 Hey everybody, welcome back to the channel. Today we're gonna go over all the top anticipated manga releases for the month of February 2024. A lot of cool stuff coming out, way too many books to choose from, so I had to limit myself and chose 25 new releases. These are all Volume 1s, Special Editions, stuff like that. So let's get started. We start our journey here with the Tree of Death Yomotsuhegui Volume 1. I hope I pronounced that correctly. This is a Seinen series being published by Seven Seas Entertainment. It only lasted for three volumes, so it's not a huge commitment on the shelf. This is a story written and drawn by Masasumi Kakizaki. Nawa Kanetsugu used to be a police officer until his wife and child were murdered, and he sought revenge by any means necessary. In a new quest for vengeance after he's released from prison, he discovers that a mortal wound won't kill him. Confrontation with a mysterious girl shows Nawa that he's consumed the fruit of Yomotsuhegui, the tree in the realm of the dead, and now he's an immortal with monstrous powers. The girl is a god of death who wants his help to fight other dangerous immortals, since there may still be a seed of justice in his heart. This has some spawn vibes going for it. Sounds pretty cool, very action epic oriented, and I'm sure a lot of you are excited to check this out, so be on the lookout for the Tree of Death Yomotsuhegui Volume 1. Panorama of Hell, this is the latest reprint of this classic story by Hideishi Hino, this time courtesy of the folks at Starfruit Books, and this is the tale of a shocking, torturous journey into the depths of one man's post nuclear hell. Through the confessions of a fiendish hell painter born in the aftermath of the bombing of Hiroshima, Hideishi Hino tells a nightmarish story, creating a manga masterpiece of black humor, stunning vision, and unflinching imagery. This has had multiple additions in the past, and it's always great to have these classics that are not necessarily in the mainstream come back into print so new generations of manga readers can experience what makes Hideishi Hino such a unique mangaka. If you can stand the grotesque images, I think you'll be right at home with Panorama of Hell. From Viz Media, we have, in the name of the Mermaid Princess Volume 1. It's a bit of a joke on my channel and on the Omnibus Collectors Network here on YouTube about so many mermaid manga being released, and now I'm forced to read them all. And I gotta say, I'm kind of interested in picking this up. This is a shoujo series, only 7 volumes had recently ended, and it is written by Yoshino Fumikawa with art by Mia Tashiro. In a society hostile to diversity, can mermaid princess Mio be true to herself? In the classic fairy tale, a mermaid princess gives up her special abilities for love. What happens if she doesn't? Princess Mio is bethrowed to Prince Chika. They've never met, however, and he doesn't know her secret that she's a mermaid. When her tutor, Yudi, takes her out of the castle to meet her subjects, Mio begins to accept her true self. But Yudi has a secret too, and when Mio tells her father, the king, she wants to live life openly as a mermaid, he punishes her. How can she live her true? This sounds pretty good. I do want to check it out. I've never read it. I don't know much aside from the description. I like the art, so yeah, I'll add it to my mermaid collection of books. From Tokyo Pop and their love love imprint comes StarCross to volume 1. This is written by Crimson Chains. This is a story about a king and his knight. Polaris is king of the stars. With his celestial paintbrush, he is breathing life into constellations which protects his kingdom. Yildun is his loyal knight, ever at his side, but always in shadow as his station dictates him to remain unseen. Together they will face a battle for the throne from Polaris' brother as well as their own conflicting feelings. I like the usage of mythology here to create a romantic story with action and epic tones, so if you're into this, you'll be right at home with StarCross volume 1. The prince is in the villainous way. Volume 1. This is also from Tokyo Pop and the love love imprint. This is a fantasy romance shojo series written and drawn by Minami Shina. Iris, the wise princess who never smiles, has just remembered her past life as Fiona, warrior princess from the neighboring kingdom. In this lifetime, however, the events that led to Fiona's death have yet to happen, and Iris becomes determined to use the knowledge from her reincarnation to stop the person she suspects is behind her murder, Fiona's cousin, Prince Alvin. In disguise, Iris moves to the neighboring country and becomes the princess's educator, but when she meets Prince Al, he turns out to be a cool-headed flirt who most shockingly of all is actually very sweet with Fiona. Can Iris figure out the truth in time to save Fiona from her fate? This is a nice blend of time loop hijinks with romance involved, so