If the Villainess and Villain Met and Fell in Love ~ She Was All But Disowned for Her Spirit Contract, But She’s Still Competing with Her Rival ~, Vol. 5

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By Harunadon and Yomi Sarachi. Released in Japan as “Akuyaku Reijō to Akuyaku Reisoku ga, Deatte Koi ni Ochitanara: Nanashi no Seirei to Keiyaku Shite Oidasareta Reijō wa, Kyō mo Reisoku to Kisoiatte Iru Yō Desu” by GA Novels. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Evie Lund.

Japanese series, and fantasy light novels in particular, really love a certain kind of villain. He’s usually portly, he’s definitely arrogant, and he tends to sneer a lot. There are few grey or sympathetic villains here, most of the ones we see are kicking puppies when no one is looking. And an awful lot of them seem to be with the church. We’ve had sympathetic clergy so far for this series, but there have been factional fights, and with the death of the head priest at the end of the last volume, it’s time for them to take over, jail and torture the ones on the moderate side, and put out an all-points bulletin: arrest Brigitte and get that phoenix. Which is why, of course, Brigitte has disappeared. Even worse, this isn’t the final volume, so you know that we won’t quite wrap everything up.

Yuri and Brigitte’s friends discover she’s gone, and very quickly work out why – it’s not hard to figure out when the clergy are going around the school searching. So they decide to search for Brigitte as well, plus try to throw the pursuers off the trail. Meanwhile, Brigitte and Tonari are trying their best to hide by going back and forth between the Crack and the real world, while also having conversations about whether Brigitte might actually be a changeling and not a real human being at all. Y’know, just chatting about stuff. Brigitte does not exactly need this right now, but she perseveres anyway, as she’s plucky like that. Unfortunately, running away is not going to actually solve the problem, so we’ll go with plan B, which is deliberately get captured.

There’s a lot of good stuff here. I like that, in the end, Yuri’s family are all various shades of abusive and neglectful not because they’re bad people but because they’re all awkward dorks who are poor at communication. “I would have helped you, but you never reached out and were also kinda whiny”. Horrible, but I get it. It was also, and I hate the fact that I’m saying this, interesting seeing Joseph again. He’s been under house arrest, and has mostly given up on having anything good in his lift, but that doesn’t stop him from trying to choke Brigitte out and still being the world’s shittiest ex. Yuri wants to kill him for what he did, and, well, there’s still one more book to go, so good luck, Yuri! Speaking of that one book, unfortunately, the bad guy got away, and bad family things are happening, so gotta postpone the wedding a little longer. At least the next book is the last, I think.

This feels like it’s gone on a bit too long (the online version ended with Book 4), but I’ll keep reading it till the end. It’s mid-tier Villainess.

Anime NYC 2026, Saturday

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Maybe it was because this was the biggest Thursday I’ve ever seen, and Friday was packed to the gills with stuff, but this Saturday did not seem as insane as Saturdays of the past. There were long lines, and the corridors were jammed, but you could actually find seating when you got lunch! And using the bathroom did not take over an hour! It was also an easier panel run for me, given that Friday was packed. That said, I still started first thing in the morning, with Yen Press. They talked about being the biggest publisher of light novels and Korean titles, and one of the biggest manga publishers. They talked about all the Summer 2026 anime that have Yen Press manga. They talked about Overgeared, which I guess is getting an anime? And then we got announcements, starting with the Korean titles.

Solo Levelling: Ragnarök is a sequel to the original series, focusing on the son of the main character, who I’m sure will be just as OP as dear old dad. They also said that the series (light novel, manwha, and audiobook) is coming out in Spanish! This got a pretty good reaction, and I guess is something that folks want to see, given someone asked about Spanish-language at the J-Novel Club panel. And also, hot on the heels of the Delicious in Dungeon game, we see Solo Levelling: The Board Game. It’s exactly what you think it is, and there’s also a deluxe edition with even more bells and whistles. And, if you want a title that’s Korean but NOT Solo Levelling, we get Whale Star: The Gyeongseong Mermaid, which is somehow based on The Little Mermaid but not Goodbye Lara. It’s a hugely popular webtoon, has won awards, and has a live-action series coming out.

