 Hey everybody, welcome back. This is the very first video of 2024. Let's make it a good one and we're gonna start with the very first video of the year and that is the most anticipated manga releases for the month of January. The first manga that we're gonna talk about is a cat from our world and the Forgotten Witch Volume 1. This is being published by Seven Seas and it is a story written and drawn by Hirokashi Waba. In her youth, Jean was a powerful witch who vanquished the evil demon king and saved the world. But over time, the people she rescued have forgotten her. Now, she is a lonely old woman living in a secluded forest until she accidentally summons a cat from Earth to her home. The former city kitty is now gigantic and must acclimate to this new world. Can a cat from another world soothe the loneliness of this Forgotten Witch? This is essentially Clifford the Big Red Dog, but with a cat and I'm here for it. I'm actually really excited to check this out. It looks wholesome. The art looks sweet. I want to see the interaction between the witch and all the magical spells and all that fun stuff and this playful kitten oversized in another world. It's the right type of isekai to be reading. Marriage Toxin Volume 1. This is a shonen jump release from Viz Media and it is a story by Jomiaku and art by Mizuki Yoda. I hope I pronounced that correctly. Poison Master Hikaru Gero is taking on his toughest assignment yet. Getting married, of course. Gero couldn't be more clueless when it comes to the art of dating. But thankfully, marriage swindler Mei Kinosaki knows everything there is to know about love. Together, this unlikely pair will do whatever it takes to get Gero hitched, even if they have to take on the entire criminal underworld in the process. As a deadly assassin for the Poison Clan, Gero swears he'll never settle down. That is, until the family orders his sister to produce the Poison Clan's next heir. Refusing to let his sister abandon her chance at true love with her girlfriend, Gero desperately turns to marriage swindler Mei Kinosaki for relationship advice. Ken Kinosaki turned his strained killer into a charming husband to be. So this sounds pretty fun, kind of a combination of a rom-com with more action-oriented drama. Looking forward to checking this out as well. You can actually read this on the Manga Plus website to see if you like it. And if you do, maybe pick up the physical edition while you're at it. Pokemon Adventures Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire Volume 1. This is a Viz Media release with a story written by Hidenori Kusaka in art by Satoshi Yamamoto. Sapphire and Emerald need Ruby's help to stop a crisis of planetary proportions, a meteor hurtling towards their home. While training with Sapphire and their friend Steven, Emerald is attacked by a mystery Pokemon. Meanwhile, Ruby journeys to the Skypillar to earn the trust of Xenia, the lorekeeper of the reclusive Draconoid Tribe. Can the three Hoenn Pokedex holders stop a crisis of epic magnitude? I know a lot of people are excited for this, myself included. This is actually one of my favorite series. I'd love collecting the Pokemon Adventures manga. I am a huge fan of the franchise and I really enjoyed Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire when they came out. I have vivid memories of getting that for the 3DS and I can't believe it's already been 10 years since that release. Wow, I'm old. But regardless, this is really cool. If you're a fan of the series, I do recommend getting this. This continues the Adventures line and I'm pretty sure after this is released, we're gonna get that announcement of Sun and Moon coming soon as part of the Adventures brand. So, looking forward to that as well. The White Mage doesn't want to raise the hero's level, Volume 1. This is a 7C's release with story and art by Keediye. And I know what you're thinking. The size difference between these two characters is pretty funny. All joking aside, I know, I know. This one is a little risqué compared to all the anticipated banger that I typically cover, but it's a light month and I kinda wanted to spice things up and add a little bit more variety. Even if it includes a little etchiness here and there. So this one stars Edea Izumi who has been summoned to another world to fulfill his heroic destiny. He quickly meets and forms a party with level 20 White Mage Sheena who falls in love with him at first sight. When Edea succeeds in his quest, he will be transported home. But Sheena isn't about to let her Lord Hero get away so easily. What's a girl to do, except dress so ludely that even a great Hero of Destiny can't pay attention to the battles before him and can't level up? So honestly, that description sends a lot of red flags on his part and her part as well. This is an ecchi comedy magical series. It doesn't last too long if memory serves me right. It has already finished publishing in Japan as of last year so it's not going to be too much of a commitment on your shelf if you're inclined to pick up a series like this. Tokyo These Days, Heart Cover Edition. This is from the legendary Taiyo Matsumoto and it is a Viz Media release. This is sort of a meta-inspired manga and it tells the story of a Kazuo Shiozawa who suddenly quits after 30 years as a manga editor. Although he feels early retirement is the only way to atone for his failures as an editor, the manga world isn't done with him. On