pretty interesting. Speaking of romance, let's move on to the next one. We got The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Brought in volume 1. This is being released by Square Enix Manga, and this is a Shonen romance based on a light novel of the same name. This also had an anime adaptation last year, which I thought was pretty neat. In this story, we follow Amane Fujimiya, who lives alone in a messy apartment right next door to Mahiru Shina, a veritable angel who's the smartest, prettiest girl at school. When a chance encounter on a rainy day draws them together, Mahiru finds herself spending more and more time helping Amane get his life in order, and though they both insist they have no intention of dating the other, slowly but surely, something more than friendship begins to blossom. So this one's pretty sweet. I did enjoy the anime adaptation, and I'm pretty sure the manga is going to be even better. So if you're interested in this, I do suggest picking it up. The art is really nice, and the main focus being on these two characters. It's a pretty sweet story overall. Since I Could Die Tomorrow Volume 1, this is a Jose drama slice of life story from Tokyo Pop. This is written and drawn by Sumako Kari, Sawako Hona, 42 and single. She works hard at a film promotion company. One night, all of a sudden, her heart palpitates, and her body goes cold. Could it be that she's going through menopause? Not as hardworking as in your 20s. Not as flippant as in your 30s. The mental and physical changes and the obstacles you face in your 40s. Sudden illness, menopause, fatigue you can't get rid of, changes in working patterns, money worries, life plans for the future. What will happen to me tomorrow? Now, from a first impression basis, this sounds horrible. I do not wish this upon anybody. Being fatigued and falling to sudden illness, of course, I don't recommend it. But yet, as someone that's been around the block for a few, I am interested in reading about this woman's journey and struggles. And I actually do want to check it out. This is a four volume series. So again, not a huge commitment and will fit nicely on the shelf. I do like getting Jose books whenever I can. So yeah, I'm actually really intrigued by this story. And I will definitely be checking it out as soon as I can. From Kodansha, we got Vinland Saga Deluxe Edition Volume One Hardcover Edition. This is one of the big releases, I would say, of the entire year. A lot of people are anticipating to get this. A lot of new people are jumping on board to read Vinland Saga for the first time. And I don't blame them. This is a phenomenal Seinen series. One of the big ones, if you will. This is acclaimed by so many people due to the wonderful art, the themes, the characters, the narrative, all top notch stuff. And for this Viking Saga, we are getting the first three volumes of the regular Japanese editions into one big hardcover volume similar to the Dark Horse Berserk Deluxe editions. This will be presented in a red leather pattern cover with logo stamping. This new edition also features all the content from the original release and new exclusive bonus illustrations, interviews, and behind the scenes details never before translated. So if you want to jump on board with Vinland Saga, now is the perfect opportunity. I don't know if I'm going to upgrade or not because I do have the series, I do collect it, but regardless, this is a pretty awesome release. So good on Kodansha for releasing this in deluxe oversized hardcover. Staying with Kodansha for a bit, we got Gazing at the Star next door volume one. This is a shoujo series written and drawn by Amitsu. In this book, we follow Chiaki, a pretty normal teenage girl. Since they were kids, she's had a thing for her best friend Subaru, who's fast becoming the hottest young actor in Japan. With Subaru threatening to slip away, Chiaki has a decision to make. Will she finally take her shot or give Subaru up to his adoring public? I do like the art on this one and the story sounds pretty interesting. Curious to see how many people out there watching this video are excited for Gazing at the Star next door. Let's keep the love theme going because it is February, of course. We're going to talk about I Want to End This Love Game Volume 1. This is by Yuki Domoto and it is being published by Viz Media. This shonen book tells the story of Yukiya Asagi and Miku Sakura. They have played the love game where they try to fluster each other with a simple I love you. But after falling in love for real and refusing to admit it, neither of them can afford to lose this battle. So this one sounds pretty interesting taking a comedic route to a love story. Always a fan of that. So yeah, definitely be on the lookout for I Want to End This Love Game. The White and Blue Between Us. This is a one and done volume, a BL story written and drawn by Kiyuhiko. It's been seven years since Hozumi left the island town he grew up on, leaving behind