Shelf Life

July 29, 2019

Welcome to Shelf Life, covering every week's new releases in anime, manga, and Japanese games! We've got some interesting anime titles coming out this week, including a steelbook set for the always-divisive Elfen Lied. The manga field isn't quite as crowded as usual, but I'm personally looking forward to My Next Life as a Villainess. I've heard good things about the light novels, so hopefully the manga adaptation will turn out well. Omega Labyrinth Life leads the charge in gaming, and yes, that's the game where the characters' busts get bigger as they level up. If there's something you're excited for this week, let the world know in the comments!

Elfen Lied - Complete Collection BD
Sentai - 325 min - Sub+Dub - MSRP $99.98

Publisher's Description: Critics have described Elfen Lied as "weird," (Anime Planet), "surprisingly sadistic," (Gamers Edge), and "addictive"(Animesou). No wonder, when you consider what makes this series hum! Lucy, a beautiful young mutant, is bred by the military to be the ultimate weapon. Now, with government killers on her trail, the disposition of a five year old, and a hair trigger for ultraviolence, Lucy and her young friends must unravel the dark secret of her legacy before it's too late.

Our Reviews: We have some old single-disc reviews for this series here and here. It's available streaming on Amazon Prime, HIDIVE, and Hulu.

Love Stage!! - Complete Collection BD
Sentai - 275 min - Sub+Dub - MSRP $69.98

Publisher's Description: As a child actor, Izumi Sena was following the rest of his family into the entertainment business until he quit after a humiliating incident while shooting a certain commercial. Now, ten years later, Izumi's trying to juggle college and becoming a manga author, but nothing seems to be working out for him. Until he's asked to reprise his part in that infamous commercial opposite one of Japan's most popular up-and-coming actors! Which wouldn't be so bad… except for the fact that Izumi was dressed as young girl in the ad, and everyone, including his infatuated potential co-star Ryoma Ichijo, still thinks that he's a she! Is Izumi going to have to kiss a guy and will he like it? And what will Ryoma think when the girl of his dreams turns out to be a guy in jeans? Get ready for a tale of crossed stars and shifting alignments as a completely unexpected drama unfolds in prime time!

Our Reviews: We have episode reviews for this series. It's available streaming on Crunchyroll and HIDVE.

Lupin the 3rd: Blood Seal of The Eternal Mermaid BD
Discotek - 90 min - Sub+Dub - MSRP $29.95

Publisher's Description: An Aquamarine gemstone, the Mermaid's Scale, appears in a secret, underground auction. The queen of the underworld (nicknamed the "Bearslayer") coerces the professional jewel-lifter Lupin into stealing the rock for her. Lupin swipes the stone, and quickly discovers not only that it's a forgery, but that the real Mermaid's Scale is part of an unsolved riddle that leads to transcending mortality! Soon, the "Bearslayer" is found murdered in cold blood! Her seemingly immortal young aide, Misa, is kidnapped by the arms dealer Himuro. The race is on for Lupin and his gang to locate the secret to eternal life... before it's used to send the Earth into a state of endless war!

Our Reviews: Our user ratings for this TV special have an average of 7.4 out of 10.

Maken-Ki! - Season 1 BD
Funimation - 300 min - Sub+Dub - MSRP $29.98

Publisher's Description: Takeru enrolled in Tenbi Academy because the girl-to-guy ratio is, like, 3 girls for every guy. But this bevvy of bombshells is actually a school where teens beef up their combat skills using a magic power thingy called a Maken. Redheads with wicked high kicks, shocking blonde bullies, and aggressive brunettes are EVERYWHERE. And every time there's a brawl, their clothes tend to disintegrate.

Our Reviews: We have reviews for this season here and here. It's available streaming on Funimation and Hulu.

New Cutey Honey - OVA Collection BD
Discotek - 240 min - Sub+Dub - MSRP $29.95

Publisher's Description: The forces of evil were looking for trouble; they found Cutey! In a futuristic world were evil comes in all shapes and sizes, she is the ultimate weapon. She's Cutey Honey, a one woman S.W.A.T. team whose android chassis is capable of changing at will into a dazzling array of hard-hitting, curvaceous bodies each with it's own set of special skills, weapons and other impressive physical attributes. Go Nagai's legendary android super-hero is back and hitting the bad guys where it hurts most.