The first light novel licensed was Cause I’m Freedom! (Datte, Watashi wa Freedom!), a new series from the creator of Last Round Arthurs. A girl grows up in a family of swordsmen, and longs to be just like them… then she finds ancient ruins with gun technology. Her strict, purist family kick her out, but she’s determined to strike out on her own, with cool future weapons! The other title was The Witch’s Conviction, the Beast’s Redemption (Majo no Danzai, Majū no Shokuzai), illustrated by the Our Last Crusade artist. A starving orphan resorts to cannibalism, is caught, arrested, and experimented on. Now he’s a beast. Then he meets a supposedly evil witch. I’ve seen a lot of this type of genre lately, with a hapless guy being carted around by a powerful yet eccentric woman.

The first manga announcement was Seal My Lips with a Kiss ((Kiss de Funaide, Barenaide.) is from the magazine Suki Shite? Momoiro Nikki. An office worker doesn’t like her cold boss, but she has a crush on her friendly co-worker. Then one day she gets lcoked out of her office, it’s raining, hey, why not stay over at co-worker’s place? Only… his roommate is that boss! There’s only one solution: hide in the closet. This is classic josei smut fodder, and looks fun. They then talked about the already announced short story collections from the Delicious in Dungeon creator, out this fall, as well as the Yen Press titles that were honored by the American Manga Awards.

Übel Blatt II: Knights of the Fallen King (Übel Blatt II: Shiseru Ou no Kishidan) is exactly what you think it is: a sequel to Übel Blatt. It runs in Big Gangan. This has been simulpubbing digitally, but there is now print coming. The Gray Exorcist (Haiiro Onmyōji) is a fantasy title from Weekly Shonen Champion. An exorcist hides a monster rather than destroying it… only the laws now say that’s treason. Can I Call You Unnie? (Unnie tte Yonde Mo Ii desu ka?) is a yuri series that runs on Comic Walker. A K-pop fan decides to finally give in and try a dating app… and finds she’s now dating her favorite idol! Showbiz drama ensues. Unnie seems to be one of those words we’re supposed to just know now.

After plugging Then Shall I Kill in Your Stead, a BL title that asks “what if your lover was a yandere who would literally kill for you?”, they talked about Interdimensional Memoir (Ikoku Memoir), a KADOCOMI series about a boy who finds life boring… till he meets a metaphorical white rabbit, a boy who whisks him away to another world! The art apparently has that cute/creepy balance so beloved by fans. Make it an Eternity (Eikyū Shimei Onegaishimasu!) is a lengthy (15+ volumes) shoujo series from Koisuru Soiree. A girl who lost her parents has become a shut-in, and her brother supports them both… in a host club. And now his fellow club members are invading her home! And they’re hot! OH NO! And for BL fans, there’s lots of BL tease, and her brother is canonically bi.

Speaking of BL, their final license was “old man yaoi”, Hot Nights at the Hot Springs, Secret Trip No. 241 (Onsen de Himitsu no Otomari, 241 Kaime), which runs in Comic Fleur. Two older men have been hiding their relationship… but every month they go to a hot spring, and they feel younger. In more ways than one. This was called “wholesome” and “adorable”.

After that, we had the debut panel for a “brand new” publisher, Kaze! Yes, that’s actually the French and German publisher, now making inroads into the United States after getting bought by Crunchyroll, then Crunchyroll’s manga arm in Europe was bought by HarperCollins. It’s also a rebranding of the HarperAlley imprint, which mostly did children’s graphic novels but also dabbled in manga, mostly the series Plus-Sized Adventures in Love, which they were giving away copies of, and is now a Kaze title according to Amazon. They plan to launch with manga in 2027 – 3-5 titles that year, then revving up for 28 and 29 with more stuff. No specific genres, they’re here for everything.

