The Best New Manga of July 2018

My Hero Academia: Vigilantes, Vol. 1, by Hideyuki Furuhashi and Betten Court
This spinoff of the mega-popular school-for-superheroes manga My Hero Academia may actually be more entertaining than the original—which is saying a lot. This one is about a trio of would-be superheroes who didn’t make the cut. Koichi has a quirk—a mildly useful superpower—but as he’s not hero material, he’s not supposed to use it. When he dons his Nice Guy suit, though, he does good deeds—picks up dropped phones, gives directions, takes out the recycling. Pop Step, another outlaw, uses her quirk to draw crowds to her idol-ish act; her scanty costume doesn’t hurt. And Knuckleduster: Janitor of the Fist takes out a different kind of trash—he’s looking for users of a new drug, Trigger, that amps up people’s quirks, allowing them to become supervillains. While some of the characters of the original series drop in from time to time, Vigilantes is really a whole new story set in the world of the original, exploiting a different set of possibilities, and completely enjoyable on its own. The creators add some notes about character development, and they make a number of allusions to American superheroes, which adds to the richness of this story.

Fruits Basket Another, Vol. 1, by Natsuki Takaya
Sawa Mitoma (that’s her on the cover) was shunned by her childhood friends (for reasons that are not clear) and verbally abused by her mother, so she enters high school a shivering, crying wreck, determined to be as invisible as possible so as not to annoy people. That falls apart as soon as she walks in the door and is accosted by a self-important teacher who scolds her for being late—and is immediately rescued by Mutsuki Sohma, the prince of second year, who is so handsome he sparkles. Suddenly, thanks to Mutsuki and his cousin Hajime, Sawa is part of student government, and by the end of the first volume she is enjoying sukiyaki with a host of Sohmas in their parent-free home and getting a taste of what normal life with happy people. Well, sort of—there are some ominous hints that something is going on behind the scenes. This spinoff of Fruits Basket may leave newcomers mystified; the story stands on its own, but all the characters are the children of the original Fruits Basket cast, so their personalities and some of their comments make more sense in that context. Fans of the original, on the other hand, can have plenty of fun picking up on the allusions and figuring out who the parents are.

Hakumei & Mikochi: Tiny Little Life in the Woods, Vol. 1, by Takuto Kashiki
It’s all there in the title: Hakumei and Mikochi are tiny little women who live in the woods. Like the Borrowers, they repurpose natural objects for household use (a leaf for an umbrella), but unlike the Borrowers, they are pretty social. The magical forest is filled with strange and familiar creatures, and Hakumei and Mikochi meet new friends and solve everyday problems, making this a very cute slice-of-magical-forest-life manga to read under a tree on a hot day.

Little Devils, Vol. 1, by Uuumi
This goofy comedy picks up on what happens after the hero defeats the devil—in this case, the devil becomes 12 small children, and God tasks the hero with raising them. Of course, being children, they’re super cute, and being devils, they’re not only ill-behaved but they have supernatural powers as well. Watching over them is the hero, Byron, who has gone from wielding a sword to doing the laundry—and the massive paperwork that God requires. The chapters are short, the kids are a nice balance of cute and evil, and the story has some fun with fantasy-manga tropes, making this light comedy a perfect summer read.

Akame Ga KILL!, Vol. 15, by Takahiro and Tetsuya Tashiro
This is the final volume of Akame ga KILL!, so the members of Night Raid are going into the last phase of their battle against the Empire. This manga features a group of rebels with varied powers and weapons who go up against an evil oligarchy in a small kingdom. There’s plenty of action and enough emotion to motivate the story, and 15 volumes seems like a good length. For those who can’t get enough, though, vol. 7 of Akame ga KILL! ZERO came out last month, and that series is still ongoing.

Attack on Titan, Vol. 25,j by Hajime Isayama
The hallmark of Attack on Titan has been plot twists—astounding revelations, characters who are not who they seem to be—and this volume ramps that up with a remarkable scene filled with revelations about Marley, Paradis, and the Eldeans. Of course, if there’s one thing we have learned over 25 volumes, it’s that everything you’ve ever learned is wrong. That’s what keeps this series ticking—and that’s what keeps it a fascinating read, even 25 volumes in.

Attack on Titan Character Encyclopedia, by Hajime Isayama
If you’ve been away from Attack on Titan for a bit—or, honestly, even if you haven’t—it may be hard to keep track of the enormous cast, especially with all the double identities. The Attack on Titan Character Encyclopedia is here to help, with bios of all the characters as well as fun trivia facts about them. Not only that, creator Hajime Isayama dishes about the real people who inspired his characters in a special interview—and there’s an additional section with the most recent information on the nine Titans. As the original series grows and becomes more complex, this is a useful companion volume to keep at hand.

One-Punch Man, Vol. 14, by ONE and Yusuke Murata
The martial arts tournament ended in the last volume, but the final ceremony was interrupted. Now we see why: the interloper is Goketsu, whom everyone assumed to be dead, and he has a message—become monsters or die! Goketsu survived because he became a monster, and he tosses out a handful of monster cells that, when consumed, transform the eater into a monster with unlimited strength. The catch: the newly transformed monsters must then join the Monster Association (because of course there’s a Monster Association) and become Goketsu’s foot soldiers. But the alternative is grim. This, naturally, leads to an outbreak of fighting, bringing more of the action and humor readers of this series keep coming back for.