Best New Manga of September 2019

Cats of the Louvre, by Taiyo Matsumoto
A community of cats has been living in the attic of the Louvre for years, unbeknownst to almost everyone except Marcel, the night watchman, and those he takes into his confidence. Marcel knows, as the cats do, that the paintings talk to a select few, and that once you enter a painting, nothing is ever the same. Taiyo Matsumoto, the creator of Tekkon Kinkreet and Sunny, creates a wonderful behind-the-scenes world of people and cats (who appear sometimes in human form, sometimes as felines) and weaves their lives into a supernatural story. Whether he’s drawing cats or humans, Matsumoto is a superb artist, and this manga (part of a series commissioned by the Louvre) is not to be missed.

The Way of the Househusband, Vol. 1, by Kousuke Oono
Tatsu, a.k.a. the Immortal Dragon, has gone from yakuza boss to househusband after marrying a career woman, but he can’t seem to leave his old life behind. He cleans his bathroom as if it was a crime scene, teaches the neighbor kid gambling games, and unintentionally terrorizes everyone he meets. That’s because his glowering look (think Johnny Depp in aviator shades) and his knife-handling skills haven’t changed at all, even if he is wearing a frilly apron. His approach to enemies has, though, as he disarms them with warm gloves and comfort foods rather than his fists (well, most of the time anyway). He even gets a disciple of sorts when his former henchman comes to the conclusion that the way of the househusband is the way of the yakuza.

Phantom Tales of the Night, Vol. 1, by Matsuri
When people are in trouble, they sometimes run across a traditional looking inn where the innkeeper offers them safety and comfort in exchange for their deepest secrets. The mysterious owner of the inn and his cohorts, Butterfly and Spider, seek out troubled souls, but the aid that they offer always comes at a steep price. The result is a mix of monster-fighting action and good old Twilight Zone-type eeriness, and while there’s quite a bit of body horror, it’s exquisitely drawn and comes off as more unnerving than gory.

No Guns Life, Vol. 1, by Tasuku Karasuma
In the world of No Guns Life, the Extended are cyborg soldiers who have been mustered out of the army and seem to just wander around causing chaos, and Juzo Inui is the guy who dives in when they start to cause problems. Inui himself is one of the Extended: His head is literally a gun. That seems pretty badass, but there’s a major flaw in this design (well, one of many): He can’t pull his own trigger, so his weapon is useless without a partner. And Juzo is verrrry touchy about letting people near his trigger.

Cells at Work! Code Black, Vol. 1, by Shigemitsu Harada, Issei Hatsuyoshiya, and Akane Shimizu
The biologically based manga Cells at Work goes to the dark side in this spinoff, which focuses on the effects of too much drinking, smoking, and fooling around. The original series casts the different types of cells in the body as anthropomorphic characters; the spinoff does the same, but this time the focus is on the immune cells who surge into action when a Code Black is called and fight off stress, ulcers, liver damage, and the other maladies that come with living hard and playing hard.

Star Wars: Lost Stars, Vol. 2, by Claudia Gray and Yusaku Komiyama
This volume continues the manga adaptation of Claudia Gray’s novel of the same name. As in the first volume, the art is clear, the characters are distinctive, and the story is a good one, enjoyable even if you aren’t familiar with the Star Wars canon. While the characters from other parts of the saga make appearances, this manga focuses tightly on Thane and Ciena, childhood friends who trained as pilots together at the Imperial Academy, started to fall in love, and then wound up fighting on opposite sides—one with the Empire, one with the Rebellion. Who knew that the galaxy far, far away would be such a good fit for shonen manga tropes?

Kakuriyo: Bed & Breakfast for Spirits, Vol. 5, by Wako Ioka and Laruha
Aoi Tsubaki can see yokai, a trait she inherited from her grandfather. When is kidnapped and ends up in the land of the spirits, she learns she inherited something else as well: His debt. She is trapped in a yokai inn, unable to leave for fear of being eaten by the spirits outside the walls and unwilling to marry the haughty yokai that her grandfather had pledged her hand to. Instead, she vows to pay off the debt by working at the inn. In this volume, she goes off in search of another fragment of her past, looking for the yokai who kept her from starving when she was a child.

