From Our TBR Pile… February 2026

It’s raining (or snowing, depending where you are) and dreary outside – so why not curl up by the fire  with a good manga or manhwa to while away the worst of February and transport you elsewhere!

Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun Volume 18 by Osamu Nishi (Vertical) reviewed by Noemi10

The Misfit Class students are preparing their show for the Music Festival, and they couldn’t choose something easy! They opt for the hell dance in which all 13 students need to perform in synchrony. For demons, working hard and repetitively on something is unheard of! Can they put on the best show and get their members the rank they need to remain in the Royal One? Compared to previous volume, this one is tamer, with less mischief than one would expect from the Misfit students. However, the students deepened the bonds they have with one another, of course with the humorous style that readers got to know and enjoy. I can’t wait to read the next volume when it’s time to put on the performance! Score: 7/10

Level Up with the Gods Volume 2 by B. Ain (story) and Ohyeon (art) (Ize Press) reviewed by Noemi10

With the knowledge of the future, Yuwon Kim is ready to smash through the Tower tutorials by getting all the best rewards he can get his hands on. Some are even better than he could have expected! When he bumps into his former comrade Hargan, a descendant of Zeus, in the last tutorial, Yuwon Kim knows he can’t have the same relationship with him as the past, but still, he won’t hesitate to take advantage of Hargan’s skills and power to reach his goals! The story continues to be fast-paced with battle after battle for survival. The first two volumes are more like an introduction to the main story and they are the stepping stone for Yuwon Kim to become the strongest player. Now that he’s finally in the Tower, readers can expect even more adventures and battles! Score: 8/10

Bride of the Death God Volume 2 by Hako Ichiiro (Square Enix Manga) reviewed by Darkstorm

Aibi suffers from the deadly Bouquet syndrome, but her life has been spared by the Death God named Shii. As a consequence, otherworldly spirits are now after Aibi’s life and the mysterious power that radiates from her flowers. However, Shii is not the only Death God who knows of Aibi, and they want her unique powers for themselves. A lot happens in this book, from spirit battles to cute dates and eventual kidnapping, with the volume ending on a cliffhanger mid-battle to boot. Aibi and Shii continue to have OK chemistry, but I found myself more interested in the mystery behind the Bouquet Syndrome, and how its power affects Death Gods. There’s a lot of room for the dark magic lore to be very interesting, but we’ll have to wait and see. Read a free preview here. Volume 3 is due in May. Score: 7/10

Hero Without a Class: Who Even Needs Skills?! Volume 4 by Kuzu Shichio (Original Author), Ueda Yumehito (Original Character Design), Nanae Akio (Mangaka), (One Peace Books) reviewed by Demelza

Arel is still in the city of magic, where he’s taking on the promotion exams for each of the different institutes to prove his worth. Along the way, he accidentally unleashes a powerful demon that has been sealed. And then another monstrous threat arises. Will he ever be able to study in peace? We don’t spend a great deal of time with any of the side cast this time around, so the main draw is watching Arel fight his way past powerful foes. And this feels like a step back when the previous two volumes had been well balanced, because Arel, as a lead, is relatively boring when no effort is being made to better develop him. Still, the magic school arc ends here, so perhaps what comes next will prove more engaging. Translated by Hengtee Lim. Score: 5/10

The Dark History of the Reincarnated Villainess Volume 10 by Akiharu Touka (Yen Press) reviewed by Demelza

Having taken a break for a short story collection, we now return to the main story, where Iana is on the run, having declared herself the murderer of Isaac, one of the saint candidates. But in truth, Isaac was murdered by the Knights of Schwartz, who are trying to get the original story back on track. For now, Iana decides to follow the path of the original story and help Konoha from the shadows, all to avoid anyone else she cares about, like Isaac. The saint candidate arc was one of the best in the entire series, and this feels like it will similarly impress as the mangaka has a clear goal for the story. As much fun as this has been when it bounces from one random thing to another, it’s far better when it’s working toward something. There’s a lot of room for some interesting twists, too. Now that Iana is split off from her friends, she ends up making new allies, and those she’s left behind have plenty of opinions on her declaration that she murdered Isaac. Certainly well worth continuing with if you’ve made it this far! Score: 8/10

Thunder 3 Volume 8 by Yuki Ikeda (Vertical) reviewed by Ian Wolf

Since the last time I covered Thunder 3, it has been announced that an anime adaptation of the series is to premier in July. Whether or not this means the series is reaching its conclusion is a matter of debate, but for those who have been following the manga so far, this latest volume is pretty much business-as-usual, as our human heroes from two different worlds fight against an invading alien army. While much of this volume can be summed up with the two words ‘more fighting’, a few things stand out. For example, for much of the opening chapter writer Yuki Ikeda shows us the perspective of the ordinary people on the ground rather than those fighting, making for more interesting reading. Later, when the fighting gets violent, we see a switch to a more simplistic yet stark art style as deaths begin to mount. However, to answer the question: “Will you watch the anime?”, my answer for now is: “Meh.” Score: 6/10

Hitorijime, My Hero Volume 16 by Memeco Arii (Kodansha) reviewed by Sarah

There’s a stalker outside the Ohshibas’ house – but ‘she’ turns out to be a high-school boy who’s obsessed with Masahiro’s appearance as ‘Mako’ when he cross-dressed for the school festival and is copying his look. But then a second stalker appears – and this time it really is a woman! Kousuke suspects it’s an ex-girlfriend of his and Masahiro, his feelings in confusion, recognizes her as a co-worker at the ramen joint. When one stalker confronts the other, it’s time for Masahiro to tell his co-worker in no uncertain terms that he’s Kousuke’s partner now. The overcrowded family home is not a good place to be trying to carry on a relationship and the strain is beginning to tell on both young men, so when the Ohshibas take little Mikko-chan on holiday, Kousuke and Masahiro decide to go on a trip together. Alone at last! There’s (unusually) a lot going on in this latest volume of Memeco Arii’s popular long-running BL slice-of-life. The old problems of wonky story continuity remain but the mangaka’s drawing style is maturing and softening as her characters grow older. And there’s more together time (at last) for our central couple than in the last volume, earning a Mature rating. Score: 7.5/10 

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