his last day as an editor, Shiozawa takes a train he's ridden hundreds of times before to impart some last advice to a manga creator whose work he used to edit. Sometime after, he is drawn to return to a bookshop at the request of a junior editor who wants Shiozawa's help dealing with an incorrigible manga creator who refuses to work with any editor but him. For this manga editor, Tokyo These Days is full of memory and is cocooned in the inescapable bonds between manga creators, their editors, art, and life itself. So like I mentioned, this is a pretty meta-release but I would expect no less from a master of the craft such as Taiyo Matsumoto. I am highly anticipating this release and it's safe to say this will be the highlight for a lot of collectors out there. Looking forward to seeing this on many halls in the month of January. Love, a kitten, and a salty dog. This is a Boys' Love series from Seven Seas which story and art by Nenko Nen. Okura is a tough veterinarian who works at Kinnako Animal Hospital right near the entertainment district. One day, a kind and earnest college student named Momo brings in a tiny kitten he found on the streets and the two men grow closer as Okura helps Momo learn about cat parenthood. It isn't long until their conversations turn from pet care to their experiences with romance as Okura finds himself wanting to get to know Momo better. Will their relationship grow into something more with a kiss? So this sounds like a pretty standard romantic series. I like the whole twist here with the animals and cats and dogs and all that stuff so it should be a fun release for anyone collecting BL series. King and Limbo Omnibus Edition Volume 1. This is a Kodansha release with story and art by I Tanaka. Eight years have passed since the sickness known as the sleep ended millions of lives. Now after a dangerous procedure that involves diving into patients memories has ended the pandemic. Petty Officer Adam Garfield wakes up in a hospital to find an IED has taken one of his legs but Adam's plan to retire from the US Navy service and cash in his pension to goof around with his younger siblings is shattered when he receives a secret word that the sleeping sickness has returned and it's his job to coax back the mysterious man who helped cure it the first time, a man known by the code named King. This sounds super interesting, not gonna lie, the idea of mixing pandemics and sicknesses that the world isn't ready for maybe hits a little too close to home in some areas but hey you take inspiration from your life to create some cool stories and this looks to be the case. I Tanaka is drawing some interesting characters here so hopefully everybody's excited to pick this up because I think it's gonna be one of those top releases for the month of January. Gachakuta Volume 1. This is another release from Kodansha with story and art by Kei Urana. Rudo lives in the slums of a floating town where the poor scrape by under the shadow of the rich who live a sumptuous life simply casting their garbage off the side into the abyss. Then one day he's falsely accused of murder and his wrongful conviction leads to an unimaginable punishment, exile of the edge with the rest of the trash. Down on the surface the cast of waste of humanity has bred vicious monsters and if Rudo wants to have any hope of discovering the truth and seeking vengeance against those who cast him into Hell he will have to master a new power and join a group known as the Cleaners who battle the hulking trash beast of the pit. If I am remembering correctly this mangaka worked under Atsushi Okubo on Fire Force so you definitely see some of that crazy influence there with the character designs and the nature of the story. A lot of people are excited for this this is one of those top shonen battle books that a lot of folks were interested in in the year 2023 and now they are super excited to own the physical edition of it so be on the lookout for that if you like darker stories with an action-oriented twist. Steel of the Celestial Shadows Volume 1 this is a Viz media release with story and art by Daruma Matsura. In early 19th century Japan a down-and-out samurai named Riodo Konosuke struggles through his hard-scrabble life his dear departed mother's last hope was for him to live his life as a splendid warrior but a cruel curse repels and distorts any metal that gets near him. Will he ever be able to wield a sword much less live the life of an honorable samurai? It is said that a samurai spirit rests in their sword but Riodo can't even pick one up destitute and hopeless he decides to end it all but when a beautiful and mysterious woman saves his life and his soul it is the beginning of Riodo's journey into a strange world of magic that exists a step away from his own. This happens to be my most anticipated book of the month I love the plot I love the art from this manga and the contrast between the beautiful looking cover and the gorgeous artwork inside mixed with the sort of cartoonish character designs at times it's a nice contrast and I'm really looking forward to picking this up and reading it for the very first time can't wait. Higurashi when they cry Meguri volume one this is a yen press release with story by Ryukishi 07 and art by Tomato Akase or tomato. June 1983 has passed at long last through many trials and tribulations Rika and her friends have finally escaped the tragedy the game board has been cleared