3 Highlights from this Week's FOC
WHAT SHOULD YOU NOT MISS THIS WEEK?
Hello fellow Manga readers,
and a HAPPY NEW YEAR! 🥳
I know that two weeks are already over and usually you do not wish a ‘Happy New Year’ this late, but it is my first FOC newsletter of this year, so I guess we can make an exception! :P
I am very excited to see which amazing new manga we will be able to pre-order and read. So let us start with the second FOC of 2026 and see what is on it this time!
Spoiler: I cheated the system and am presenting you four instead of my usual three – belated Christmas present hehe 👀
⚔️ Vagabond Definitive Edition Vol 05 ⚔️
This FOC has a lot of great manga to offer, but I wouldn’t be me, if I didn’t start this year with one of my favorite manga of all time: Vagabond! 😍
If you are a veteran of this series, I think there is no point in trying to convince you to finally get the Definitive Edition of this masterpiece, because you probably know how good this edition and the story are!
Beautiful format, amazing hardcover binding and a 3-in-1 format. So this next volume already brings us to 15 out of 37 volumes in the single issue format – almost half way!
So now is the best time to pick this series up in this format, if you have thought about it for a long time (especially because it is on FOC for a great price)! :P
But if you haven’t heard of this series by Takehiko Inoue yet, then you should definitely give this one a try. Not only is it one of my favorite manga of all time, but it also has – not trying to over exaggerate here – one of the best art styles across all of anime and manga. I mean look:
The art is clean, the characters complex and the story just life-changing (no really!)… This story deals with topics like chasing your dreams and fighting for them. But because we have had a lot of this, this story also spotlights the dark side of chasing your dreams and what happens when life has different plans for you.
All that is accompanied by great fights, great settings and complex philosophical themes within a samurai setting. Come on – can you say no to that?
If you are a fan of Berserk or Vinland Saga or any deep stories, then you cannot miss this series…
If you need a bit more to really decide if this is for you, check out my “Beyond-The-Panels”-post about the author, which covers Vagabond and his other masterpieces! :P
🏔️ The Climber Vol 04 🏔️
I want to continue with my second love within this FOC and a title that all of you have been waiting for to be restocked in forever… The Climber!
Although volume 1 will probably be a battle that we will fight for you for a while, we do recommend you to pick up the later volumes as long as we have them, because once volume 1 is restocked, it could happen that the other volumes will be picked up fast...
Because this story is that damn good! (Sorry for swearing mom… 😢)
But it is true! Would you have guessed that a manga about climbing would change your life? Because it definitely can do just that!
In Climber we follow Buntaro Mori, who is a new student at school. He changed schools because of a big trauma that occurred at his former school. However, being a new student is never easy, especially if you are him.
He is anti-social, doesn’t like anything and does not fit in well, which is also something the class bully notices. He pushes and nudges the new boy and finally forces him to climb up a wall of the school.
During this climb, Buntaro Mori realizes how much he loves what he is doing. Although he almost dies in the process, he never stops climbing after that and his whole life only revolves around one goal: Climbing the K2… But this is not something someone should do alone. So will this lone wolf be able to overcome his own flaws or will this journey take more than he wants to give?
The problem that I have now, is that I do not want to sound like a person who hypes everything they mention and uses hyperboles all the time…
But this, once again, is one of the best stories in terms of characters, story, themes, life changing lessons and most definitely art! Here is the proof:
But similar to Vagabond: If this short text is not enough to drag you into this obsession yet and immediately pre-order volume 4 on FOC, you should check out my „Beyond-The-Panels“-post on Shin’ichi Sakamoto, which covers The Climber and his other works! :P
🏰 Kingdom Vol 03 🏰
Another manga that I have talked about a lot of times during these FOC newsletters and in a separate “Beyond-The-Panels”-post is: Kingdom!
With Kingdom we finally received one of the most anticipated manga in English for the first time ever, which is quite surprising considering that this is one of the most successful manga in Japan! 🤯
If you want a full deep dive, why this manga is so popular in Japan and why I think highly of it, you should check out my post that I linked above! :P
However, if this is the first time you have heard of it, let me give you a quick rundown:
Two boys dream of becoming big generals. One gets send to the king and comes back wounded. Other boy is sad and meets the king. King looks like dead friend and reveals that friend was a body double. Boy is mad and wants to take revenge. King tells him who that was and sees that boy has skills. They form alliance and boy is chasing his dream of becoming a big general!
All of this is set in a very accurate and wonderful historical setting in China – something that we definitely need more of! :D
So, to put it short: Kingdom? You cannot miss out on this one! 😎
🐴 JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Part 7 Steel Ball Run GN Vol 05 🐴
So… this section is secret and another masterpiece that I have to mention to you…
Thus, excuse me if I have to whisper here! 🤫
Jojos is without a doubt one of the most iconic and fun series that manga has to offer. And although it is quite insane to suggest Part 7 of this series to some of you that haven’t even read the previous ones, I guarantee you that you will not be disappointed if you start here!
To make it short: Jonathan Joestar is part of a rich family. Dio gets adopted into family. Dio hates Jonathan and tortures him by killing dog and kissing girlfriend. Dio wants more revenge. Jonathan’s father found mask with powers. Dio puts on mask and becomes vampire. Now Joestar family is cursed and is hunted by Dio and his sins. This is why there are 7 parts :P
However, fear not: Part 7 is also kind of good jumping-on point. I do not want to spoil anything, but it is similar to what happened to the MCU after Endgame. It would help to know everything before, but you can enjoy it without it. (You definitely should read it though haha!)
Additionally, Part 7 is seen as one of the best manga of all time, just behind Berserk on several ranking sites. Not only is the art phenomenal, but the story is just fun and clever.
So, do not miss out this classic, which is already at volume 5… wait… we are already halfway through!
HOLY SHIT!
NOOO! I WAS TOO LOUD!
2026 is starting stroooong! 💪
A new year means a lot of new books and if I look at this first FOC that I present to you, I am sure that this year will be amazing – so keep your eyes open for my next FOC! :P
But if you cannot wait and need some new manga right now, 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
You can check out every FOC this week, right here.
If you have any doubts or questions, you can message us, and we will gladly help you out.
If you excuse me now. I am in a bit of trouble…
I DO NOT REGRET ANYTHING!!!
See you soon,
Daniel