We have four pick hits for November, and they all from the same publisher: Seven Seas. They represent four very different types of stories, each of which has a significant audience: Classic manga, science fiction, cats, and a memoir of family trauma. And each has a pretty good hook that would make it interesting to non-manga readers.
In addition, it’s a good month for the regular manga crowd, with Vol. 12 of Toilet-Bound Hanako-Kun coming out from Yen Press and Vol. 15 of Beastars, Vol. 11 of My Hero Academia: Vigilantes, and Vol. 2 of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, Part 5: Golden Wind all due out. These are solid series that have been doing well lately, if not quite as well as the breakout hits Jujutsu Kaisen and Chainsaw Man, both of which have new volumes coming out next month. The long-running shojo series Takane and Hana wraps up with Vol. 18, and Viz is publishing both a regular and a special edition of that final volume.
Here’s a look at some of November’s most interesting new series:
Lupin III: Classic Manga Heists
Publisher: Seven Seas
Release Date: November 3
Price: $23.99
Creator: Monkey Punch
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 978-1648275630
Age Rating: Teen (13+)
What It’s About: Lupin III, the grandson of Arsene Lupin, the courtly thief of French literature, follows in his fabled ancestor’s footsteps, pulling off daring thefts, one at a time, in the 12 stories collected in this volume.
Why It’s a Pick Hit: There are several Lupin anime, but the older edition of the manga published by Tokyopop in the early 2000s is long out of print. This collection of 12 stories was originally published in Japan in 2019 as a tribute to Monkey Punch after his death. They have been newly translated for this hardcover edition, which will have strong appeal to fans of classic manga and anime.
Robo Sapiens: Tales of Tomorrow
Publisher: Seven Seas
Release Date: November 17
Price: $19.99
Creator: Toranosuke Shimada
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 978-1648275982
Age Rating: Teen (13+)
What It’s About: The interlocking stories in this collection are set in a future world where robots with artificial intelligence have become a part of society, forming their own culture while biological humans are beginning to die out.
Why It’s a Pick Hit: There’s an audience for this type of speculative sci-fi, and the fact that this is a self-contained book of short stories makes it more accessible to non-manga readers. This manga won the Manga Division Grand Prize at the 2020 Japan Media Arts Festival
I Am a Cat Barista, Vol. 1
Publisher: Seven Seas
Release Date: December 1
Price: $13.99
Creator: Hiro Maijima
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 978-1648274244
Age Rating: Teen (13+)
What It’s About: In an off-the-beaten path café, a cat barista brews a special cup of coffee for each of the human customers who drops by.
Why It’s a Pick Hit: It’s a cat manga! About a cat cafe! Where the cats brew the coffee! In addition to the cuteness overload, this manga promises a whiff of darkness and mystery.
{IMAGE_5}A Life Turned Upside Down: My Dad’s an Alcoholic
Publisher: Seven Seas
Release Date: November 3
Price: $14.99
Creator: Mariko Kikuchi
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 978-1648275968
Age Rating: Older Teen (15+)
What It’s About: In this loosely drawn memoir, Kikuchi tells the story of growing up with an alcoholic father and the insights she gained as she matured. The manga started as a webcomic in Japan and then went viral; it was adapted into a film that doesn’t appear to be available in English but won critical accolades in Japan.
Why It’s a Pick Hit: The format and tone of this manga are very similar to the best-selling My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness, and the topic is one that many people can relate to.
Source: ICv2
