By Juliet Faure
– Published on 25 Feb 2022 at 09:00
We are already in March. The holidays are over, or almost, and the time has come to take off your skis to go back to class or to the office. The opportunity for us to take stock of the manga releases for the first half of the coming month! And believe us, there are great outings in perspective!
The manga is booming. The proof with the number of influencers that we meet on social networks, but also all the projects, like that of the platform Mangas.io, which revolve around this theme. Some politicians no longer hesitate to integrate this cultural medium into their communication in the hope of rejuvenating their image and thus, with the approach of the presidential elections, winning over new young voters. And very clearly, the manga market has never been so active in France. Publishing houses are announcing more and more novelties in their catalogs, and that’s good. This allows fans not only to continue following certain artists, but also to discover new ones. And the upcoming month of March is no exception! The proof, our first selection contains exclusively new titles like Look Backthe brilliant Tastuki Fujimoto, or even Frierenby the duo Abe Tsukasa and Yamada Kanehito.
Phantom Seer T01 at Kazé – Released March 02, 2022
The publishing house Kaze is coming in force this month of March. One of the planned novelties is precisely the manga Phantom Seer, the first volume of which will be released on March 2nd. If you like the very popular Jujutsu Kaisenavailable at Ki-oon and whose film will be released in France on March 16, you should simply love Phantom Seer. Unlike the title of Ki-oon, this new license is quite short since it ended in four volumes in Japan. Nevertheless, just the first volume imposes a rather impressive pace, which clearly makes us want to know more. Moreover, the designer is not unknown because it is Matsuura Kento, who worked on the manga Tokyo Shinobi Squadalso available from Kaze. Phantom Seer is also the first manga of its screenwriter, Gotô Tôgo, who, let’s face it, already has everything of a great mangaka.
why we love Phantom Seer? First of all, this novelty from Kazeas said before, has one side Jujutsu Kaisen that we love very much. Not that Phantom Seer is really a dark fantasy style manga, but it tackles the same theme with a totally different approach. The story also contains a lot of humor. Indeed, the main character, Iori, only dreams of one thing: being a very banal teenager. Bad luck, he was born with a gift: that of being a medium. And not a small junk medium. No no. Iori is extremely powerful. Except that he doesn’t care and is only acting in his own interest. Apart from that, Iori has a big sister who does not hesitate to use her authority to lead him to the wand. And it is precisely his sister who will push him to help a friend named Riku, who is actually a spirit magnet. This new relationship will therefore lead our young protagonists straight into the most supernatural situations. Phantom Seer thus approaches esotericism, but also Japanese folklore with the presence of mythical creatures of the country such as the tengu. Phantom Seer which will make you both shiver with terror (a little), but also die of laughter as Iori’s behavior is really worthy of a teenager in the midst of an existential crisis.
The Book of Witches T01 & T02 at Glénat – Released March 02, 2022
The first two volumes of the manga Le Livre des Sorcières will be released on March 2, 2022 in the Glénat catalog.
With The Book of Witches, we remain in the occult and the esoteric. But unlike Phantom Seerpresented just before, the new manga of the editions Glenat has a much more historical side. Maki Ebishi’s work is indeed inspired by the life of Jean Wier, a doctor who lived in the 14th century. Jean Wier was not just a doctor, since the man was also an opponent of the famous witch hunt which caused the death of several hundreds or thousands of people. After receiving instruction from Henri-Corneille Agrippa de Nettesheim (another illustrious character of the time), Wier considered the “symptoms of witchcraft” to be the symptoms of a disease which thus pushed women to behave in ways considered strange. The Book of Witches comes back precisely to this dark period of human history, but also to Jean Wier’s commitment to demystify witchcraft. As Phantom Seerit is a short series, since the manga ended in three volumes.
why we love The Book of Witches? Contrary to Jujutsu Kaisen Where Phantom Seer, which above all have an entertaining aspect, Maki Ebishi’s manga is particularly realistic. First of all, we are immersed in an era that we know well, without really knowing it. While the church decrees the witch hunt, other evils (such as the Black Death epidemic) come to strike Europe. The author also contextualizes very well the reactions of the citizens of the time and recalls to what extent illiteracy can prevent one from having a critical spirit. The phrase “People are afraid because they can’t see. People are scared because they don’t know. perfectly sums up the spirit of the manga, as well as most certainly the spirit that animated people at the time. Moreover, the author spares us only a few things. Through the fights of Jean Wier, or even of his master, we discover another facet of History. A facet that we rarely address and which reminds us how much some people need to hide the truth to protect their personal interests.