They also plugged an OEL manga, Sol Sistah, by Saxton Moore and Phillip Johnson. “Ultraman meets Power Rangers, Pan-African, kaiju-smashing, teen slice of life”, and yes, that also means they’re open to pitches for other OEL titles. Sol Sistah should be out next year. They’re going to do more conventions, promotions, the whole shebang. And, most importantly, they reassured people that they would pay actual translators and not use AI. So while there were no new Japanese manga titles announced, the people at the panel seemed very excited about what was to come.

After lunch, it was time for the J-Novel Club panel. Sam always knows what we’re there for, and did not even have the “for those who don’t know, what is J-Novel Club?” slide, we went straight to the announcements. Starting with Middle-Aged and Mid No More: Rising in Ranks over Drinks with an Elite Priest (Mannen Silver Rank no Ossan, Shijо̄saikо̄ no Bо̄kensha to Naru ~Party of Tsuihо̄sareta Yakezake Shitetara Otonari no Shinkansan to Ikitо̄dо̄-shite Ichiya wo Sugoshita Ken, Tte Omae Saikо̄ Rank no Bо̄kensha ka yo~), a series with art by the artist behind I’ve Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level. A 30-ish guy with a reputation for always being good but not good enough it ready to call it quits, when he meets a legendary (and beautiful) priest who could really use his help.

There was a lot more BL than folks were expecting, starting with Mirror, Mirror on the Wall: Who Ate the Poisoned Apple, Core and All? (Kagami yo Kagami, Doku Ringo o Tabeta no wa Dare?). A struggling idol finds himself the “muse” of a famous photographer… and yes, the muse part includes sex. But it’s good for his career… unless another muse turns up. Elegance in Exile: From Alchemy to Luxury with My Ardent Knight (Tsuihо̄sareta Akuyaku Reijо̄ wa [Renkin Skill] de Kareinaru Cheat Seikatsu wo Mankitsu-suru) is the first J-Novel Heart title of the night. The artist, kyozip, also does Sister Mafioso and Canon Fodder’s Ascension. It’s a broken engagement story, with a side order of exile. Little does everyone know that the trauma of this awakens past memories of her life in Japa… wait, no, of her life as a powerful magic user! Now she’s ready to start a new life, and possibly find a way to trust other again.

Fleet-Footed Dungeon Delver: Tune in for Magical Girls and Motion Blur! (Shinsaku no Dungeon Tansaku-sha) is from the creator of Sexiled and Dragon Daddy Diaries. The artist also does Fruit of Evolution and Buying My Classmate Once a Week. In this world, dungeons are everywhere… and so streaming your dungeon adventures is big business! Our heroine can’t figure out why her stream keeps crashing… will she meets another adventurer, who explains it. Together, they will move on up to the top! This is less yuri than “buddies”, but it looks fun. Keep Me Close: Finding My Home in You (Watashi ga Kaeritai Basho wa ~Ibasho o Nakushita Reijо̄ ga “Tokenai Hyо̄zо̄” to Uwasa Sareru Ryо̄shu-sama no Moto de Shiawase ni Naru made~) is a Heart title that, again, has a familiar premise. Our heroine has her father die, meaning she’s at the mercy of stepmom and sister. Now a servant, she’s bullied… then framed and thrown out of the house. And forced to be with a man who has a reputation as a cruel, horrible person. If you’ve read any of these, you know what happens next.

Fraudulent Fiancés (Tamanokoshi Goyо̄i Shimashita) is a Knight title. A man who has to resort to scamming people to live is caught by a handsome CEO and given two choices: go to prison, or be the CEO’s fake boyfriend. He chooses the latter, but may regret it. Being Famous Is NEET! Going Sister-Rank on Livestream (Imо̄to no Meikyū Haishin wo Tetsudatteita Ore ga, Ukkari S Rank Monster Aite ni Musо̄ shita Kekka ga Kochira desu) stars a guy who is trying his hardest to support his sister’s dungeon livestreaming (I guess this is a genre now?). But when he has to punch out a monster going after his beloved sister, suddenly his strength is drawing attention! This is for those who love guy surrounded by girls in love with him.

