Anime
You’re Way Too Cheeky, Chigaya-kun! Volume 1 Manga Review – Review
Romance, particularly YA romance, which encompasses shoujo manga, has a reputation for being formulaic. We all know the basics: ordinary girl, extraordinary boy, he’s awful to her, she eventually falls for him. Sometimes there’s an element of one of them “saving” the other, often because “he’s so misunderstood,” or she was bullied. It’s the comfort food of reading, and while it isn’t fair to lump all YA/shoujo romances together, the truth is that there really are a lot that fit one or two prescribed formulas.
You’re Way Too Cheeky, Chigaya-kun! is one of them. It’s one claim to difference is that the characters are members of the school’s traditional archery club; otherwise, you’ve absolutely read this story before under different titles by other creators. Seen in one light, it’s wonderful that we’ve reached this point in the English-language manga market, because for years, shoujo was overlooked in favor of shounen. But in another, this is so ordinary that you’d be forgiven for wondering why Crossed Hearts bothered to bring it over in the first place.
That, I think, is both a valid and an unkind question, because Mai Ando‘s series is actually quite charming. Innovation isn’t required for enjoyment, and comfort food plots exist because they’re always there for you when you need them. In that respect, Chigaya-kun is remarkably successful. The story follows heroine Natsune, a second-year in the archery club, as she tries to figure out and deal with Chigaya, a new first-year who gets on her last nerve. Before he joined, Natsune was considered the club’s ace, something she’s very proud of because she’d never picked up a bow before joining the club. But Chigaya comes with plenty of experience and is remarkably skilled, and although she never says it, it’s clear that Natsune feels like he’s overshadowing her achievements. To make things even worse, he spends a lot of time teasing her, which she interprets as lording his prowess over her.
Although he never says otherwise in this volume, it’s pretty darn clear that that’s not the case. Chigaya is simply falling into the old saw about boys teasing the girls they like (a trope I do wish would go away), and that seems to be at least in part because he has no idea how to interact with her normally. She rebuffs his every attempt, so he resorts to something he knows she can’t ignore, no matter how ill-advised it is. The rating on this series being what it is (T), he never goes too far, and as the book goes on, you can sense his frustration that he’s just not getting through to her. When Natsune proposes a contest to see which of them can score more points in exchange for a favor, he jumps on it because it’s the first opening she’s ever given him. She intends to ask him to leave her alone if she wins; his thoughts are very much the opposite. There’s a decent amount of chemistry between them, so this isn’t painful to read at all, even if Natsune could win awards for Not Getting It.
For all that this treads a lot of familiar ground, Ando does manage to keep it just unique enough to hold your interest. There are no school events apart from a training camp, and we only see from a distance because Natsune can’t attend after a gym class accident – one that does not involve her taking the usual ball to the face. Chigaya seems to live alone, but there’s no indication (yet) that this is because he’s got a troubled family life; it seems to be more of a school-based situation. And while there’s still the start of the obligatory nursing-the-sick plotline, the lack of other standard plot points makes it feel less like checking off romance boxes – at least so far.
There is nothing wrong with You’re Way Too Cheeky, Chigaya-kun!. It’s a harmless, easy-to-read story with blandly attractive art. The translation isn’t quite as smooth as I’d like to see (it’s definitely weaker than other Crossed Heart books I’ve read), but it isn’t actively bad, and cultural glosses are relatively unobtrusive when they show up in the gutters and margins. It may not be an innovative shoujo romance, but it is a very nice one, comfortable like a peanut butter sandwich. And sometimes, when the world feels like too much, that’s just what you want to read.
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Anime
Yen Press Licenses ‘Watching the Angel Sleep, Drowning in Bed Together’ Yuri Light Novel; 9 Manga – News
Yen Press announced at its panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2026 on Friday that it has licensed one light novel and nine manga titles.
Title: Watching the Angel Sleep, Drowning in Bed Together
Creators: Tetsuto Uesu (story), Minori Chigusa (illustration)
Summary: Ayana Yukihira is a second-year in high school, and after her parents’ divorce, she’s looking for a new start in an apartment of her own. But when she receives the keys, she finds another girl already there—fresh out of the bath! Due to an administrative error, the apartment was also rented out to Yuu Fukami, one of Ayana’s classmates at her new school. But instead of forcing Ayana to find another place to live, Yuu invites Ayana to share the lease as a roommate. As it turns out, the girls also share a mutual attraction that grows with every touch, every passing day…until they’re virtually drowning in it.