the pieces scattered and so all that remains is the rest of her life or so Rika believes until she gets pulled into yet another fragment will the sequel to Higurashi go unravel its mysteries or leave even more questions behind so we finally have the sequel to go with Meguri part of the Higurashi when they cry franchise that is still ongoing and had an anime adaptation recently with go revealing that it was still part of the original timeline just continuing that endless loop these characters are involved in so expect more horrific violence mixed with cute anime girls and just spooky paranoia in the towns that they're living in bride of the barrier master volume one this is another yen press release story by kureha and art by orayaka and bodax 18 year old Hanna born to a branch family of a clan of guardians has always been stuck in the shadow of her more capable beautiful and popular twin sister when a strong power awakens within Hanna she chooses to hide it so she can continue living a quiet life out of the spotlight but that ideal lifestyle begins to slip out of reach when Saku Ichinomiya takes over as the new head of the Ichinomiya clan and says out to find a bride strong enough to stand by his side a lot of people are anticipating this release this manga is based on the light novel of the same name and it sounds pretty interesting I checked out the art and it looks really cool too so hopefully you guys are excited to check bride of the barrier master out continuing the yen press hype train here we have witch live in a micro room volume one story and art by akitaka maje and lilica I hope I pronounced those names correctly are fledgling sea rank witches who can only afford to share a measly 99 square foot apartment in the big city they scrape by doing bottom of the barrel jobs and eating just cabbage for dinner but the two girls are serious about improving their lives so that they can get a pet by a bunch of grimoires and eat some meat all they need is some elbow grease this sounds super funny and heartwarming at the same time pretty silly I like that it's just witches mixed with slicks of life and comedy aspects of manga it's a winning combination I would like to think I kind of want to check this out I like the whole idea of them just trying to earn money to live better while still maintaining their statuses as witches modern dungeon captures starting with broken skills volume one this is a seven seas release story by yuki kimikawa an art by stirki is this another world no it's modern day japan four years have passed since dungeons suddenly appeared all over the world sparking conflict over the resources hidden within then one fateful day a financial securities salary man named mizuki who was relegated to an office branch in the countryside arrives at his new workplace to find it transformed into one of those very dungeons entering to search for anyone who might be stuck inside mizuki realizes the dungeon is straight out of a video game during his search he comes across a fairy and using his new mysterious skill book saves her from being roasted alive by goblins the former wage slaves adventure begins now as he sets out to clear modern dungeons with his skill book and his partner from another world this could have easily have been an isekai but instead they reversed the trope and now everything is happening in our world which is pretty cool I like that idea of tossing it up and having the dungeon and creatures happen on our world and of course the trope of having the underdog going in and trying to save today isn't so bad if you ask me finally we're going to close out with another seven seas release easygoing territory defense by the optimistic lord volume one this manga is written by so a kaike an art by baro aoido van the fourth son of a powerful noble is only two years old when he remembers his past life as a salary man in japan with his adult brain in a young body he's considered a child prodigy until he displays the production magic skill when he turns eight in a family that favors offensive magic this crafting skill is considered useless in battle and van is banished to oversee a tiny country town in disgrace with only his personal maid his father's butler a knight a rescued slave the memories of his past life and his worthless magic can van improve the fortunes of this little village and himself honestly we've seen stories like this in the past where the heroes are reborn into another world with what is supposed to be a mediocre power but it turns out to be pretty overpowered and gives them the advantage over everybody and they're able to construct a better life for them so i find it pretty funny that he has a lot going for you got the maid the butler a knight memories of his past life okay go on still it looks pretty charming i like the art and maybe this is something worth checking out i don't know what do you think so there it is folks the most anticipated releases in my opinion for the month of january are you interested in any of these releases let me know in the comment section down below and let's make this year a fun one thank you so much for joining if you're brand new consider subscribing i do content like this talking about all the manga releases while i also review manga and show you my hauls and all that wonderful stuff so that's gonna be it for now thank you so much for tuning in god bless stay safe out there i will catch all of you on our next video