not only the seaside, but also Nishima, his close friend and first love from high school. The two haven't spoken since Hozumi turned Nishima down when he rejected him and lied about his own feelings. So when Hozumi returns for his high school reunion, he wants nothing more than to make amends with Nishima, a task easier said than done. In their years apart, Nishima has distanced himself from not only Hozumi, but everyone in the entire town, choosing to live alone in the lighthouse his grandfather used to tend to. Will Hozumi finally be able to break down Nishima's walls, clear the air between them, and finally confess his true feelings? Or are the two fated to be separated from one another? You're going to have to find out when you pick up the White and Blue Between Us from Kodansha. Let's talk a little bit about Yenpress. They have a couple releases and this first one here is Taking Care of God. This is a one volume series, a one and done. This is a story by Liu Xixin, I probably butchered that, I apologize Liu, and art by Jun Yokoyama. One strange day, roughly 20,000 otherworldly spaceships flew into stable orbit around the earth. After six months with no contact from the mysterious spacecrafts in a certain Asian village, a young girl named Zihan discovers an old man who fell from the sky. Soon many more elderly drifters in similar clothing begin popping up all over the world. Their numbers surpassing two billion in total. What is the goal of these mysterious visitors? I am excited to check this out, the premise sounds super intriguing, I love me a good sci-fi mystery, so count me in for this one Taking Care of God from Yenpress. Now this one I talked about previously in one of my anticipated manga videos. It is God Bless the Mistaken, I am really excited about this. I was bummed out when it left the solicits for 2023, but it is finally coming out here. This is a four volume Senen series from Nio Nakatani and it is also being published by Yenpress. This tells the story of Kon, a middle schooler who lives in world with periodic exceptional phenomena, more commonly known as bugs. As the unofficial assistant of his landlady Kazane Himasaki, a leading researcher in the field, they study the effects and impact of these mysterious abnormalities. Some bring fun, others intrigue, and still others cause inconveniences to their daily lives. But one thing's for sure, in a world like theirs, every morning may bring a new surprise. This is right up my wheelhouse with the whole phenomena, weirdness, and potentially yokai-esque elements with the bugs and all that stuff, so I am very excited to check this out. God Bless the Mistaken. Another Yenpress release, we got Akko and Bambi Volume 1. This is a 4-coma Shonen series by Hero. When amateur novelist Bambi moves into a new cheap place, he's shocked to find it's already occupied by the ghost of a high school girl, with one amnesiac ghost girl Aiko haunting the apartment. The stories practically write themselves, but as the days pass and they get closer, he starts wondering exactly who she is, and what she is to him. This, by the way, is from the author of Hori Miyasou. I know a lot of people from that camp are going to be interested in Aiko and Bambi. Certainly interesting. I like the fact that it's a 4-coma, but also mixing some comedic elements and the supernatural. Pretty interesting. Speaking of supernatural, we got Whoever Steals This Book Volume 1. This is another Yenpress release, and this is a 3-volume series with story by Nawaaki Fukamidori and art by Kakeru Sora. In a town where people live surrounded by books, there is a library overflowing with endless tomes called the Mikurakan. Its founder was Mifuyu's great-grandfather, and her father is its manager. But Mifuyu herself hates books. One day, a collection of books is stolen, and a mysterious message is left behind. Whoever steals this book shall be pursued by the flag of magical realism. Thus, the town begins to shift into something out of a tale, and Mifuyu realizes she must venture into the worlds of stories to save her home. I had never heard of this series before reading the solicits for you guys, and I am super intrigued by this. I love the premise. It's quirky, different, and I like the whole idea of magical realism. Count me in for Whoever Steals This Book. But be sure to pay for it. Don't steal things. Next up, one of my most anticipated releases this month. It is Beast Strings. This is a one-and-done volume, but what's cool about it is it is a full-colored manga. This is by Shikaku Yamamoto, and once again, this is another Yenpress release. Shout out to Yenpress out there. Welcome to the city of Juso. The hero who once saved the city now serves as mayor, and alongside his two secretaries, he's hard at work making Juso a place anyone would want to live. Elsewhere, a young elf and her wolfman butler act out a real-life romcom, and a dragon and a bard form an unlikely musical duo. All kinds live in harmony