Tag: SpyxFamily

Light Novel & Manga Haul September 2023

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About

I actually didn’t think I’d have enough books to bother with a haul this month. I expected to have maybe two at most, and I don’t do hauls unless I have at least four. But then, I remembered my one year milestone of learning Japanese happened this month, so I bought myself a few books to celebrate. So, anyway, on with the haul!

All books except two were purchased locally. The light novel came pre-owned from an Amazon seller, and Blue Exorcist came new.

Light Novels

Spice & Wolf, Vol. 10

I actually have two copies of this book. One of them is very damaged on the inside, because it was poorly inspected by the seller. It was not included in the haul for whichever month I got it, because I don’t count books like that as things for hauls. You can actually see the second copy in one of the piles in the background of the image. I’ve had rather bad luck with pre-owned book orders recently. I’m actually not yet sure what to do with the bad copy.

Reviews for several volumes are already available and can be easily found in the index. It has a spin-off series as well, but I’ve seen people say it’s best to wait until at least volume 17 of this before starting that. Slowly, but surely, I’ll get there.

What is it?

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

Manga

Blue Exorcist, Vol. 2

At this point in time, I’ve only seen the first season of the anime, but I absolutely loved it. If I can get enough volumes, I might read this series for spooky season, 2024.

What is it?

An action adventure starring demons and exorcists. The main character wants to be an exorcist even though he is the son of Satan.

Daemons of the Shadow Realm, Vol. 1

All I really know about this is that it’s by the same person who made Fullmetal Alchemist. FMA is one of my all time favorites, so it’s a given I need to try this new series.

What is it?

Some kind of action adventure. I’ll know more when I read the volume.

Noragami Omnibus, Vol. 7 (volumes 19-21)

I love the anime for this, but unfortunately it’s one of the many that were never finished. The manga is apparently supposed to be darker than the show, but better. I’m looking forward to reading the manga. It’s just a matter of figuring out when.

I thought the series was finished since they have omnibus editions, but apparently it’s still going. The omnibus editions are almost caught up to the current releases of the standard print.

What is it?

An urban fantasy focused around gods and the spirit world.

Spy x Family, Vol. 5

I have not started reading this series, but I have seen the anime. From a quick flip through of the volume in the store, it looks like the anime and the manga are very similar, so I don’t feel like I need to read it any time soon. I can build up a buffer to binge later, while I enjoy season two of the anime.

What is it?

An action comedy featuring a family with a spy, an assassin, and a telepath.

Light Novel and Manga Haul September 2022

fantasticfictionsblog

About

I’ve been over spending the past couple months. This haul is still bigger than my usual. I’m endeavoring to get better at taking pictures, but I have shaky hands and I’m not good at composing artful arrangements.

I am aware Inuyasha is not a book, but I got him this month, and thought he should be in the picture. He is a PopUp Parade figure, and I highly recommend that brand for quality affordable figures.

Light Novels

Spice & Wolf, Vol. 5

I love this series. Unfortunately, I discovered it a bit late, so I’m about twenty volumes behind the current releases. I’m sure I’ll catch up eventually.

Reviews for this series are already in progress, so feel free to check those out. I’ll include a link to volume one for people who’d like more information.

Update: The review for this volume is now available.

Manga

The Apothecary Diaries, Vol. 6

After having to wait a couple weeks for volume five, I’m making sure to get these as close to release day as possible. I love this series. It’s currently one of my favorites. This volume came out around September, 13th, and I already have a review done for it. I can’t wait for volume seven. Why does it have to be so far away?

If you’re new the the series, here’s a link to my review for volume one.

Black Cat, Vol. 8 & 9

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. 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.

I can’t exactly recommend this series since I haven’t read it all myself, yet, but if you like gunfighting characters, this might be right up your alley. The main character is a former assassin turned bounty hunter who uses a pistol as his primary weapon.

If you like stories about secret organizations, super powered people, and human science experiments, this might also be for you.

Flame of Recca, Vol. 8 & 9

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 have not read any of the manga, yet. Maybe volume one and two forever ago, but that’s about it. I have no idea how similar it is to the anime. My plan is to binge read all thirty three volumes once I have them. These are also generally only available used.

