This week’s North American physical releases landed on September 29, and the standout story was a full wave of Studio Ghibli steelbooks from Shout! Studios. Alongside them came a large batch of manga volumes from Seven Seas, Yen Press, Kodansha USA and others, plus a handful of light novels and digital-first releases.
The Ghibli steelbook wave
Shout! Studios released fourteen Studio Ghibli films on Blu-ray/DVD steelbook on September 29, each priced at US$39.98. The lineup covers Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, Grave of the Fireflies, My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki’s Delivery Service, Only Yesterday, Porco Rosso, From Up on Poppy Hill, The Wind Rises, The Tale of the Princess Kaguya, The Secret World of Arrietty, When Marnie Was There, Howl’s Moving Castle, Ponyo, Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away. Sentai Filmworks also shipped a Revue Starlight: Curtain Call collection on the same day.
New manga series starting this week
Several publishers put out first volumes on September 29, which makes this a good week for readers looking to start something new.
Seven Seas led the group with Are You a Landmine, Chihara-san? Volume 1, Can You Kiss Me First? Volume 1, Even the Student Council Has Its Holes! Volume 1, The Lord Magear’s Apprentice Volume 1 and Reluctant Space Commander: From Death Wish to Galactic Hero! Volume 1. Yen Press debuted The Succubus Meets Her Match Volume 1, while Tokyopop released Caught in Your Web, Titan launched When I Was Reincarnated in Another World, I Was a Heroine and He Was a Hero Volume 1, and Manga Mavericks issued Vegetable Sandwich Volume 1. Yen Press also began a new arc of Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World- with Chapter 5: The City of Water and the Ode on Heroes Volume 1.
Continuing series worth noting
Among the most established ongoing titles, Kodansha USA released The Seven Deadly Sins: Four Knights of the Apocalypse Volume 23, Seven Seas shipped Parallel Paradise Volume 27 and Free Life Fantasy Online: Immortal Princess Volume 14, and Yen Press published Nomi x Shiba Volume 4. Seven Seas also put out The Masterful Cat Is Depressed Again Today Volume 12, The Legend of Dororo and Hyakkimaru Volume 12, The Dragon Knight’s Beloved Volume 10 and Reincarnated as a Dragon Hatchling Volume 9. Dark Horse continued Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! with Volume 8, and Vertical released Dragon Head Omnibus Volume 3.
Light novels and digital releases
On the prose side, Seven Seas shipped the print editions of Classroom of the Elite: Year 3 Novel 2, Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear Novel 12, A Tale of the Secret Saint Novel 5, Reborn as an Assassin’s Apprentice Novel 2 and Heroine? Saint? No, I’m an All-Works Maid (And Proud of It)! Novel 6 on October 1. J-Novel Club handled the digital side, with Rebuild World Volume 15 and A Livid Lady’s Guide to Getting Even Volume 9 among its September 30 additions. DK also released The Art of Junji Ito “Collection” in hardcover on September 29.
Why it matters
Release weeks like this one are a useful snapshot of the North American market. The volume-1 debuts show which genres publishers believe will sell — this batch leans heavily on fantasy romance, isekai and comedy — while the deep continuing numbers on titles like Parallel Paradise and Four Knights of the Apocalypse reflect series that have built a durable readership over dozens of books.
The Ghibli steelbook wave is a reminder that physical media for anime is far from finished, particularly for prestige catalogue titles. For readers, the practical takeaway is simple: it is a good week to start a new series, and a good week to catch up on a long one.
Several titles on this list are also tied to ongoing series news. Seven Seas’ catalogue sits alongside recent licensing moves such as Viz Media’s pickup of The Seven Knights of the Marronnier Kingdom and Sweet Shop Comics adding Glacier Bay Books manga, both signs of how actively North American publishers are still signing new series.
Source: Anime News Network.
Featured image: Spirited Away steelbook release artwork from Shout! Studios, via Shout! Studios / Anime News Network.
