Culture news Shônen’s Harry Potter enjoys his last cream puff… manga releases for February 2024

Culture news The shônen Harry Potter enjoys his last cream puff… manga releases for February 2024

The big manga releases of February 2024

The Apothecary’s Notebooks – Court Investigations volume 4: in the heart of the Imperial Palace

A complex case like that of Les Carnets de l’Apothicaire. While its anime adaptation is currently a hit on Crunchyroll, you should know that originally, The Apothecary’s Notebooks is a light novel written by Natsu Hyūga. As is often the case with successful light novels, the story has been adapted into a manga. And today there are two adaptations: The Apothecary’s Notebooks (published in France by Ki-oon) and The Apothecary’s Notebooks – Investigations at the Court, published by Mana Books. And it is this last adaptation that interests us today, while volume 4 is planned for this month of February. In fact, few elements differ between these two adaptations. Both are written by Natsu Hyūga, but one is drawn by Nekokurage and the other by Minoji Kurata. That being said, the pace is slightly different and the story is supposed to go faster with Inquiries at Court. But otherwise, it’s the same thing: we always follow the journey of Mao Mao, his arrival in the Imperial Palace and his rise as an apothecary, first in the service of Gyokuyō, then the sulfurous Jinshin. And in both cases, it’s always a favorite. A fascinating story, a gripping immersion in the Court of the Emperor.

• Available February 1, 2024

• Obtain The Apothecary’s Notebooks – Court Investigations volume 4 in your nearest bookstore thanks to Booksellers Square.

Buy The Apothecary’s Notebooks – Court Investigations volume 4 for €6.99

Golden Kamui volume 29: The most epic gold rush

Golden Kamui is simply a masterpiece. Due to its originality, its plot, its twists and turns and even its characters, Golden Kamui is a pure success by Satoru Noda. We mainly follow Saichi Sugimoto, known as Sugimoto the Immortal, a valiant soldier, hero of the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905. Without a penny in the aftermath of the war, he then heard of an immense treasure, a pile of gold accumulated by the Ainu, an indigenous tribe from northern Japan. Determined to find this treasure, he will then set off in search of it and will quickly cross paths with Ashirpa, a young Ainu who is none other than the daughter of Faceless, who is the only person to know the location of the treasure. treasure. To be able to find him, the latter tattooed a map on the skin of several prisoners, which Sugimoto and Ashirpa will then have to pursue. Golden Kamui is an absolute must-read, a mature seinen, but also full of humor and epic moments. And with the release of volume 29, we are now entering the home stretch of the manga as it has a total of 31 volumes. An outcome not to be missed.

• Available February 8, 2024
• Get Golden Kamui volume 29 in your nearest bookstore thanks to Booksellers Square.

Buy Golden Kamui volume 29 for €6.99

Mashle volume 18: The sorcerer’s apprentice with a passion for bodybuilding

In recent years, it has been impossible to miss Mashle, the shônen phenomenon that has swept the West. And for good reason: the manga is a rather faithful, albeit completely screwed-up, parody of the Harry Potter universe. We find here almost all the elements of the saga of the sorcerer’s apprentice: the different families of the magic school, life in the dormitories, Duelo, which corresponds to Quidditch… in short, Mashle clearly claims his inspirations, but nevertheless has one last ace up his sleeve: a hero incapable of practicing magic, who relies above all on his extraordinary physical strength. Mash Burnedead never casts spells, but rather prefers to use his fists with exploits, each one more delirious than the last. A hilarious shônen, for lovers of bodybuilding and cream puffs. And in February, it will be time to say goodbye to this universe, volume 18 of Mashle being the last.

• Available February 21, 2024
• Get Mashle volume 18 in your nearest bookstore thanks to Booksellers Square.

Buy Mashle volume 18 for €6.99

What’s new to watch out for in February 2024

Ghost Memories Volume 1: Celestial Creatures

Valentine’s Day obliges, the publishers will offer us many romances in February. And among these, Ghost Memories certainly stands out for its atypical mix of genres which combines love, investigation and the supernatural. An attractive cocktail, which begins with the story of Tetsuji, a Yakuza underling who meets by chance Nagi, a young girl with amnesia. From that moment, Tetsuji felt a strange energy penetrate him: he then lost possession of his body at the hands of Arashi, an angel who had descended to Earth to assist Nagi and help him lift the veil on his mysterious past. We therefore expect to discover a love story tinged with strangeness in this story already completed in Japan, with three volumes published.

• Available February 8, 2024
• Get Ghost Memories Volume 1 in your nearest bookstore thanks to Booksellers Square.

Buy Ghost Memories volume 1 for €6.99

True Hiiro volume 1: What if the heroes were the real villains?

We finally end this selection with a promising entry in Pika’s shônen catalog: True Hiiro, a superheroic Dark Fantasy story drawn by Shihira Tatsuya, to whom we owe, among others, the drawing of Basilisk, or even the work Q. In a world of superheroes, True Hiiro tells the story of two twins – Ao and Hiiro – who promised each other to become heroes capable of protecting the world. But a few years later, while Ao develops fire abilities, Hiiro finds himself powerless, and must then abandon his dream to become a cleaner and repair the damage caused during the clashes. However, after discovering his childhood friend completely traumatized, Hiiro understands that heroes are not what they make them out to be. He therefore promises to reveal the true nature of these false idols and to protect his friend at all costs. True Hiiro seems to have an air of The Boys with its story of flawed heroes. A short manga in four volumes which was a hit in Japan and which is arriving here this month.

• Available February 21, 2024
• Get True Hiiro volume 1 in your nearest bookstore thanks to Booksellers Square.

Buy True Hiiro volume 1 for €6.99