Mangaversity: September 2026

Welcome one, welcome all, to Mangaversity! Join me as I trawl through the month’s manga releases and pick out what’s hot and what’s not. A perennial special thanks to Zack Davisson for pointing out that my initial name was bad and I should feel bad and that Mangaversity is superior.

The American Manga Awards have announced their winners! Alas, none of the smaller press picks got enough votes to out-muscle the big guns. I was really pulling for "Stop!! Hibari-Kun, Vol. 1" and the Glacier Bay/Star Fruit nominees. Perhaps next year.

Or maybe next month, as September's bounty of potential manga is expansive and full. Lo, look upon the works and marvel at their variety and abundance! So many good manga this month. So many. How can I choose!? How can I choose.

Perennial Favorites:

My love for these titles are very well documented and you will not go wrong reading them, though some titles that get featured here come with more caveats than others (“Berserk,” for instance, gets my full endorsement, but is certainly not for everyone.) Because these articles are already so long, I’m streamlining everything that’s not on the main list.

Why aren’t these on the main list even though I love them? There’s only so much I can say about some of these, especially the shonen titles publishing six times a year. I’d rather highlight some new, interesting, weird, and important titles there.

All that said, if you see a title here, assume it’s worth reading and that you should find a copy now. Right now! Go! I see you dawdling.

• Billy Bat, Volume 2
• The Heroic Legend of Arslan, Vol. 23
• Kageki Shojo!! Vol. 16
• Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!, Volume 8 
• Land, Vol. 3
• One-Punch Man, Vol. 34
• Ruridragon, Vol. 4
• Spy X Family, Vol. 16

Deluxe Den:

With the manga explosion that’s occurred in the last few years, there’s been a corresponding increase in deluxe editions of beloved or classic or obscure manga. These books are ones I think are worth a gander but not necessarily a volume that needs a place on the main list. Some of these are personal favorites of mine, others are notable for one reason or another. All are getting the ~deluxe~ treatment.

• Appleseed Deluxe Edition
• Baki the Grappler (Perfect Edition), Vol. 23 & 24
• Cat's Eye Omnibus, Vol. 4
• Dai Dark Deluxe Edition, Vol. 1
• Dragon Head, Vol. 3
• Haikyu!! (3-In-1 Edition), Vol. 10
• I'm No Angel, Vol. 2

• Initial D Omnibus 11
• Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Part 7--Steel Ball Run, Vol. 9
• Mars 30th Anniversary Edition, Vol. 2
  • I gotta say, it’s good to get a new translation for this. I’m loving re-experiencing it.
• Mushishi Collector's Edition 3
• Nana 25th Anniversary Edition, Vol. 5
• Shugo Chara! 20th Anniversary Edition, Vol. 3 
• Witch Hat Atelier: Grimoire Edition, Vol. 2

Cat Corner:

I see a lot of cat manga when I do this column. It takes every ounce of willpower to not include at least two of these on the list each month. A few months back I realized: I can just make a new section and put the titles and covers here. Cat lovers unite!

• The Adventure of Black Cat Nyango, Vol. 2
• Cells at Work!: Cat, Vol. 1
• I Like Cat Butts, Vol. 1
• The Masterful Cat Is Depressed Again Today, Vol. 12

Caught My Eye:

These are the manga that didn’t make the cut for one reason or another that I still wanted to bring to your attention. Usually so I can make some kind of snarky remark or to help me remember to actually read the dang things so I can have an informed opinion.

