were gifts.

Reviews for one through five of the light novel editions are already available, with six coming soon. Manga reviews will get done more slowly depending how frequently I get the books. I’m curious to see the differences.

What is it?

A commerce slow burn romance between a human merchant and a snarky wolf girl.

Light Novel and Manga Haul January 2023

About

I’ve been ordering too many books. My wallet is crying. I’ll have to try to slow down.

All books in this haul are orders from Amazon and ThriftBooks. Yu Yu Hakusho volume two is the only one not pre-owned.

Light Novels

Spice & Wolf, Vol. 8 & 9

I am steadily working my way through this series. It’s pretty great. Reviews for volumes one through five are already up.

What is it?

A commerce slow burn romance between a human and a snarky wolf girl.

Manga

Black Cat, Vol. 17 & 19

This series is out of print, and most volumes are expensive. I found these two, by chance, for about $20 total. I wasn’t going to pass on that. There are only five more volumes remaining until I have them all. Due to the prices, this may take some time.

What is it?

An action adventure starring an ex-assassin gunman turned bounty hunter, and supernatural powers.

Detective Conan (Japanese), Vol. 1 & 3

I love Case Closed/Detective Conan. Mysteries are one of my favorite genres. I already have 1-10 in English, and I’ve seen a lot of the anime. Because I love this series so much, I figure getting them in Japanese is a good way to practice reading the language. My vocabulary isn’t big enough, yet, but having these around is a good motivator to stick with my lessons.

These are pretty cool, because as the Japanese editions, they actually have a book jacket. The cover underneath is in black and white.

What is it?

A mystery series in which a secret organization turns the protagonist into a child via medicine.

Flame of Recca, Vol. 12

I have a long way to go before I finish collecting this series. I’m only about one third of the way done. It’s out of print, so every volume I buy is pre-owned.

What is it?

An action adventure featuring supernatural powers and magic items with a similar vibe to Yu Yu Hakusho.

Tail of the Moon, Vol. 10-12

There are only three volumes remaining until I complete this series.

What is it?

A romance story about an incompetent ninja girl sent to woo Lord Hanzo.

Yu Yu Hakusho, Vol. 2

This series is one of my favorites from my childhood. I have never read it, but I used to watch the anime all the time. I also have the DVD collection and the PS2 fighting game. Volume one was gifted to me a couple years ago, so I’m only just now starting to get moving on collecting the manga.

I had problems getting this one in. At first, there were stock issues, so it was entirely unattainable. When it finally got a restock, I ordered it, and it got lost in the mail. I ended up resolving the issue by re-ordering it with another larger book in hopes the larger book would prevent the package from getting lost in the mail, like it did the first time. When it finally came in, the delivery person left it in the wrong place. I feel like I’m lucky I managed to get it at all. I swear if I didn’t re-order it with that larger book, it probably would have gotten lost again.

What is it?

An action adventure featuring supernatural powers, demons, and fighting tournaments.

Manga Haul December 2022

About

This haul includes the manga I received as holiday gifts, as well as what I purchased on my own through Amazon and my local book store.

The Apothecary Diaries, Vol. 7

I love this series. Unfortunately, volume eight doesn’t come out in English until May. I have already read this book, and you can read the review here. If you’d like to start from the beginning, the reviews for volumes one through six are also available.

What is it?

A Chinese inspired historical mystery romance.

Chi’s Sweet Home, Vol. 1 (Japanese)

This is the Japanese print of Chi’s Sweet home. It’s supposedly a good series to read for beginners of the language. I found it highly recommended from several sources, so I’m looking forward to using it for some language practice in my Japanese learning journey.

What is it?

A cute series of adorable cat adventures and shenanigans.

How to Train Your Devil, Vol. 1

I added this to my to-read list this past summer. I don’t know much about it, yet. The description implies hero surrogate mother to a perverted baby Devil King.

Update: The review for this volume is now available.

What is it?

It’s supposed to be a lewd and funny fantasy.

Inuyasha VIZBig Edition, Vol. 3

I’ve already read the Inuyasha manga, but I’ve never had my own physical copies. I’m working on that with these editions. It’s not a high priority, though, so I won’t be getting them often.

What is it?

A Japanese time travel adventure romance with demons.

My Monster Secret, Vol. 1

I added this to my list around the same time as How to Train your Devil. It appears to be about a girl who is secretly a vampire. I won’t know any more than that until I read it.

Update: The review for this volume is now available.

What is it?

It’s supposed to be a funny romance from what I can tell.

Noragami Omnibus Vol. 2 (volumes 4-6)

I’m building a bit of a buffer before I delve into reading these. The anime is great, so I’m excited to start the manga. It kind of reminds me a little of Soul Eater, because people can become weapons or objects.

What is it?

An urban fantasy focused around gods and the spirit world, but also a bit silly at times.