An Otaku Prince Finds Love in Akiba (Otakuouji to Akiba de Koi wo) is another Knight series, this one about a foreign prince who travels to Japan to find the creator of the game he’s obsessed with… and finds it’s this introverted guy with no confidence. Can the power of being a really hot foreign prince and also gay help bring the guy around? Déjà Vute: Betrayal Begets New Beginnings (Imо̄to ni Subete o Ubawareta Reijо̄ wa Konyakusha no Uragiri wo Shiri Kaiki-suru) is a Heart title that may, again, have a familiar premise. Betrayed by her fiancé and her sister, our heroines ends up… in the past, two years earlier! She’s determined to change her fate… but her fiancé, all of a sudden, is devoted to her? The artist for this also does The Most Heretical Last Boss Queen.

The most light novel-pilled title of the day was Grinding My Way to a Happy Ending: If Only My OP Big Bro Didn’t Make Things So (Sister) Complex! (Bad End Mokuzen no Heroine ni Tensei Shita Watashi, Konse de wa Renai-suru Tsumori ga Cheat na Ani ga Hanashite Kuremasen!?). This is a long-runner (10+ volumes), and also has an anime coming. An OL finds she’s now in her favorite game… as the heroine! (Yes, not a villainess story.) Unfortunately, she doesn’t have the memories of her fictional self, and the game she’s in is really hard and will try to kill her off. Fortunately (?), she has an obsessed brother to help her. Lastly, the sole manga they licensed was Crybaby Love Song (Amaenbo to Love Song), a Chara series about a musician who had a panic attack on stage and cost his band the competition. He now avoids music altogether… and his mom is remarrying, so he has a new stepbrother! Who’s cute! Yes, this is BL.

They then had several print announcements, some of which they already announced at AX. there’s the contest winner Beautiful Daydream, the Private Tutor to the Duke’s Daughter manga, Now I’m a Demon Lord! 2-in-1s, Pens Down Swords Up, and the big news, Chivalry of a Failed Knight in deluxe, fancy 3-in-1 omnibuses. Sadly, it’s still not as good a series as The Asterisk War. Another contest winner, ATLAS, is getting an audiobook… as well as a manga adaptation in Japan! And speaking of Apothecary Diaries, the audiobook debuts next month. Lastly, they plugged the 3rd Original Light Novel contest, and submissions open September 1st. The Grand Prize gets a substantial cash reward, for those writers who are really good but also possibly broke.

And that was my final panel of the day, as I went off for a deserved cider at a bar. Tomorrow’s the final day! And, as always, the quietest.

Anime NYC 2026, Friday

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Of course, Anime NYC starts on Thursday, and I was there, covering the American Manga Awards! However, that is a story for another outlet. For Manga Bookshelf, the con began on Friday morning, with Kana. Self-described as a literary manga publisher, they were mostly pushing the just-released Billy Bat manga, by Naoki Urasawa and Takashi Nagasaki. It ran in Weekly Morning for almost eight years, and has been highly anticipated. Aidan Clarke, who is one of two people doing the lettering for the title, had a fascinating discussion of the various fonts needed to get across a similar impression that the Japanese reader has. Between the normal dialogue, the flashbacks, the narration, the Bat’s dialogue, the manga-within-the-manga dialogue, and the sound effects, there are a huge number of fonts that need to be broken out, and keeping track of what goes where is a challenge. they also used a font done by Ben Oda, who is seen as the inspiration of a lot of this work, and that was hand traced to give that non-digital feel to it. This was easily the highlight of the entire panel, and I really need to put Billy Bat higher in my reading queue.