Our Reviews: Our user ratings for this OVA series have an average of 6.2 out of 10.

Noragami - Season 2 BD
Funimation - 300 min - Sub+Dub - MSRP $49.98

Publisher's Description: Life for minor god Yato isn't getting any easier. He's still broke, shrineless, and his partner-slash-sword-regalia has zero respect for him. Worse yet, Bishamon, one of the deadliest war gods, is after his life. Blaming him for the death of her past regalia, she won't stop until she kills him. But there's more to that story than she could ever realize. And as if that's not bad enough, there's someone working against her behind the scenes!

Our Reviews: We have episode reviews and a review of a previous release for this season. It's available streaming on Funimation and Hulu.

Pokemon Diamond and Pearl - Complete Collection DVD
Viz - 1275 min - Dub - MSRP $44.98

Publisher's Description: If Gary Oak is headed for the Sinnoh region, then Ash Ketchum won't be far behind! Ready to take on the Sinnoh League, Ash brings along Pikachu and meets up with Brock in Sinnoh, where the pair of Trainers are soon joined by a third—Dawn, a novice Pokémon Coordinator determined to follow in the footsteps of her mother. Both Ash and Dawn struggle with their respective paths, but it's easy for them to make new friends, gaining new Pokémon like Turtwig and Piplup.

Our Reviews: We have a review of some of the old single-disc volumes of this series. Most seasons in the franchise are available on Pokemon.com.

Sakura Quest - Complete Collection BD
Funimation - 625 min - Sub+Dub - MSRP $69.98

Publisher's Description: After being rejected by job after job, Yoshino Koharu's career prospects are looking dire. That is, until she gets an offer to become queen! What she thought would be a one-day gig turns into a year-long commitment to the small rural town of Manoyama. Stuck out in the country with an entire town's expectations on her shoulders, it's up to Yoshino to show the world what a hidden gem Manoyama is!

Our Reviews: We have episode reviews for this series. It's available streaming on Funimation.

Space Battleship Tiramisu - Season 2 BD
Funimation - 120 min - Sub+Dub - MSRP $34.98

Publisher's Description: The Earth Union is locked in a massive galactic war. Ace pilot Subaru Ichinose—socially awkward and plagued by an intense, almost sexual love for food—carries the fate of humanity on his shoulders.

Our Reviews: Our user ratings for this season have an average of 6.2 out of 10. It's available streaming on Crunchyroll and Funimation.

Yowamushi Pedal: Re:RIDE and Re:ROAD BD
Discotek - 180 min - Sub - MSRP $24.95

Publisher's Description: Initially, when a fourth grade Sakamichi Onoda started biking to Akihabara every week, it was an effort to save money. Driven by a need to improve his own skills, Junior pro cyclist Shunsuke challenges Sakamichi to a race, and while the outcome might seem obvious, there's some surprises in store for both of them before they reach the finish line!

Our Reviews: No formal reviews for these compilation films, but we do have episode reviews for the second season of the TV series. Both films are available streaming on Crunchyroll.

Breath of Flowers - Volume 1
Tokyopop - 216 pages - MSRP $12.99

Publisher's Description: Azami does not understand her friends' fascination with yuri and yaoi. She's only attracted to boys, especially the handsome Gwen, who she's had eyes on since the beginning of the year. Intelligent, sporty, attractive and just a little older than Azami, he's the ideal boyfriend. But everything Azami believes comes crashing down when she finds out that Gwen is actually a girl!

Our Reviews: No reviews or user ratings for this series so far.

D-Frag! - Volume 13
Seven Seas - 180 pages - MSRP $12.99

Publisher's Description: Noe usually tries her best to stay away from her brother's wacky friends, but when Tama recruits her for a mission, she has no choice but to go along with it! Together with Tsutsuji and Sakura, Tama and Noe must face off against a rival school in order to get back a treasured action figure. Will the gang succeed, or will they need rescuing themselves?!

Our Reviews: We have a review of volume 1.