Ouran High School Host Club, Vol. 1-3

This is a great manga, and a great anime. Of course, the anime ends long before the manga and deviates a bit. A friend of mine was collecting the series back when I was in middle school when the series was still new to the U.S. I was able to read most of it back then, but not finish it. I’m looking forward to completing my own set and giving it a full read.

What is it?

A gender bend, slice of life, comedy, romance.

Skip Beat! Vol. 36-42

This fills the chunk I was missing. My collection is now up to current, and I can start reading them to review whenever. I’m looking forward to it.

What is it?

A revenge showbiz story with romance.

Light Novel and Manga Haul November 2022

About

This haul size is closer to my average high end quantity. Usually I don’t even get this many. I’ve been buying way too many books lately, though, so they have not looked like this the past couple months. I’m going to try to use some self control to maintain a small reasonable amount of books each month, instead of the massive piles I’ve had.

Light Novels

Fullmetal Alchemist: The Ties that Bind

This finishes my collection of the Fullmetal Alchemist light novels. It’s volume five out of six, but I already have the rest. Next time I read the Fullmetal Alchemist manga, I will read these, too.

What is it?

Volume five of six non-confirmed canon light novel stories for Fullmetal Alchemist. Written by Makoto Inoue with the original concept from Hiromu Arakawa.

Manga

Black Cat, Vol. 13

Only seven more volumes to go after this one! Some of them are going to take some digging to find affordably. This series is pretty much exclusively available as used copies. I will read and review them at some point after I have them all.

What is it?

A former assassin turned bounty hunter adventure with some super powered villains.

Fruits Basket Collector’s Edition, Vol. 12

Complete! This is the final volume of the series. I will be reading and reviewing the series at some point. From here on out, I need to start getting Fruits Basket Another. I believe it’s still fairly new and releasing volumes. Volume four is the last one I saw come out, so I probably won’t rush to get going on that.

What is it?

A charming series about a girl who meets a family that turns into the animals of the Chinese zodiac when hugged by someone of the opposite sex.

My Hero Academia, Vol. 4

I’m way behind on this as both anime and manga. I love the series based on what I’ve seen. It’s wildly popular, though, so I probably don’t have to tell you how good it is. With this volume, I have one, two, and four. The store did not have volume three.

What is it?

A story about a rising hero in a world where almost everyone has super powers.

Skip Beat! Vol. 47

The latest volume that came out this November! I’m starting to get an itch to read the series, but I still have that gap to fill. Once I fill that gap of volumes I’m missing, I will probably read and review this at my earliest convenient opportunity.

What is it?

A revenge showbiz story with romance.

Tail of the Moon, Vol. 9

There are six volumes left after this one for a total of fifteen. I will definitely be reading and reviewing the series at some point after getting them all. I already know I like the series, because I’ve read a chunk of it before.

What is it?

A romance story about an incompetent ninja girl sent to woo Lord Hanzo.

Light Novel and Manga Haul October 2022

About

Most of this haul is pre-owned manga. It’s going to take a while to finish some stuff I’m collecting, so expect to see some of the same series appear frequently in monthly hauls.

Light Novels

Spice & Wolf, Vol. 6 & 7

I love this series. I’m way behind the current releases, but I’ll catch up eventually. Volume twenty three, I believe, is coming out in the second half of November.

Reviews for volumes one through four have already been posted. Feel free to check those out. I will continue to review the series as I read it.

Update: The review for volume six is now available.

Manga

Black Cat, Vol. 10, 11, & 12

I absolutely love the Black Cat anime. I saw the anime before I read any of the books. Initially, I borrowed the first few volumes from a friend, but I didn’t get very far at the time. There are about twenty volumes, and I’m currently in the process of obtaining them for myself. This haul puts me about a little over half way through completing the series. Most, if not all, of them have to be purchased used these days. If you’ve also seen the anime, be aware the manga is a bit different.

Flame of Recca, Vol. 10 & 11

This is another of which I’ve seen the anime first. I love the anime because it is drastically similar to Yu Yu Hakusho. It has the same story formula, while being unique enough to capture my interest. I think there are thirty three volumes, so I’ve still got a long way to go to complete this one. I’m waiting until I complete it to read it. Like Black Cat, this one is mostly only available used.

Fruits Basket Collector’s Edition, Vol. 10 & 11

After these, I only have one more volume! I’m excited to be able to binge read the series soon. I’ll also be collecting Fruits Basket Another once this series is complete.

While I’ve been a fan of Fruits Basket for a long time, I haven’t been able to read it, and I’ve only seen the original anime. It’ll be nice to finally be able to read it, and I should get around to watching the new version of the anime at some point.

Tail of the Moon, Vol. 7 & 8 + Prequel

I read a chunk of this series before, but I can’t remember how much. I just know I loved what I read. There are fifteen volumes, plus the prequel shown here. I didn’t know the prequel existed until recently, so I made sure to grab it.