Title: Sharkmaid of the Shore
Creator: Teruya
Summary: When Wataru’s parents passed away in a tragic accident, he found himself with no living relatives. Now, his resident maid, Kosame, is his only guardian. She’s as loyal as they come, and she’s been by Wataru’s side ever since he was young…but she’s not exactly human! As they live their lives together in the eclectic fishing village they call home, will Wataru manage to win her eternal love…?
Title: The Deskmate Cat and the Love Novice (Tonari no Neko to Koi Shirazu)
Creator: Akinoko
Summary: Minato Seno’s first semester of high school has barely begun when his homeroom teacher asks him for help. The favor? To take care of Nekozane-san, the girl who sits next to him—and sleeps at her desk through every class! Seno quakes in his boots at the thought of starting a conversation with a girl he’s never even seen face-to-face, let alone spoken to…Despite his fear, he summons all his courage and wakes her up, only for Nekozane to throw her arms around him?!
Title: The Villainesses Are Unwavering (Akuyaku Reijō-tachi wa Yuruganai)
Creators: Nina Akabane (manga), Yatsuki Wakatsu (original story), Taku Haruno (original character designs)
Summary: Aini Miccola, the illegitimate child of a countryside baron, is the talk of the Royal Academy. The boys can’t get enough of her cuteness, and the girls seethe at her blatant ignorance of noble conduct…but as she makes a name for herself, three others are gaining notoriety as the “villainesses” of the academy: Serafina, daughter of a powerful marquess and fiancée to the crown prince; Sandra, a viscount’s high-minded daughter with a once- in-a-generation talent for business; and Bernardetta, cunning attendant to the prime minister and heiress to a house with close ties to the royal family. When the three villainesses go toe-to-toe with Aini the apprentice saint, what paths will each of them choose?
Title: Disenchantment Camera
Creator: Tomato Tri
Summary: Jigen Oohashi, age twenty-seven, is a self-styled photographer who’s fed up with all things romantic after taking family photos of his married unrequited male crush, Yamada. After having vowed never to fall in love, Jigen attends his big sister Himeko’s wedding, where he meets Amélie Shirogane…and discovers she’s a serial home-wrecker who’s having affairs with both Himeko herself and Yamada! But Himeko has also handed her brother a mysterious camera that she claims “erases sexual desire”?! It’s the anti-romance manga that gives a big ol’ middle finger to “love”!
Title: Don’t Talk to Me
Creator: Zoukoujo
Summary: Thirtyish, gay, and too straitlaced for his own good, Yamada has never been great at finding romance. One evening, he turns to an app to get some loving, only for the shock of a lifetime to appear at his door: his hot coworker Takimiya, who’s a hit with guys and ladies alike! Yamada assumes they’ll just do their business and move on with their lives, but it looks like Takimiya has other ideas…
Title: Mane Mane Nichi Nichi: Baseball Manager Everyday
Creator: Sōichirō Yamamoto
Summary: Karina Ichinose, gal fashionista, became a team manager because she loves baseball. Yuki Himemiya became a team manager because her boyfriend was on the team. Akane Nagisa became a team manager because she’s popular—despite not knowing the first thing about baseball!
Their managerial duties run the gamut—making rice balls for the team, cleaning lewd books(?) out of the clubroom, keeping a childhood friend company during his batting practice, and fretting over the team during their first nail-biting practice game! The bases are loaded with their exciting memories, and it’s time to play ball!
Title: #ImLookingForZombies: The Complete Omnibus (#Zombie Sagashitemasu)
Creator: Katsuwo
Summary: Thirteen years ago, a mysterious illness infected 90 percent of humanity, but Aki’s too young to remember the world before the apocalypse. Instead, what she cares about is finding her dad! Along with her friends, Haru and Natsu, Aki leaves her village for the world outside and its many wonders: lush nature, feats of human ingenuity…and hordes of zombies!!