Become You, Vol. 1, by Ichigo Takano
Enthusiastic and optimistic, Taiyou daydreams of being a star, but reality is falling short. Years ago a mysterious stranger handed him a guitar and told him that if he used it properly, he would have the power to ensnare people’s hearts, but so far that hasn’t panned out. When his bandmates desert him, reasoning that the last year of high school is better spent studying for exams than noodling around in music club, he attaches himself to a classmate, Hikari, whom he knows is a talented musician. Hikari is standoffish and rude, and he wants no part of Taiyou’s band, but this is shoujo manga, so anything is possible. Takano is the creator of the much-loved shoujo series Orange.

Brave-Tuber, Vol. 1, by Takehito Oosaki and Ikuro
Brave-Tuber mixes fantasy manga with social media. The land of Wizdaregidor is under attack once more from the Demon Lord and his minions, and the brave warriors are hoisting their holy swords to do battle, but Zane and his sword spirit Kuku are vloggers who are more interested in attracting followers with clickbait stories than slaying their enemies with magic weapons.

If I Could Reach You, Vol. 1, by tMnR
This yuri (girls love) domestic drama focuses on love and loyalty. Uta and Kaoru were friends from childhood, and Kaoru was Uta’s first crush. The situation becomes difficult when Kaoru marries Uta’s brother, all the more so because the three are living under the same roof. When Kaoru confides in Uta that there are problems in the marriage, Uta tries to suppress her feelings, but it’s a deception that can’t last.

Uzaki-chan Wants to Hang Out!, Vol. 1, by Take
College student Sakurai is a loner, or at least, someone who likes to relax on his own, away from other people, from time to time. Uzaki, a younger student who knows Sakurai from middle school, is aggressively extroverted and also extremely well endowed. Cue the innuendo-filled slapstick comedy! Manga like this can be kinda painful, with one character or the other perpetually red-faced and flustered, but this one is gentler in tone, with gags that revolve around the awkwardness of the two characters and the occasional misunderstanding, rather than panty shots and shower scenes.

I Hear the Sunspot: Limit, Vol. 2, by Yuki Fumino
This story started with I Hear the Sunspot, a gentle yaoi story about two students, Taichi, who is gregarious and outgoing, and Kohei, who is introverted and quiet, in part because he is deaf. The story continues in this series, with Taichi embarking on a new career while Kohei continues his studies, and their relationship brings conflicts as well as happiness.

Ms. Koizumi Loves Ramen Noodles, Vol. 1, by Naru Narumi
If you think of ramen as the stuff you buy in blocks at the grocery store, Ms. Koizumi is here to enlighten you. Not only does she (as advertised) love eating ramen noodles, she also has an exhaustive knowledge of ramen taxonomy—the broths, the sauces, the special oils and other additives, even the secret ramen you can only get at McDonalds in Hawaii. So when her classmate Yu decides she wants to better get to know Ms. Koizumi, the new transfer student in her class, she becomes a sort of ramen disciple, following Ms. Koizumi to ramen joints and learning as she eats. The other girls in the class begin to be captivated by her ramen talk as well, and soon everyone is musing about pineapple ramen, drowning their sorrows in super-hot Hokkyoku ramen, and generally exploring all the different variations, seasonal and geographical, with Ms. Koizumi as their guide.

Daytime Shooting Star, Vol. 2, by Mika Yamamori
In the first volume of this shoujo high-school romance, teenage Suzume was abruptly packed off to Tokyo to live with her uncle and attend school there. Her uncle’s goofball friend turns out to be her teacher, and by the end of volume 1, Suzume realizes she’s smitten with him, and the feeling may be mutual. Volume 2 brings more complications, as Suzume gets lost on the school trip, tries to study for exams, and finds herself in a love triangle with her only two friends at the school, the shy Mamura and the sharp-tongued Yuyuka. What’s a girl to do?