Fairy Tale Battle Royale - Volume 3
Seven Seas - 180 pages - MSRP $12.99

Publisher's Description: Aoba heads back to the Story World to see if she can find out just what is going on there, only to discover someone's waiting for her—Peter Pan! He might look friendly, but his intent is far from benign. He wants Aoba to be his Wendy and won't take no for an answer!

Our Reviews: We covered this series in the Fall 2018 Manga Guide.

Harukana Receive - Volume 4
Seven Seas - 180 pages - MSRP $12.99

Publisher's Description: After intensive training, Team Harukana is ready to compete in the Okinawa regional qualifiers! But it turns out that only one team will be allowed to advance to the national championships, which means only one team from the club will move forward. Can the Beach Volleyball Club survive being pitted against itself?

Our Reviews: We have a review of volume 1.

Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid - Volume 8
Seven Seas - 180 pages - MSRP $12.99

Publisher's Description: Kanna's father, the great chaos dragon warrior Kimun Kamuy, has appeared to take Kanna back to the world of dragons. Kanna will go if it means finally getting her father's approval, but Kimun Kamuy is more interested in Kanna as a comrade-in-arms than a daughter. And what is the mysterious mage Azad up to? Suspicious and still hoping for a reconciliation, Kobayashi and Tohru head for the world of dragons to try and stop a disastrous war before it starts!

Our Reviews: We have reviews of volume 1 and volume 2.

My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! - Volume 1
Seven Seas - 230 pages - MSRP $13.99

Publisher's Description: A high school girl is stunned to find herself reincarnated as the conniving villainess from her favorite dating sim game, Fortune Lover. Now, as Catarina Claes, the impossibly rich and spoiled daughter of a Duke, her new life seems to perfectly sync up with the world of the game. This means big trouble! No matter how the game turned out, there were only two fates for Catarina: exile or death!

Our Reviews: We have a review of volumes 1-3 of the original light novel series.

Precarious Woman Executive Miss Black General - Volume 4
Seven Seas - 180 pages - MSRP $12.99

Publisher's Description: It's not easy being a supervillain when you're crushing hard on your superhero nemesis. Miss Black General is the evil executive of the secret organization RX and dreams of world domination. Problem is, Brave Man--the hero that gives her warm fuzzies--is set on thwarting all of her dastardly plots. To make matters even more complicated, Miss Black General has a habit of misinterpreting Brave Man's counterattacks--as flirtation. This slapstick comedy puts a romantic twist on the age-old battle of good vs. evil!

Our Reviews: No reviews or user ratings for this series so far.

To Love Ru - Volume 15-16
Ghost Ship - 400 pages - MSRP $19.99

Publisher's Description: Yuuki Rito is your average high school student-awkward, shy, and hopeless when it comes to confessing his feelings to the girl of his dreams. But one day, a beautiful woman suddenly materializes in his bathtub! Her name is Lala Deviluke, an alien princess on the run from an intergalactic empire. After Rito gets unwittingly engaged to Lala, he soon finds himself sucked into a battle for Lala's affections, as alien suitors from across the galaxy vie for her hand in marriage. Rito's troubles have only just begun!

Our Reviews: We covered this series in the Fall 2017 Manga Guide.

UQ Holder! - Volume 17
Kodansha - 176 pages - MSRP $10.99

Publisher's Description: Tōta and the rest of UQ HOLDER successfully travel back in time and stop the nuclear missile from hitting the orbital elevator…but just as they do, they discover that another attack is headed their way! And with Kirië's save point destroyed, it means that this time, there are no do-overs. With only one chance to save humanity from destruction, can Tōta figure out a way to save everyone, or will it take a great sacrifice to avert an even greater disaster?

Our Reviews: We have multiple reviews for this series, ranging from volume 1 to volume 12.

Omega Labyrinth Life
D2 Publisher - PS4, Switch - MSRP $59.99

Publisher's Description: Take it easy in the latest addition to the series where you buff your bust with every foe you defeat, Omega Labyrinth! Now, in addition to adventuring through dungeons, you can enjoy the finer things in life. Taking care of flowers, rebuilding the academy, having a little fun on the side...