Title: My First Love With You Again (Kimi o Wasureru Koi ga Shitai)
Creator: Haru Yūki
Summary: When Shino saw Sena playing guitar in middle school, it was love at first sight—and then her first relationship, her first real boyfriend…and countless other firsts! Even after Sena’s transfer to another school forced them apart, Shino has carried a torch for him all the way to college, where she’s found him again by some miracle! But that pure and genuine face she once knew is no longer there, instead replaced by a distant expression…
Title: Champignon Witch
Creator: Tachibana Higuchi
Summary: Deep within the depths of a murky forest resides a quite peculiar dark witch. Dwelling in an abode created by poisonous mushrooms, leaving toxic fungi in her wake and even exhaling noxious spores with every breath she takes, Luna lives a rather solitary existence. Believing her future would continue in the same vein for the rest of eternity, she is shocked to her core by a sudden dreamlike encounter…
Source: Press release
Disclosure: Kadokawa World Entertainment (KWE), a wholly owned subsidiary of Kadokawa Corporation, is the majority owner of Anime News Network, LLC. Yen Press, BookWalker Global, and J-Novel Club are subsidiaries of KWE.
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Mignon box set to bundle hour-long uncensored animated film, exclusive 11-minute side-story animation
Ize Press announced at its San Diego Comic-Con 2026 industry panel on Friday that it has licensed two boys-love webcomics, Codename: Anastasia and Mignon, for English print publication.
Codename: Anastasia, written by Boyseason and illustrated by Han, is an espionage thriller following Taekjoo Kwon, an agent of South Korea’s National Intelligence Service, who is sent to Russia to investigate a mysterious weapon known as “Anastasia.” The ongoing webtoon is currently serialized digitally on Tappytoon and has surpassed 2 million views. Its English print edition is scheduled for March 2027.
Ize Press also announced Mignon: Special Box Set w/USB, collecting Bboungbbangkkyu’s BL romance between an underground boxer and a vampire doctor. The set will include both print volumes, photocards, and a USB containing the complete uncensored hour-long animated film alongside an exclusive 11-minute side-story animation. The box set is slated for release in January 2027. The digital version of the webtoon is available on Lezhin.
Both titles mark their first English print editions and will be available through major bookstores, online retailers, and comic shops.
Source: Press release
Disclosure: Kadokawa World Entertainment (KWE), a wholly owned subsidiary of Kadokawa Corporation, is the majority owner of Anime News Network, LLC. Yen Press, BookWalker Global, and J-Novel Club are subsidiaries of KWE.
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The staff of Star Wars: Visions Presents – The Ninth Jedi, the limited anime series spinoff from the Star Wars: Visions project, revealed the Japanese cast on Friday.
©Lucasfilm
©Lucasfilm
The series will premiere on August 5 on Disney+ and Hulu.
The Star Wars Celebration Japan 2025 event announced in April 2025 that the Star Wars: Visions anthology is expanding with Star Wars: Visions Presents, an opportunity to tell its animated stories in a longer narrative. “The Ninth Jedi” short is the first story to be expanded this way.
Kenji Kamiyama (Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, Eden of the East) returns from the previous “The Ninth Jedi” short in the first Star Wars: Visions volume, but as the supervising director and series script supervisor on the new series. Shunsuke Tada (Kuroko’s Basketball, STARMYU, Legend of the Galactic Heroes: Die Neue These – Collision film) is directing the new series. Hitoshi Itō (Star Wars: Visions, Attack on Titan The Final Season) is producing, and the executive producers are Lucasfilm‘s Jacqui Lopez and Josh Rimes.
© Lucasfilm Ltd.
The first volume of Star Wars: Visions debuted on Disney+ in September 2021. Studios such as Trigger, Kinema Citrus, Kamikaze Douga, Science SARU, Production I.G, and Geno Studio produced the shorts.
Volume 2 of the Star Wars: Visions project debuted on Disney+ on May 4, 2023 (Star Wars Day). Unlike the first anthology, which consisted of nine shorts from Japanese creators and anime studios, the second volume features nine shorts from animation studios from around the world, including Japan, India, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Spain, Chile, France, South Africa, South Korea, and the United States.
Star Wars: Visions Volume 3 debuted on Disney+ in October 2025. The latest anthology continued the storylines of three shorts from the first volume: “The Duel,” “Village Bride,” and “The Ninth Jedi.” Separate from the limited anime series, “The Ninth Jedi: Child of Hope” short tells the story of a war that has been going on since before the first short’s character Kara was born.
Sources: Star Wars Japan’s X/Twitter account, Comic Natalie
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