Frieren T01 & T02 at Ki-oon – Released March 03, 2022
Anyone interested in fantasy knows that elves live a long, long time. So long that they have developed their own notion of time. And it is Frieren, main protagonist of the manga of the same name, who will say the opposite. She who crosses time and eras without physically changing. After living an adventure worthy of Lord of the Rings and having saved the world, Frieren and his companions are acclaimed. It is in the post-adventure that the manga of the same name, published by Ki-oon from March, we plunge. We then follow an elf who travels and seeks to collect spells. Seeing her companions again at the twilight of their lives, and in particular Himmel, makes her realize that she doesn’t know much about humans after all. She decides to go on a trip to better understand them, as well as to better know her former companions.
why we love Frieren? This new manga, beyond being in the domain of fantasy, is interested in an element that we know very little about: “How do elves experience time? “. Through life and Frieren’s view of the world, we realize that we don’t all have the same way of thinking, the same vision of the world and how it works. Frieren is a manga full of sweetness, poetry that invites us to focus on the essentials. From the first volume, the character of Frieren is presented as cold, distant. But the further the story progresses, the more this character seems to become more and more human. Frieren lives both in the present, but also in the past. Her character seems haunted by her memories, which she seeks to protect and preserve.
Look Back at Kazé – Released March 09, 2022
Look Back is a one-shot manga written by Fujimoto Tatsuki, author of Fire Punch and Chainsaw Man.
Look Backas The Book of Witchesis definitely one of the most anticipated manga for 2022. Created by Tatsuki Fujimoto, author of chain saw man and Fire Punch, Look Back is a one shot. So there will only be one volume. And unlike the mangaka’s two previous works, Look Back plunges us into the daily life of two young teenage girls who are opposites, but who will come together thanks to their common passion for drawing. But beyond addressing human relationships, Tatsuki Fujimoto has decided to highlight the saying ” With if we would remake the world and presents us, in Look Backtwo versions of the same possible story.
why we love Look Back? This one-shot presents a magnificent duality between these two main characters. Initially, they did not know, and chance, or at least the decisions of members of their entourage, made them closer. Between admiration and jealousy, they will finally evolve side by side. The author manages perfectly well to highlight the toxic side of a relationship based on these two feelings, so close and yet so different from each other. Although Look Back highlights the job of mangaka, it is not the main subject of the story. Read Look Back it’s like being told by Tatsuki Fujimoto that we have to be careful with our decisions, our behaviors and that we have to learn to take care of those around us and support us.
Kiruru Kill me T01 & T02 at Kurokawa – Released March 10, 2022
The first two volumes will be released simultaneously on March 10, 2022.
You have loved Spy x Family ? So know that Kiruru Kill me is not at all the same kind of manga! In effect, Kiruru Kill me is more like totally What The Fuck?! The author, Kanô Yasuhiro, will certainly be familiar to you since he is particularly known for Pretty Face, Mr Zero, or more recently Kiss x Death. However, this new manga is full of humor, and this is particularly due to its scenario. If we want to compare Kiruru Kill me to more mainstream works, it would easily be a mix in Fifty Shades of Gray, james bond with a dose of Impossible mission. Because yes, you see, we are immersed in the daily life of Nemo Aoi, a young man who succeeds in everything. Except that one day, Nemo falls madly in love (or so he thinks) with a young woman named Kiruru, who actually turns out to be a professional assassin. In order to try to find her and bond with her, Nemo will therefore put a contract on his own head and demand that his assassin be Kiruru. Except that our young CEO has more than one trick up his sleeve to multiply the possibilities of being attacked.
why we love Kiruru Kill me? This new manga is just a compendium of incredible situations. Nemo is convinced that he is totally in love with Kiruru and that this love is mutual. But in his Christian Gray delirium where love inevitably hurts, he is absolutely ready to do anything to see the one who makes his heart beat. You will have understood it, in Kiruru Kill me no place for traditional romance. Any excuse is good for Nemo to play his role as victim, but also to mystify his character in Kiruru’s eyes. Just like James Bond, he has access to a technology that will allow him to always come out almost unscathed. The funniest thing about this series is to see the scenarios that Nemo makes up for himself, looking for the slightest clue left by Kiruru to prove his love for him. Like what, we may be CEO of a multinational, that does not mean that we are gifted in love. Far from there…
As you will have understood, the month of March is full of manga novelties to discover quickly. Whether it’s humor, adventure, romance or history, artists no longer limit themselves and dare more and more things, for our greatest happiness. Moreover, several rumors are circulating about the arrival of several titles in France! We will certainly be able to tell you more in the weeks or months to come, especially as we approach JapanExpoif the event is maintained.