in Juso, lending surprise and adventure to everyday life. But when another disaster threatens to strike, will these citizens become part of an all-new legend? We are all thinking the same thing. This is heavily inspired by Beastars, or at least the premise is in that route. But I am a sucker for anthropomorphic animal stories like this, and the fact that it's full-color, I like Yamamoto's artwork, so count me in for Beast Strings. Super excited to check this out. We got another Love Love release from Tokyo Pop. This is a BL series called A Kiss That Stains the Innocence. This is by Emu Sotome. Ombra is a rough type who lives alone in the mountains. One day a man is asking him for help, Prince Sirius, the son of the king and his concubine. It's been 10 years since the king raised Ombra's village to the ground, killing his parents and anyone he's ever loved. Now he's consumed by emotions, conflicted by his desire for revenge and perhaps something else. Meanwhile, Sirius, who can't remember his past, doesn't recognize Ombra's internal struggle, only aware of his growing feelings for the man. This sounds both epic, dramatic, and heavy, so if you're into this, be sure to check out A Kiss That Stains the Innocence. This is a one volume release. From Kodansha we have a Saiyan series that was announced last year and it's finally coming out. From Bomhat we got A Kingdom of Quartz Volume 1. This tells the story of an orphan girl named Blue who has always dreamt of joining the ranks of the noble angels, servants of the floating palace who protect the quartz kingdom against demons. Yet Blue is not like the other children at the orphanage, where their fledgling angel wings are downy white. Blues are pitch black, giving rise to whispers that she is cursed. One day the orphanage comes under attack by a host of demons. Angels swoop down from the palace to drive the demons back, but Blue watches in horror as they are cut down one after another. Just when all seems lost, Blue feels a dark power welling up inside of her. It may be enough to avenge your friends, but will the cost prove too great? I love me a good story with angels and demons, so I am definitely interested in this one. I did not know about it until the solicits came out and the art from Bomhat is pretty great, so I'm itching to check this one out. We're back with Yenpress, they got a shojo series. If the villainess and villain met and fell in love, Volume 1, this is written by Harunadon, hope I pronounced the name correctly, the awkward yet heartwarming love story of a scorned incompetent villainess and an unapproachable genius villain. Eleven years ago Brigitte, the heiress of the Madel Erldum, formed a contract with the weakest type of spirit. Since then, she's been looked down on by all the other nobles and her fiancé, the prince, even made a spectacle of ending their engagement. The Duke of the Waterclan's son, Yudi, is the only classmate she has who seems unaffected by these rumors. Yudi is feared for his incredible abilities and icy personality, but with him on her side, Brigitte's fortunes just might change. Art on this one looks pretty nice, the premise sounds pretty interesting too. So I don't know, are you interested in if the villainess and villain met and fell in love? Let me know. Now this next one is pretty interesting, we got a Kodonsha release, it is Bloodblade Volume 1 Story and Art by Oma Sei. This series is brand new and will be released first in English for the very first time and then it will be released in Japanese. That is pretty awesome, I love to see that, that's a nice change of pace and the subject for this is pretty wild. I'm interested, if you don't know, I'm a huge fan of creature horror, monster stories, and this is something that appeals to me. Having fallen in battle long ago, Count Vlad Dracula is reborn as a katana-wielding young vampirist in an alternate history Europe. After the reincarnated Dracula rescues a girl named Clara from a mysterious stranger, Clara explains that she is the creation of a certain Victor Frankenstein. She also reveals that she is fleeing from an organization called Cerberus, which seeks to capture and study monsters such as herself in order to create an army of human monster hybrids. Clara begs the vampirist to flee with her to an island of monsters where the two of them will be safe, but as they set out for Monster Island, the sinister forces of Cerberus are in hot pursuit. This sounds so ridiculous and yet amazing at the same time, I can't wait, the art looks amazing on this and it's the right amount of silly action packed epicness that I want in an action series. So I'm definitely checking this one out, this made my list of most anticipated 2024 manga, so yeah, really excited to pick up Bloodblade Volume 1. From Square Enix we got a Senen romance series, Smoking Behind the Supermarket with you, Volume 1. An age 45 office worker Sasaki has had enough of the corporate grind, his only solace is smoking, and