But they also had plenty of announcements. Happy at Home (Ie ga Suki na Hito) is a one-shot from Comic Ruelle, about women in small spaces trying to find ways of being comfortable. Children of the Afterlife (Kakuriyo no Sennichi Hina) is a one-shot from Comic Jardin, about a demon who collects souls for the afterlife asked to help with a ghost. Soon the Fog Clears (Yagate Kiriiro wa Kumori Naku) is also from Comic Ruelle, described as a journey into the beyond-kind of book. It was mentioned that the artist is more of an illustrator. Good Morning Leon runs in Comic Polaris. Leon, a widower, is helped through life by his attentive cat Jack.

Why We Fall in Love (Watashi-tachi ga Koisuru Riyuu) is a josei title from Feel Young. An office worker falls for a guy at the office who’s just her type. Described as “for fans of Wotakoi”. Pumpkin Night is a horror manga from Web Comic Gamma. Years ago a girl had her face disfigured due to a bullying prank. Years later, she’s out to kill everyone involved. This is 10+ volumes, and looks quite scary. They also revealed the cover for Billy Bat 4, as well as the cover for Before Dawn and the End of the World, by Inio Asano, which made me laugh mostly as it has a gorgeous landscape and Asano’s usual super depressed guy face.

After this it was time for the Anime Herald panel, hosted by Samantha Ferreira and Katy Castillo. The Anime Herald website has been going since 2010, and now there’s a print magazine, designed to make the reader think of all the anime magazines of old, like Animerica, Protoculture Addicts, etc. The first issue sold well, over 800 copies, and the second has just come out, they’re hoping that will also do well. They concentrate on longer-form articles (by human beings, it is emphasized) That can be enhanced by art design. An example was shown of an article about the decline of the OVA that showed art of old-school VHS tapes with labels of famous OVAs like Megazone. They also had the big news that the third issue is coming out! More news on that as it develops. Folks could also get a print copy of the second issue at the panel, and it’s also available digitally.

The Seven Seas panel was packed to the gills, once they let people in – the doors opened at the panel start time, meaning it started 12 minutes late. This was unfortunate, as I had to leave early to get the next panel. They gave an overview of the company, plugged the Magic Repo Man and Magical Buffs anime coming out soon, and did some raffle giveaways. Then… new licenses! First came audio, as they have new books for A Tale of the Secret Saint ZERO, as well as two danmei titles: Dinghai Fusheng Records and There’s Something Wrong with the Chief. They also had that rare Chinese fantasy novel that’s het. Till the End of the Moon also has a live-action drama. A man goes insane with grief when his wife dies. Now she has to return from the dead to stop him turning evil.

Whispering Tiger: Jangsanbeom is a BL webtoon about a guy who gets possessed… only his oblivious boyfriend doesn’t even notice! I’m not sure if this is meant to be funny, sexy, or both, but it definitely sounds funny to me. The Ghost’s Nocturne has a prince of the underworld and a human, so may sound a bit familiar to BL fans. My Lips Are Being Targeted (Ore no Kuchibiru ga Nerawarete Imasu) runs in Trifle by Hana to Yume, which seems to be Hana to Yume but even gayer. At a school where people have superpowers, one man gives a powerup to anyone he kisses. He hates this power. Described as “My Hero Academia but they kiss.” Synchronicity Obsession is a one-shot BL title that’s in the “guideverse” genre, which is something I have no idea about. Seems to be cops but with special powers.

Another BL title is Scarlet Thirst, which I can find little about online. A guy with a dark secret needs to be rescued. Can his childhood friend pull it off? After that we got some yuri. I Wish It Had Just Been Love (Isso, Koi Dattara Yokatta noni) has a girl in love with her hot senpai. Then when she gets to college, she finds her senpai has given up on her dream… AND is dating a guy? That’s not gonna stand. Also on a lighter note, we see The Duke’s Daughter Must Seduce the Demon King… But the Demon King’s a Girl? (Koushaku Reijou no Rouraku Mission: Maou to no Seiryaku Kekkon ga Jinrui Saigo no Kirifuda desu!… tte, Maou ga Onnanoko no Baai wa Dou Sureba Ii no desu ka!?) is what the title says, I’m going to guess.

