Holiday Review #13: BETRAYED BY THE HERO, I FORMED A MILF PARTY WITH HIS MOM!

 That last review represented one of the earlier, classier isekai offerings!  These days, it seems the only way these creators can distinguish themselves is by getting hornier and stupider than ever before.

BETRAYED BY THE HERO, I FORMED A MILF PARTY WITH HIS MOM! (Yusha ni Zenbi Ubawareta Ore wa Yusha no Hahaoya to Party wo Kumimashita!), written by Ishino Yassan with art by Makoto Kuon.  First published in 2022 and first published in North America in 2025.

PLOT:

Ceres had been happy to be a member of the Guiding Light adventuring group...until its dirtbag leader Zechs kicked him out in order to monopolize all the cute girls.  That's fine with Ceres, who prefers older women anyway (unlike seemingly everyone else in this world).  He happens upon Zech's mother Shizuko at the local slave market, whom he adored as a child.  Ceres takes it upon himself to purchase her and show her just how worthy of love she still is.  Lucky for him that she's also a former S-rank adventurer, and that her equally illustrious colleagues also just happen to be attractive, big-breasted older women in need of an escape from their unhappy marriages.

Holiday Review #12: CAMPFIRE COOKING IN ANOTHER WORLD WITH MY ABSURD SKILL

 Of course, most of the fantasy manga we got this year was nowhere near so ambitious.  Most of it was your bog-standard isekai light-novel adaptations, like this one which hit print for the first time this year.

CAMPFIRE COOKING IN ANOTHER WORLD WITH MY ABSURD SKILL (Tondemo Sukiru de Isekai Horo Meshi), based on the original light novels by Ren Eguchi and illustrations by Masa, with art by Akagishi K.  First published in 2017 and first published in 2025.

PLOT:

Mukouda was just another twenty-something salaryman when he found himself magically transported to a fantastical world by accident.  Possessing nothing but a bit of coin, the clothes on his back, and the ability to identify things and purchase food and supplies from his world via a magical stat screen, he ends up trading his services as a cook to a group of adventurers in return for protection on his travels.  His cooking ends up attracting the attention of a powerful fenrir, who is happy to provide Mukouda with fantastic beasts to cook up in return for three square meals a day.

Holiday Review #11: DUR-AN-KI

 There was some original fantasy manga to be found in 2025.  Fittingly enough, some of it came from the team that helped to craft one of manga's greatest fantasy epics.

DUR-AN-KI (Duruanki), written by Kentaro Miura with art by Studio Gaga.  First published in 2019 and first published in North America in 2025.

PLOT:

Long ago, the gods of ancient Greece and the Fertile Crescent combined their waning powers to create a child with the qualities of both man and god, man and woman.  This child, Usumgal, grows up carefree in the hillsides among the livestock and natural spirits.  Eventually they make friends with some of the boys from the local village, using their talent to make helpful devices and aid them on their hunts.  The more Usumgal spends time with other people, the more they learn about the human world for both good and ill.

Holiday Review #10: THE TOO-PERFECT SAINT: TOSSED ASIDE BY MY FIANCE AND SOLD TO ANOTHER KINGDOM

Of course, a lot of the romance manga these days comes in the form of light-novel adaptations, which are often just as much about the self-improvement of the heroine as it is about her getting dumped by a crappy prince only to pick up a better one on the rebound.

THE TOO-PERFECT SAINT: TOSSED ASIDE BY MY FIANCE AND SOLD TO ANOTHER KINGDOM (Kanpeki Sugite Kawaige ga Nai to Konyaku Haki Sareta Seijo wa Ringoku ni Urareru), based on the light novels by Fuyutsuki Koki and character designs by Masami, with art by Mago Ayakita.  First published in 2021 and first published in North America in 2025.

PLOT:

Philia is the finest saint Girtonia has ever known.  She's powerful enough to purge the land of monsters, summon rain, and develop new medicines all on her own, but she's seen as aloof and even arrogant because she never shows any outward emotion.  That includes her demanding, emotionally abusive parents and her bratty, deeply insecure fiancé Prince Julius.  He's so selfish and insecure that he sells her off to the neighboring kingdom of Parnacorta, exiling her overnight in the hope that he can marry her younger, sunnier sister Mia instead.

As Philia gets used to her friendlier new homeland, Mia takes it upon herself to find out what happened to her sister and to take down all the people responsible for her beloved sister's fate.

Holiday Review #9: ASSASSIN & CINDERELLA

 Of course, there were plenty of spicy romance manga to go around as well.

Doesn't necessarily mean they were all good ones, though.

ASSASSIN & CINDERELLA (Asashin & Shinderera), by Yuzo Natsuno.  First published in 2022 and first published in North America in 2025.

PLOT:

Neneko (aka "Ri") was supposed to be spying on the notorious, cold-hearted assassin Mi and reporting all that she could gather back to her agency.  Unfortunately "Mi" (aka Omi) has known from the start that his adorable new girlfriend was actually a spy.  To literally save her life, Omi makes Neneko an offer she can't refuse: she can continue to pose as a spy...so long as she marries him.  How is she ever going to get any spying done with a deadly new fiance who can't keep his eyes (or hands) off of her?