From Our TBR Pile… New Manga and Manhwa Recommendations! November 2025

Wondering whether to continue with a manga series? Or just on the look-out for a new title? Our reviewers are here with some more suggestions from their TBR piles!

The Moon on a Rainy Night Volume 7 by Kuzushiro (Kodansha) reviewed by Darkstorm

The summer is now over, so Kanon and Saki are gearing up for the school festival, with their class maid café and choir contest. However, problems arise when Kanon struggles to serve at the café and nerves get the best of her just before the choir contest; can she overcome them? This latest volume has more going on than previous books, with hints at Kanon’s growing affections for Saki and it’s also lovely to see the series explore the ‘glass child syndrome’ when Kanon’s sister, Rinne, brings a friend home for the first time in years. A really good read; can’t wait to see the anime adaptation next year. Score 9/10

Snegurochka of the Spring Breeze by Hiroaki Samura Vertical (Kodansha) reviewed by Sarah

Why have the young woman in a wheelchair and her one-eyed male companion travelled to remote Karelia – or the Karelian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic? She says her name is Bielka (‘Squirrel’) and his name is Shchenok (‘Puppy’) but these are obviously aliases. It’s the 1933 and the Soviet Union is still adjusting to the new order under Stalin. Everyone suspects everyone else and life is cheap. Hiroaki Samura’s compelling and hard-hitting one-shot mixes real people from Russia’s troubled past into a disturbing, violent and at times erotic mystery that will appeal to readers who’ve followed his iconic Blade of the Immortal series. Who is Bielka – and what hold does she have over her faithful ‘Puppy’? Masterfully drawn and riffing on elements from Russian folklore (Snegurochka is the Snow Maiden), this prize-winning M-rated manga will haunt readers long after they’ve put the book down. (Translated by James Balzer with lettering by Mercedes McGarry.) Score: 9/10

This Monster Wants to Eat Me Volume 5 by Sai Naekawa (Yen Press) reviewed by Darkstorm

After a dangerous encounter with a monster, Saki has two revelations; she recognises Hinako’s true form, and she has mermaid blood in her veins. But what does that mean? After a haunting conversation with Hinako, Saki’s world is changed forever… This is a talk-heavy book but with lots of plot twists; the way Saki and Hinako’s conversation is framed is intense, and the return of water imagery representing Saki’s shock at the news is excellent and heart-breaking. I also appreciate the growing dynamic between Hinako and Miko, showcasing their worldview and how they respond to humans so differently. The last chapter starts the lead into Hinako’s backstory, which I’m very much looking forward to in the next volume. Score 8/10

Is the Order a Rabbit? by Volume 4 by Koi (Yen Press) reviewed by Ian Wolf

There are more charming adventures in this coffeehouse manga. This time we see Cocoa getting a visit from her older baker sister Mocha, who among other things loves to hug, leading to Rize worrying that Mocha will “floof” her. Meanwhile, Chiro has problems during a dance class, and the entire gang have a summer holiday in the mountains, which features an unusual method of catching fish. As with the previous volume, we get colour pages, translation notes and some great art from Koi, although at times the small font size in some places can be difficult to read. But overall, it is still an enjoyable series. Score: 7/10

The World After the Fall Volume 8 by singNsong (original story), Undead Gamja (3B2S STUDIO) (art) and Undead Ttalgi (3B2S STUDIO) (adaptation) (Ize Press) reviewed by Noemi 10

After attacking the Recovery Palace and coming out the winners, Jaehwan and over 3,000 awakened ones set out on the new Abyss Expedition. While Dream Demon Sirwen visits Jaehwan’s mind to find her godfather, Dream Demon Mulack ‘s memories, the expedition reaches the Factory of Curiosities, where Chaos, one of the most powerful beings, has been imprisoned and guards the gate to the Abyss. Can Jaehwan make a deal with it as Mulack did 900 years ago? But most importantly, can he do it before his allies are completely destroyed by the generals who came to stop him and get revenge on the destroyed Recovery Palace? The story continues to introduce new characters and memories of the past to clarify the settings of this world, but readers are still far off from getting a clear picture. It’s like a puzzle, where each volume is a piece that brings more knowledge to explain this world but at the same time still leaves many questions unanswered. (Volumes 9-11 are currently available). Score: 6/10

Kamudo Volume 1 by Akira Himekawa (Viz Media) reviewed by Demelza

Mangaka duo Akira Himekawa are best known for working on The Legend of Zelda manga adaptations, but now they’ve had the chance to work on a new original series: Kamudo. Set in the fantasy utopian nation of Ryujinkyo, the story follows protagonist Kamuna, who has been born as a human with the left hand of a dragon in a society that’s all demi-dragons (and some other beast people). The adults fear his existence as a bad omen, and the other children pick on him for his differences. Still, Kamuna wants to become strong and prove his worth. This is a dense first volume packed with intricate worldbuilding, fabulous artwork and dynamic action scenes. The duo’s experience working on Zelda shines through, as there are many similarities, but this feels remarkably original. There’s a sense that this will be a grand adventure, and I’m certainly here for the road ahead based on what I’ve seen so far. Translated by David Evelyn with lettering by Sara Linsley. Score: 9/10

The Uncanny Counter Volume 4 by Jang E reviewed by Noemi10

The fight against the evil spirit turns out to be more deadly than the counters expected. The evil spirit is stronger and smarter than the ones they met in the past—it’s on its way to becoming the Ultimate Evil! In fact, it starts assembling an ‘army’ of evil spirits to destroy the counters and the people who were behind its human body’s assassination. The counters will give it their all to stop the evil spirit and its army, but its human history has been entwined with Mun’s for a long time. In fact, it was the evil spirit that killed Mun’s parents, and now it seems to have set its eyes on Mun! This volume has more violence than the previous ones, and maybe it’s better to skip it if you can’t stomach the sight of blood. Death and mayhem are present from start to finish. The narration continues to unravel little by little what happened to Mun’s parents and to Motak’s—one of the counters—‘accident’, although it seems we are still far from discovering the full truth. Score: 6/10

The God-Slaying Demon King Volume 2 by Ezogingitune (Story), PIG3rd (Art), TEDDY (Character Designs) (Square Enix Manga) reviewed by Demelza

Hiram is on a mission to defeat what’s left of the demon god from 500 years ago, but with the elf princess Lumiere in his party, he’s taken a detour to the Kingdom of Orteville. Orteville is Lumiere’s home, but she has no allies among the leadership, who are all too happy to line their own pockets and ignore the needs of their subjects. Hiram and Lumiere quickly find themselves caught up in a conspiracy, leading them to fight a powerful orc lord and later a zombie elder dragon! This volume is light on story as it puts a heavy focus on the battles, which are easier to follow than in Volume 1. I appreciate that Lumiere is given plenty of time to shine rather than being a damsel or relying on Hiram for help, which leaves me eager to see how she’ll develop over the course of future volumes. This one feels a bit like style over substance so far, but we’ll see where #3 takes us. Score: 6.5/10

With our thanks to Kodansha, Yen Press, Ize Press, Square Enix Manga, Vertical (Kodansha), Diamond Book Distributors and Turnaround Comics (Turnaround Publisher Services).