If you like Yu Yu Hakusho, and want a similar experience, consider checking this series out. You’ll likely have better luck finding it digitally, though.

Fullmetal Alchemist Fullmetal Edition, Vol. 18

I’ve already read the entirety of Fullmetal Alchemist years ago. I absolutely love it. It’s one of my all time favorites, and it will always hold a special place in my heart.

I never got to own the whole series before now. This volume completes my collection. Before this, I think I had volumes one through four of the regular editions. I found these gorgeous hardcovers around the time I was considering purchasing more of the series, so I decided to upgrade instead.

I recommend this series to everybody. It’s absolutely amazing.

His Majesty the Demon King’s Housekeeper, Vol. 1

I already have a review for this. I grabbed it at my local bookstore because the cover caught my eye, and also because I saw the word library in the synopsis. Sometimes I choose books for purely impulsive reasons.

Maids and housekeepers have always been popular in anime and manga. I haven’t tried many with that theme, though, maybe a couple. This is definitely the first I’ve purchased. I saw a couple episodes of Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid, if you want to count that.

This is a rather wholesome isekai compared to the norm. Check out my review for more information.

My Happy Marriage, Vol. 1

I have a review for this typed up and ready to go for Wednesday, October, 5th. Because of that, I don’t want to say too much here.

I saw this book popping up in my social media feeds and at the bookstore, so I decided to buy it and give it a try. It released around the same time as The Apothecary Diaries volume 6, and it has a light novel version as well. Normally I would choose the light novel, but the manga was right in front of me at the store. The light novel is also fairly new, so it didn’t really matter which I started with.

Noragami Stray God Omnibus 1-3

I had heard of this series for a while, and only recently, sometime this year, got around to watching it on Hulu. I love the anime. It’s unfortunate it doesn’t have a real ending. It just kind of drops off and doesn’t get any more seasons. Regardless, it was enough to make me want to own the manga.

I did a little research on the manga before getting invested. Apparently, it’s better, but also darker, than the anime. That just further intrigues me.

The timing for this omnibus worked out great. It released the same day as The Apothecary Diaries volume six. I saw it on the shelf at my local book store and had to have it. Omnibus editions will probably make it so much easier to collect and read the series. The only downside is I have to wait for each volume to release.

SpyxFamily, Vol. 3 & 4

I have not started this series, yet. I’ve heard such good things about it, though, so I just went ahead and started buying it. My list of things to read is long, but I’m sure I’ll get to it eventually.

Manga Haul July 2022

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About Hauls:

I can’t guarantee I’ll always have a manga haul to post every month. If I don’t, it might be every two or three months. I want to be sure I’ll have at least four before considering it a haul. Hauls for regular novels will be posted separate from manga. Light novels will be included with manga. Pictures are not my strong suit, but I will try to get better at getting clearer images.

I don’t know what people usually say about their hauls. I’ll just put a personal touch on this, and go over what I got, and say something about it.

About this Manga Haul:

I love Skip Beat!. My collection started in high school when I got the first volume at a book fair for $2.50. I’ve fallen behind a bit, and I’m excited to get caught up on volumes (I think there are 46 right now, and no, these two volumes do not represent where I’m at in the series. I grabbed what I saw, so there’s a gap between volumes 35 and 43 on my shelf.). My plan is to re-read all of it from volume one to review and get caught up. I don’t have an ETA on that.

Spy x Family has been hugely popular. I haven’t read the first volume, yet, but I’ve seen volume two has been sold out in a lot of places for a while. With that in mind, I was motivated to grab it when I saw it. I look forward to starting this series.

The Apothecary Diaries…I was hooked on this after reading the first volume. My plan is to re-read from volume one, and keep up with releases and reviews for this series. I have 1-5( up to date) and will be making reviews for them soon. I would love for the light novel to get a physical release.
Update: Reviews for this series are now available Those mentioned here, and more. One. Two. Three. Four. Five.

I’ve been putting off Attack on Titan for a long time. The omnibus editions will be my go to for the series. Omnibus editions are a bit more expensive, so I won’t be buying them as often. This first one was about $5 off on sale, so it was a good time to grab it.