• A-Do 10
  • Or maybe A-don’t?
• And Then There Were None, Vol. 1
  • This looks…fine. I wonder how much none there is in this adaptation.
• Are You a Landmine, Chihara-San? Vol. 1
  • Point towards reader.
• Blue Summer Haze, Vol. 2
  • Please. No more summer haze. I beg you.
• A Starlit Darkness, Vol. 2
  • This one’s on the cusp of moving up. Damn did the first volume hook me with its petty dramas.
• Choujin X, Vol. 13
  • Previous volumes are on the way so I can truly experience the madness that is Sui Ishida’s newest work.
• The Delinquent and the Transfer Student, Vol. 2
  • This series still seems like such a delight.
• Fool Night, Vol. 10
  • It’s me, every Friday.
• Kingdom, Vol. 11
  • For honor! For vengeance! For…hundred more volumes.
• The Lord-Magear's Apprentice Vol. 1
  • Finally, a fantasy series that got dropped from the big list!
• Shuna's Journey
  • Paperback! Cheaper than ever! More Miyazaki!
• Sheltering Eaves, Vol. 5
  • Find me under the eaves after the last freaking rainshow.
• Taika's Reason, Vol. 2
  • There’s no reason to not read this murder mystery about humanized pets.
• That's Not Love, Vol. 3
  • Considering the subject matter of the series, I’ll forgo the snark and just say I need to catch up to really get my head around it..
• Thus Spoke the Rabbit, Vol. 1
  • Nevermore.
• Void: No. Nine, Vol. 2
  • A mambo, this is not. Still love the art, the story has yet to really pick up.
• You Can't Bluff the Sharp-Eyed Sister, Vol. 5
  • This manga can’t bluff me as a 

Judging by the Cover:

After a good run, it was time to retire my WTF section. It was basically the same three books (or types of books) each month. So, instead, I’m selecting volumes with excellent and/or baffling covers and putting them here. Will there be snark? Time will tell.

• Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Vol. 11: Deserted Island Diary
  • It’s just so cute! How can I not show off “Animal Crossing”
• Kaijin Fugeki: Kindled Spirits, Vol 5
  • I really love the design of this cover. It’s got great composition and a fun attitude. Plus it’s shiny and I’m in a real “magpie creating a nest” mood today.

The List:

11. Goose! GOOOOOOSE!

I know…shockingly little about this series besides its apparent dominance of the cultural landscape for a while. It’s one of those little shows that could, brought to us by internet animation juggernaut Glitch Productions. This is the manga tie-in or maybe adaptation or whatever. Since it’s so big, felt weird not to include it on the list. Also, so I could type the name Gooseworx at least twice.

The Amazing Digital Circus, Vol. 1
Written and Illustrated by Sakura
Original work by Glitch Productions and Gooseworx
Published by Viz Media

Are you ready to witness the most jaw-dropping, heart-stopping, mind-bending paraphernalia you've ever laid your eyes upon? Then allow your ringmaster, Caine, to welcome you to the Amazing Digital Circus!

After putting on a strange headset she discovered in an abandoned building, a young woman finds herself inside the Amazing Digital Circus! Transformed into a cartoon jester named Pomni, she discovers she's trapped in this glitchy digital world alongside a whole host of crazy and colorful characters. Will she be able to find the exit door and escape, or will she be stuck there until she loses her mind?

10. Seven Minutes in Heaven

Novel adaptation here we come! Gimme gimme gimme a sad boy doing sad things as he sadly approaches death because of some contrived plot convenience. Mmmmm num num num num num. That’s the good stuff.

Three Days of Happiness: The Complete Omnibus
Written and Illustrated by Shouichi Taguchi
Based on the Book by Sugaru Miaki
Translated by Stephen Paul
Lettered by Madeleine Jose
Published by Yen Press

Kusunoki used to believe he was destined for great things. But now, approaching the age of twenty, he's a completely mediocre college student with no motivation, no dreams, and no money. After learning he can sell his remaining years, he chooses to divest himself of all but his last three months. Spending this remaining time with his monitor, Miyagi, has Kusunoki truly destroyed his last chance to find happiness...or has he somehow found it? The poignant manga adaptation of the popular novel, collected in one volume!

9. My Jagaaan Eye Gives Me Everything I Need.

There are three “a’s” in “Jagaaan.” I want that to sink in. I want you to understand this fact. There is not much else here I’m particularly drawn to. It’s a little too grimdark for my tastes (though the cover is a psychedelic dream.) But three “a’s.” That’s some confidence right there.

