Square Enix Manga & Books announced during its panel on Thursday at Anime Expo the following eight manga and two book releases:
Image courtesy of Square Enix Manga & Books
© Daisuke Hagiwara
Title: Not Quite Love manga
Author: Daisuke Hagiwara
Release: April 2027
Description: In a twist of fate, high schooler Umi Sayama finds herself moving in with the Hiroi family next door. There’s just one problem—their son, Sho, is her childhood crush, eight years her senior, and it’s been years since she last saw him. Just as she’s wondering if seeing him again will be the meet-cute romance that will change her life, she finds out that the honor student that she once admired has been transformed into a scruffy manga artist. Though she can’t quite shake her old feelings, Umi is certain—it’s more than a first crush, but it’s definitely not love.
Image courtesy of Square Enix Manga & Books
© yutaka
Title: My Classmate James manga
Author: yutaka
Release: February 2027
Description: High schooler Mutsumi struggles to express herself—so much so that she’s given up on talking altogether. In class, she freezes up and says nothing when the teacher calls on her to read out passages from the textbook. So what happens when an international transfer student who doesn’t speak a word of Japanese sits down at the desk next to hers? If she can’t express herself in Japanese, how could she possibly do it in English? But…what if he’s the one person who can understand her?
Image courtesy of Square Enix Manga & Books
© Mo-suke Mattaku
Title: Inuta: My Canine Classmate manga
Author: Mo-suke Mattaku
Release: January 2027
Description: Inukai sits right next to the prettiest girl in class, Inuta—who tends to look and act like a dog! From cutely greeting her classmates to adorably eating lunch, Inuta exudes endless charm. Of course, Inukai is ready to lend a hand to Inuta as they spend their school lives together. Meanwhile, Saruta sits next to the most popular boy in class, catlike Nekoyanagi. Can Saruta get the better of the furred classmates who always seem to beat him? There’s no telling what’ll happen next when high school’s gone to the dogs!
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© Ume Koshida
Title: Daughter of the Dragon God (Ryūjin no Musume) manga
Author: Ume Koshida
Release: March 2027
Description: The dragon god is like a father to Yatori, an orphaned girl who lives and works at his shrine. One day, the emperor’s son Toyokitsu, who bears the same golden eyes as the dragon god, arrives in search of the deity. On the way to meet the god, they are attacked by a tiger god enshrouded with a strange black mist. After the fight, Yatori touches a mirror shard she finds next to the tiger. In an instant, a malevolent being manifests and leaves a curse mark on her cheek, vowing to use her as its host until she restores its power.
Image courtesy of Square Enix Manga & Books
© Koume Fujichika
Title: Supervillain Boy
Author: Koume Fujichika
Release: February 2027
Description: Ten years ago, a mysterious meteorite fell on the metropolis of New Canaan. Some who survived the impact were granted superpowers, and one young citizen was set on a path to legendary infamy!Eta Yodaka is a fourteen-year-old orphan whose sole companion is a hulking demon that only he can see. Surrounded by bumbling “heroes” and petty crooks in his disaster-stricken city, Eta dreams of standing above the herd as a mighty, solitary supervillain. But when he finally awakens his latent powers on a field trip gone wrong, will they be enough to turn his delusions of grandeur into reality?
Image courtesy of Square Enix Manga & Books
© Genkotsu Kumano, Ryūshi Tajima, Jojo Ueyama
Title: Overpowered and Underpaid: An OP Swordmaster Turns Hit Streamer manga
Authors: Genkotsu Kumano, Ryūshi Tajima (original character design), Jojo Ueyama (art)
Release: April 2027
Description: With a heavy sigh, Makoto Tanaka begins another tedious day of work. It’s been a decade since deadly dungeons popped up all over the world, and exploring them has become his full-time job. He sets up a camera to record himself per company protocol before doing what he does best: slaying high-rank monsters with minimal effort. Only this time, he’s inadvertently streaming his exploits to the general public. And once Tanaka’s audience grows to over a hundred million, his life will change whether he likes it or not!
Image courtesy of Square Enix Manga & Books
© Gojiai
Title: KasuRich manga
Author: Gojiai
Release: March 2027
Description: It’s no exaggeration to say that college student Mikado Kasuga’s sole reason to live is his favorite streamer, Zurich. But as Zurich gains popularity, Mikado starts to feel like Zurich is no longer his alone, a delusion that only sends his hyperfixation into overdrive. After all, he’s the only one who truly understands his ultimate fave!
But what he doesn’t know is that on the other side of the screen, Zurich (a.k.a. Rihito Nakahara) is just as obsessed with his long-time follower Mikado, even going so far as to cyberstalk him! When streamer and fan finally meet offline, what new shape will their codependency morph into?
Image courtesy of Square Enix Manga & Books
© Ume Matsutake, Komikan Matsumoto
Title: Tamagawa, Is That You? (Tamagawa-san Detemashita?) manga
Authors: Ume Matsutake, Komikan Matsumoto (art)
Release: January 2027
Description: When famous porn actress Yuri Miyama announced her shocking retirement, Shikishima, a convenience store manager and superfan, fell into despair. One day, a woman named Tamagawa, who looks just like Yuri, comes to interview for a part-time job at his store! Shikishima is desperate to find out if she is who he thinks she is but knows he can’t ask her directly. In order to uncover Tamagawa’s potential secret identity, he and his other porn-loving co-worker come up with one absurd plan after another… Just who is Tamagawa, really?
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© Banri Oda, Naoki Ikushima, Rina Yoshiura
Title: Final Fantasy XIV Picture Book: Me and the Cornservant book
Author: Banri Oda (story), Naoki Ikushima (art), Rina Yoshiura (art)
Release: April 2027
Description: One day, I stumbled upon a strange little creature—one that looked just like an ear of corn. None of the grown-ups could see it at all. The poor thing looked lonely, so I gave it a little poke and boy, that’s when the trouble started! His head popped right off and flew away!
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© Kazushige Nojima
Title: Final Fantasy VII Rebirth: Dear Destiny novel
Author: Kazushige Nojima
Release: January 2027
Description: Tifa struggles with painful memories of Nibelheim while trying to both make a living at Seventh Heaven and evade the Turks’ investigation into Avalanche. Aerith finds a place for herself selling flowers in Midgar, all the while wondering and worrying about the absence of someone very dear to her. And an angel takes flight from a run-down church, leading to a reunion in the Sector 7 slums that will set the wheels of destiny in motion.
This volume also includes a bonus short story set during Cloud’s time as a Shinra trooper.
Voice actors Briana White (Aerith) and Britt Baron (Tifa) revealed during the panel that they will read select passages from the novel in videos on Square Enix’s social media beginning in October.
Sources: Email correspondence, Square Enix Manga & Books’ Anime Expo panel (Alex Mateo)
