From Our TBR Pile… August 2026

It’s August and the ongoing heatwave is still slowing us down… Thank goodness, then for new manga volumes to read as a welcome distraction on these long, hot summer nights!

Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun Volume 20 by Osamu Nishi (Vertical) reviewed by Noemi10

The Misfit Class trained hard to perform well at the music festival as they all need to reach rank dalet (4) to keep using the Royal One. However, judge Amduscias, one of the former Thirteen Crowns of the Demon World, is finding it hard to accept Iruma, and this affects his vote. Moreover, a peaceful school life can only be a dream for Iruma when Amy—their senior in the Magiapp Battler who got expelled due to his terroristic actions—makes a re-appearance together with the evil demons from the Six Fingers team. The volume is full of laugh-outloud scenes and chaos, and although it closes the music festival, it also ‘slightly’ introduces the new arc. Score: 8/10

Hitting Rewind with You Volume 3 by Hanamaru Kira (Kodansha) reviewed by Noemi 10

This series continues to be cute and wholesome. In this volume, readers see Wakaba and Fumito getting to celebrate Christmas and New Year and a love confession in the making… Wakaba’s naivety in dating endears her even more to Fumito who has a totally opposite personality. He looks cold and aloof, but first impressions are wrong as he doesn’t hesitate to do what Wakaba wants, even if their dates end up with cosplays. What I most enjoyed about this volume is the commentary about certain scenes and the background information the mangaka gives about random facts regarding the characters. I can’t wait to see how our protagonists’ relationship develops.  Score: 9/10

Am I Actually the Strongest? Volume 2 by Sai Sumimori (Author), Ai Takahashi (Illustrator) (Vertical) reviewed by Demelza

We return to the series just in time for Haruto to be told he’s going to be attending the most elite magic school in the kingdom. But our protagonist has nothing but bad memories about school from his past life, so he’s determined to get himself expelled ASAP and continue living the shut-in life he’s used to. However, awaiting him at school is a whole host of problems from nobles who take issue with him, an ancient magic lab teacher who’s desperate to recruit him and a peculiar girl who seems to understand just how powerful his mana is… Like the first instalment, this really does nothing to differentiate itself from the crowded isekai genre. And Sumimori still struggles to find the balance between the comedic tone of the work and the occasional instance of graphic violence or much more serious topics, which don’t fit. I wish they’d stick to one tone or the other, because this mismatch of the two always comes off as muddled. Still, if you like isekai tropes or enjoyed the anime when it was airing, this will still prove entertaining. Score: 5.5/10

The Prince’s Keeper Volume 2 by Oto Nagatsuki (Original Story), Himako Neko (Art) (Square Enix Manga) reviewed by Demelza

Miranda’s regular customer Klaus has come begging for help, and it quickly becomes apparent that he works for Prince Heinrich! With another ally on their side, surely they’ll be able to figure out who placed this curse on Heinrich? Volume 2 of this human-turned-cat mystery spends a lot of time narrowing down who among the nobility could be responsible for the crime, which is moving the story along but means the book feels quite slow as they face a number of setbacks in the process and there’s not much else to break it up. Although there are a few cute moments between Heinrich and Miranda, which are sure to delight those looking for a bit more romance. Unfortunately still no sign of Volume 3 on the Japanese side, so this seems like the last we’ll see of this for quite a while now… Score: 6/10

300 New Days with You by Sai Asai (Tokyopop LoveLove) OT 16+ reviewed by Sarah

Day after day, Rihito tells his childhood friend Arata that he’s in love with him – but by the following morning, Arata has completely forgotten and Rihito has to start all over again. Nevertheless, Rihito persists, keeping a record of each day in a diary and putting his promising career as an actor and model on hold in the hope that the next day will be different and Arata will get his memories back. Almost a year has gone by since a strange comet passed over the earth, leaving many people with unusual memory loss and Arata is one of these people. And so the two young men repeat their day out together by the sea and Rihito persists in the hope that next day Arata will wake up with his memories intact. But as they approach 300 days, are his efforts in vain and is it time to get on with his own life? This Boys’ Love title is a poignant exploration of the meaning of love and the importance of memory and it’s beautifully drawn and movingly told by Sai Asai. Recommended! Score: 9/10   

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