Jagaaan, Volume 1
Written by Muneyuki Kaneshiro
Illustrated by Kensuke Nishida
Translated by Nube Consulting
Published by Kana

Police officer Shintaro Jagasaki lives a stable life with a girl he's dated for years. Their future seems all mapped out--marriage, a family, children--but it all feels unbearably dull. With a few screws loose (and his frequent fantasy to open fire on civilians to show for it), Jagasaki's mind is anything but stable.

Then, out of the blue, people suddenly begin to contort into monsters driven by primal urges to commit violence. And as chance has it, Jagasaki also gains a grotesque body-morphing power which transforms his right hand into a fleshy gun. A newly made monster and mentally unstable, Jagasaki becomes an antihero of ambiguous morals and dark impulses.

8. Omlette Du Fromage

Cozy BL series that dares to ask the question “what if a writer procrastinated at work and then took a trip to Coney Island?” Or at least that’s what I think this is about and I’m not going to be corrected anytime soon. Even if that isn’t true, I’m really digging the art style on “Seaside Stranger.” Bubbly and bouncy and with a lot of attention to the character expressions in a simple style. How did I miss this series until now?

Seaside Stranger Vol. 7: Harukaze No Étranger
Written and Illustrated by Kii Kanna
Published by Seven Seas

Since relocating to Tokyo with his lover Mio, Shun has done everything he can to avoid picking up his pen and writing again. Unfortunately, his attempts to dodge his publisher only work for so long. He's soon assigned an enthusiastic new editor named Fukuchi who's anxious for Shun to get back to work. When inspiration fails to strike, Shun somehow ends up on a trip to the racetrack with Mio and Fukuchi! Will a day at the races be enough to turn things around?

7. Hellboy Manga Spinoff?

I swear I misread “BRPD” as “BPRD” and got so excited. Alas, this is instead a bonkers western where a guy named Keigo Westwood aka Japanese-American Clint Eastwood teams up with Abraham Lincoln to hunt down a dangerous, uh, gang who was hiding in Yellowstone National Park??? The limits of the human mind know no bounds and we all have to know where this thing is going.

Gilded Seven, Vol. 1
Written and Illustrated by Tasuku Karasuma
Published by Seven Seas

BRPD Special Forces member Keigo Westwood tracks down the La Llorona gang to Yellowstone National Park. Just as he's about to arrest their leader, an eruption throws him back to frontier times in 1865. Law and order have yet to be established, and Keigo finds himself still locked in battle with the six La Llorona members who traveled back in time alongside him. However, Keigo has a powerful ally in the greatest president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln! Throw out your history books and get ready to see the Wildest West!

6. Award Season, Here We Come

I’ve been hearing people hype this book up for months, particularly from the Mangasplaining crew, so believe me when I say I am properly excited to read this manga. Historical dramas plus queer history plus a new imprint from Fantagraphics? That’s a recipe for, at the very least, some well curated and printed manga. Don’t skimp on the binding folks!

On Their Frontlines: The Lives of Japanese War Brides, Vol. 1
Written and Illustrated by Marina Lisa Komiya
Translated by Diana Taylor
Published by Takumigraphics

This sensitive and affecting manga debut follows the lives of two Japanese war brides following WWII, and the simmering tensions around identity, sexuality, and cultural change as their country rebuilds from the devastation.

5. Living in a Bioprinted World and I Am a Bioprinted Girl

Isn’t the cover just so adorable? Don’t you want to squish its precious little bio-print face? Why do I like these cutesy sci-fi manga so much? Will this be a slapstick comedy or a more quiet introspective series? All questions that will be answered in due time by this beautiful squishy failure.

Printernia Nippon: My Squishy Bio-Printed Pet, Vol. 1
Written and Illustrated by Maigo
Published by Seven Seas

In the not-so-distant future, 3D printing has reached a whole new level in Japan, where people can not only print objects like toys and tools, but actual living creatures! This is all thanks to a new invention called the bio-printer, a device that allows anyone to print out their very own companion. Assuming it works as intended, that is. Unfortunately for Sato, his attempt at printing a Shiba Inu goes haywire, resulting in an odd little critter he's never seen before. Despite not knowing what he's created or how to care for it, Sato learns that there are more creatures out there just like his new squishy friend--and soon, he finds his world expanding with even more peculiar pets!

