Manga UP! Global Adds Six New Manga Titles in English

Manga UP! Global has added six new manga titles to its English language service in late September. The additions cover a wide range of genres, from isekai adventures and romantic comedies to fantasy and action.

I’m No Hero in the Shadows! follows Phil Salembart, the laid-back son of a count who had been quietly moonlighting as a mysterious hero. The secret is out now, and Phil has to deal with the awkward fallout as various women he rescued as his hero alter ego come looking for him. S.Kosugi launched the manga on Manga UP! in December 2023, and the second compiled volume shipped on January 7.

From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman: The Twin Dragonblade’s Journey to the Top is a spinoff of the popular swordsman series, following Surena Lysrandra as she strikes out on her own after finishing her training. She quickly climbs the adventurer ranks and takes on a request that sets her on an unexpected new path. Square Enix released the first compiled volume on March 27.

The Saint’s Modern Recipes for Survival follows Lily Fujimiya, who is stabbed on her wedding day and wakes up as a younger version of herself with a chance to avoid her fate. Her plan involves cooking her way to safety using knowledge of modern Japanese cuisine in a fantasy world. Nakakura launched the manga in Square Enix’s Gangan Online in January 2024.

The Executioner and Her Way of Life manga, which follows the executioner Menou and the companion who travels with her, ran in Young Gangan from June 2020 through April 2024, wrapping up with seven compiled volumes. The novels that inspired it, published by SB Creative and releasing in English through Yen Press, concluded with their eleventh volume. A television anime adaptation aired in April 2022.

Overpowered and Underpaid: An OP Swordmaster Turns Hit Streamer features a guild employee named Makoto Tanaka who accidentally livestreams himself working through a dungeon and becomes a massive overnight sensation. The fourth compiled light novel volume shipped on July 7. Lockdown Life with the Class Beauty rounds out the batch with a romantic comedy about a high schooler who ends up sharing a living space with the most popular girl in his class after a sudden epidemic closes the student dorms. jaguchi launched the manga in Square Enix’s Shonen Gangan in May 2024, with a third volume due October 10.

My take: Manga UP! Global has been building out a solid catalog and this batch has something for most tastes. I’m No Hero in the Shadows! in particular sounds like the kind of premise that plays with fantasy tropes in a fun way, and it is good to see it getting an English home.