the friendly smile of supermarket cashier Yamada. When Sasaki can't find Yamada after a particularly trying day, a striking woman invites him to smoke with her. The man thinks he's made a new smoking buddy in the cool, teasing Tayama, but Sasaki doesn't realize he already knows her. This is essentially what would happen if Call of the Night were a Senen without the paranormal monster stuff and it's just two adults working it out dealing with the stress of the corporate grind as the description says. Or at least this is how I see it. I did not mention this is a story written and drawn by Jinushi, so yeah, really interested in reading this. Sounds pleasant and I like the art on this one. From Vizmedia we got a Senen release by the legendary Kazuo Umez, this is My Name Is Shingo, the perfect edition, Volume 1. If memory serves me right, this is a 1.5 volume release of the originals and this is a sci-fi slash horror story, and the description says that an industrial robot named Monroe begins to work at his father's factory. Satoru is fascinated. As he and his friend Marin spend more time with Monroe, they start to suspect there's much more to him than anyone realizes, but neither children nor adults are prepared for Monroe's violent, self-actualizing awakening into consciousness. This one sounds pretty great, I know a lot of people are excited to add more Umez to their collections and yes, this is a pretty hyped up release. The Blue Wolves of Mibu, Volume 1. This is a historical fiction samurai story, it's a Shonen book from Kodansha, story and art by Suyoshi Yasuda. It's 1863, the twilight of the Shogunate and Japan is on the cusp of monumental change. The streets of the nation's capital are soaked in blood as political upheaval and rising tensions between masterless wandering Ronan and government samurai set the stage for one of the most turbulent times in Japan's history. Young Orphan Neo is no stranger to the harsh realities of the world and yet he can't help but cling to his burning passion for justice and desire to change the world for the better. One day he crosses paths with two men who will become central figures of the coming revolution. Hijikata Toshizo and Okita Soji, two of the founding members of a group of hated Ronan known as the Miwuru who would later become known as the Shinsen Gumi. So I do like the fact that it's mixing actual history and giving us this alternate take with these characters of course in manga form, really excited for this one. It has multiple volumes out in Japan and it is getting an anime this year. The art looks really good so if you want some samurai goodness on your shelf then maybe consider getting the blue wolves of Mibu. Next up is another short story collection. It is Newt Model and Other Stories by Subasa Yamaguchi. You might know this creator as the author of another famous series, Blue Period. This is being released by Vertical slash Kadansha. This is a sanen drama series, of course telling three particular short stories. These three tales explore the darker, more mature side of Yamaguchi's imagination where they weave the complex webs that provide little in the way of easy answers while accurately depicting the strangeness and confusion of life for teenagers and adults alike. I am a huge fan of short story collections and I am on board for this one. Super excited to check out Newt Model and Other Stories. Definitely we'll be picking this up when I can. Since it's the month of friendship and love, let's close it out with one final romantic series, a brand new volume one. We got Healer for the Shadow Hero. This is from Seven Seas Entertainment written by Kyu Azagishi with art by Eiko. Under normal circumstances, the servant girl Nana would never cross paths with the war hero known as the Shadow Hero. However, he has an incurable disease and Nana has the power to cure it. There's just one catch. Nana can only heal her patient by losing her virginity to him. Can the two of them possibly enter such an intimate arrangement? I like that the final book that I leave this video on happens to deal with sex as one of the major themes to it. Of course, being a romantic month, it only seems appropriate, right? So there you go. Healer for the Shadow Hero Volume 1 coming out pretty soon. If you are interested as well as any of the other books that I mentioned here, let me know in the comments section. I'm very interested to see what everybody's picking up. Obviously, the month has many more releases, a lot of Volume 2s and 3s and 4s from other popular series. But like I mentioned at the beginning, I wanted to focus the video on anticipated releases for brand new manga hitting store shelves. So I hope you enjoyed this video. Thank you so much for joining. Thank you so much for liking, commenting, subscribing, being a part of Manga Geekdom. I truly do appreciate it. That's gonna be it for now. Thank you so much. God bless. Stay safe out there. I will catch all of you on our next video.