4. Award Nominees Baybee

I chose “Akari” of the two Glacier Bay Book’s I could’ve highlighted this month mainly because I found myself getting lost in its cover. Snow on the ground. A quiet winter’s day. Two people gaze at each other across a deserted intersection.

An American Manga Award nominated book, it comes recommended also by the Mangasplaining crew. I eagerly await my copy in the mail.

Akari
Written and Illustrated by Marco Kohinata
Published by Glacier Bay Books

A beautiful new graphic novel about mistaken identity, bereavement, and family, viewed through the prism of stained glass craftmanship, from an important new storyteller.

3. Delinquent Buddha

I. Love. This. Premise. Upstart Yakuza kid and the boss’s daughter are the only survivors of a massacre and are sent into witness protection…at a Buddhist temple. I’m expecting some 36 Chambers of Shaolin-style nonsense and at least one million buddha jokes. Let’s ride until all is dust!

Let's Go Nirvana!, Vol. 1
Written and Illustrated by Gen Momoji
Translated by Kevin Steinbach
Lettered by Brandon Bovia
Published by Yen Press

Kazunobu Haramoto is all about that thug life. He's rough, he's tumble, and now that he's joined the Yakuzu, he's all set to climb the ranks of the underworld. But you know what they say: all conditioned things are like dreams, shadows, and bubbles. And Kazunobu's bubble bursts like no other! A gang raid by a mysterious assassin leaves all his new yakuza comrades dead and dusted, and the fuzz catch him at the scene with the only other survivor, the boss's young daughter. Witness protection is his and the girl's best hope now--and for some reason, the cops have it in their heads that a strict and prestigious Zen Buddhist temple is the best place to hide! Kazunobu's got two options: death, or Nirvana!

2. I Prefer Grilled Cheese

The placement this high up is to express my joy at the art style and tone of “Vegetable Sandwich.” Delinquent manga is back! The pompadour rides again! Madcap comedy the likes of which we haven’t seen since Ranma ½! (Man it would suck if the manga didn’t live up to the hype.)

Were I more cynical, I would’ve bumped it down for being a Manga Mavericks book and thus likely to slip a couple months in the publishing. I don’t care. I’m cool to wait.

Vegetable Sandwich, Volume 1
Written and Illustrated by Banjo Saitou
Published by Manga Mavericks Books

Sure, he has the earnestness to learn, but that can only take a person so far. Warabi, on the other hand, is a crazy strong elementary school student but doesn't have anyone she considers a friend. A chance encounter with a lion escaping from a zoo brings the two together, where they realize that despite their myriad of differences, they have plenty in common too. If anyone can be a student in the pursuit of strength, can anyone also be a teacher?

1. FUCKING FINALLY

Folks. You do not know how many years I have bugged the people at Fantagraphics about volume two of Wandering Son. Years! Emails! In-person questions at SPX. This thing had been out of print for so long, it made Marvel look like the most competent backlist publisher in the world. But now it’s back and will hopefully see its full 15-volume run come to fruition in print.

Thank you for this new imprint, for whoever sorted out the rights, and for the market hopefully, finally, being mature enough to keep this book financially viable. Now more than ever we need books like “Wandering Son.”

Wandering Son: Volumes One & Two
Written and Illustrated by Shimura Takako
Translated by Rachel Thorn
Published by Takumigraphics

A sensitive masterpiece from Japan's most prominent creator of LGBTQ+ manga – the acclaimed series in a newly designed paperback edition.

Mangaversity: August 2026

In a month full of wonderful manga, one stands head and shoulders above the pack. You’ll never guess which one it is.

House of Ideas, Powers of SecretsElias Rosner

Mangaversity - House of Ideas, Powers of Secrets

House of Ideas, Powers of SecretsElias Rosner