After this I had to leave, but for completeness’ sake I will mention they also licensed Enslaved By My Cats, one of the seemingly endless amounts of cat manga that SS has put out over the last few years; Goetia Shock is based on a light novel, also by Seven Seas, that tries to emphasize it’s a techno thriller but is a bit distracting due to the heroine’s boobs; and Witch and Mercenary, also based on a light novel that Seven Seas has, about a titular witch who hires a titular merc to protect her. And, there’s also a deluxe box set of the first six volumes of The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, really, Really, REALLY Love You, with some extra content?

I did make it the the Manga Mavericks panel just in time, hosted by Varun Gupta, Michael Jokoh, Siddharth Gupta, and Erica Friedman. There was also a special guest, Victoria Esnard, the founder of Red String Manga. They gave the history of the company, which started as a podcast years ago, before moving into news in 2022 and publishing in 2025. They are one year old! They publish manga across all sorts of genres – it’s not just indie stuff. They’re also a member of the Independent Manga Alliance, along with Mahjong Pros… whose publisher, Harrison Doan divebombed the convention, here to give Mahjong Pros new announcements, with Erica good-naturedly heckling him a little.

What did Mahjong Pros announcce? Akayoroshi: Hanafuda Shadow Games (Akayoroshi: Yami Hanafuda Yugitan) is a hanafuda horror manga, presumably announced to show they’re not all about mahjong. Bird: Mahjong’s Deadliest vs. Master Illusionist is a title I can find little info on, but… mahjong! There’s also Riichi Mahjong 101, a how-to book, and Snap Call Kirinji, a mahjong manga about a loser dad whose hospitalized ex asks him to look after their kid. How to do that? Why not… mahjong!

Back to Manga Mavericks. They gave more details about Sword of Paros, their most deluxe edition yet. It will have all the bells and whistles. An oversized hardcover, it will also have most of the original color pages from the 1980s, which neither the ublisher nor the author had – they had to go back to the Monthly Asuka magazine! They also announced Midnight Robot (Yoru no Robot), the story of a girl whose dad puts a screw in her head so she can fight against evil. No, really. They’ve also got Arai-kun & Haruma-senpai, the story of a handsome guy in college and the shy chubby underclassman boy he falls for. This looks cute as hell.

The main topic was the manga Heron and the Closed Country. Unfortunately, while the author is at the con, she was sick so could not attend the panel. But there was still lots of discussion. Indeed, she and the MM team stayed in conversation over discord while the work was being created, VERY rare with Japanese creators, most of whom don’t even speak to the North American publisher folk at all. She started to publish on Comitia, a site that allows authors to have more direct interaction with fans, and from there has entered into getting her manga into print. Also discussed was the fact that both the main characters in the story are agender and non-binary. The author has included this sort of character in past works, and mentions being annoyed at old manga plotlines of tomboyish girls who end up getting girly later. It was a terrific discussion.

My final panel of the day was Kodansha, which DID start on time. It helped that the panel before it wasn’t able to be there, though that doesn’t mean they let everyone in the room early to sit. Most of Kodansha’s announcements were of titles in their Print on Demand series, which is to say mid-range digital stuff that has enough requests to give print a try. This includes How to Grill Our Love, Abe-kun’s Got Me Now!, I Want to Hold Aono-kun So Badly I Could Die, Matcha Made in Heaven, and Changes of Heart. The publisher wewlcomes requests, but asks that you limit them to one title at a time, rather than inundate them with stuff.

They had two main announcements. The first is a horror title, Trapped on Tape (Torimatorimasu). This runs in good! Afternoon, and is by the creator of My Master Has No Tail. A girl and her goofy dog are bored in their new house… till they find a camera and some videos. Which seem to summon a ghost? The other, much bigger announcement (sorry, Trapped on Tape) is that Hajime no Ippo is finally getting a print release in North American. It’s subtitled Fighting Spirit, and coming out in 3-volume omnibuses. This legendary boxin manga has been running since 1989, has nearly 150 volumes, and has influenced so many people it’s not even funny. It should be amazing.

And that’s Day One! What wonders will Day Two bring?