3 Highlights from this Week's FOC
WHAT SHOULD YOU NOT MISS THIS WEEK?
Hello fellow Manga readers,
I hope your February started as smooth as possible and that you enjoyed all the new manga that already came out within this year!
This week I am so hyped to present you our new FOC’s, because they are all either my favorite ongoing series or something new that I have been dying to read…
So, without further ado, let us talk about it! :D
👁️ Centuria Vol. 1 👁️
I am so happy that I can finally talk about this new manga, which will probably be my favorite new release of this year!
Centuria debuted a few years ago and immediately climbed to the top as one of the most hyped series on the official Jump Manga app. Ever since then, I wanted to read it… But I decided to wait for the volume release to enjoy it on paper, which we are finally getting soon! 😭
But what is it about?
Centuria follows Julian, a young boy who is sold into slavery by his own mother. Aboard a slave ship, he experiences love and understanding for the first time in his life from the other slaves - especially Mira, a pregnant woman on the ship.
However, the journey suddenly turns into a bloodbath, awakening an ancient god. With little hope left for most of the crew, Mira makes a devastating decision to help Julian escape with her newborn child.
Julian, now in possession of incredible powers, swears to protect this child - no matter what.
The art and premise immediately pulled me in. It’s historical, dark, and filled with fantastical elements like ancient gods - just perfect.
I also just love found family concepts, especially the one of “Parent-Figure-Protecting-
I honestly think this manga has huge potential, and I cannot wait to finally read it! That is why I just had to nerd out about this one a little – maybe some of you are hyped for this now too! :D
🎓 Witch Hat Atelier Vol. 14 🎓
Witch Hat Atelier… my beloved…
This one has a special place in my heart…
In May of 2025, I wrote a very long article about this one on our Beyond-The-Panels blog, titled: “How Witch Hat Atelier Can Bring Back the Magic of Your Childhood” And, what can I say, this still holds up to this day!
The series just never loses its charm and magical-nostalgic feeling. Every time I open up a new volume of this series, I am immediately a child again. Amazed by magic and fantasy – like I was never an adult.
It is wholesome, exciting, multi-faceted and just captures everything that makes fantasy and magic good while still trying something new. And dare I say: This story makes it even better!
The magic system, the fantastical beasts and the characters are all just perfectly written AND perfectly drawn!
Gosh, the art… I have rarely seen anything like this before. Not only in terms of beautiful art, but also in terms of daring something new like this:
I could write thousands of articles about this manga, but would highly recommend just trying it yourself! You can also check out my article, where I nerd out about it a bit more :P
However, you definitely need to give this a try if you are a fan of Studio Ghibli or stories about magic! :)
🌄 Hirayasumi Vol. 8 🌄
At the end, I simply can’t not talk about one of my favorite manga of all time: Hirayasumi!
We are already getting volume 8, and I honestly can’t believe this series still hasn’t reached the level of hype it deserves.
If you have ever visited one of our Open Warehouses (every last Saturday of the month - come visit us!) or attended one of our events (like the one at the end of this month with three special guests), you might have met me and asked for a manga recommendation 👀
And there’s a very good reason why I keep recommending this series: It really is that good, that underrated, and that life-changing!
Hirayasumi follows 29-year-old Hiroto Ikuta, who has no girlfriend, no job, and no real plans for the future. Yet somehow, he is incredibly happy and fulfilled.
This calm and carefree attitude is something his cousin - who has just moved in with him for college - cannot quite understand and is even irritated by at first.
However, they both quickly realize that they have much more to learn from each other than they may have expected at first. What follows is a beautiful, wholesome journey that gently teaches us how to live our lives with more peace and acceptance.
This manga was one of the most influential pieces of literature for me during a difficult time in my life. It helped me reconnect with myself and the world around me - without taking everything too seriously, while still encouraging me to chase my dreams.
I can’t recommend this beautiful manga (both in terms of story and art) enough - especially right now!
You still have the chance to jump in early - especially if you pre-order it right now at our FOC special price. That way, you are guaranteed to have it when it releases in March and you will save some money. HOW AWESOME!
I would definitely recommend pre-ordering, since I talk about this series a lot and we tend to sell out pretty quickly afterward.
So… go ahead and pre-order! You will thank me! :P
📖 Many More Manga! 📖
But the MANGA-MADNESS doesn’t stop here! There are several manga coming out in this week’s FOC, which you just cannot miss… like:
- Omori Volume 1 – a new series that adaps a really good videogame that reminds one of Mother or Undertale!
- Jujutsu Kaisen Volume 29 – the Shonen-Classic, which also just got it’s third season and is almost finished in English!
- Kingdom Volume 4 – which I keep talking about, especially in our Beyond-The-Panels blog hehe!
- Insomniacs After School Volume 13 – another perfect cozy read if you loved Hirayasumi!
- The Apothecary Diaries Volume 15 – a fan-favorite classic!
- Choujin X Volume 11 – the current manga from the mangaka of Tokyo Ghoul! :O
Just so much good stuff…
However, if you cannot wait for these titles and need some new manga right now, you can either pick up the volumes before the ones I showed you, or you can always check out our Beyond The Panels-Blog, where I already talked about a lot of different manga that you can get right away! :D
But of course, you can also check out every FOC this week, right here. All of our pre-orders run until Saturday at 4pm.
If you have any doubts or questions, you can message us, and we will gladly help you out.
See you soon,
Daniel