Hey there, E.O. Tenkey here! I know I already said this in the afterward, but thank you so much for reading the entirety of Not A Manga volume 1! It ended up wrapping up quicker than I originally anticipated, but we're still in light novel territory, so I'm content.

Before we move onto volume 2, I wanted to say a few things (and without Xavier's snarky interjections).

First, I've already said this but please consider leaving a review! Aside from increasing exposure for the story, I'm really curious what people think about the first volume. It's a bit different from the normal style of story here on Royal Road, and I'd love to hear what worked for you and what didn't. Additionally, the second volume is going to be quite different from the first (in more ways than one), so I'm hoping to get some good reviews in before I go making a bunch of people angry. (→_→)

Second, I'll be taking August off and resuming publication in early September. My job has a massive deployment in mid-August that's likely to eat my time for a bit, and I want to establish a buffer on volume 2 so I can get back to providing Patreon subscribers with advance chapters. And hey, maybe that will help me actually get Patreon subscribers.

Third, the cover for volume 1 should be done by the time I start publishing volume 2! Whoo! This process has taken a lot longer than I anticipated, but I'm looking forward to finally getting something a little more interesting than a blue sky up there.

Fourth, if you stumbled through the fourth wall and discovered you were a character in a manga, what would you do? What genre would you hope to be stuck in and why? Sound off in the comments!

I'll see you again in about a month! Harem Scarem may be complete, but the time for Styx draws nigh…

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

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"But what will I read in the interim?!" I hear you cry. Well, why not try some actual harem manga?

I am a self-professed non-fan of harem manga (and there's a lot of really bad ones out there), but I still find myself reading a few harem series nonetheless. They have an odd appeal to them. Kind of like a train wreck, only titillating.

If you would like to try harem manga, here are some to consider (all links lead to official publisher's pages):

* The Quintessential Quintuplets (ongoing): this is one of the most well-executed harems I've read in the recent past. I'm not sure how well the author will wrap everything up, but the basic mystery element that's embedded in the premise is a genius hook.

* We Never Learn (ongoing): this is a good example of a very by-the-book slice-of-life harem rom-com.

* Haganai: I Don't Have Many Friends (ongoing): a great example of the willfully ignorant protagonist. This author is really good at mocking harem tropes while simultaneously using them, as well.

* Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches (completed, but not all volumes in English yet): body-swapping harem hijinks. It kind of petered out near the end, but this is one of the series that got me into giving harem manga a chance at all.

* Masamune-kun's Revenge (completed, but not all volumes in English yet): like most harem stories, this one petered out near the end. A lot of fun for a good chunk of it, though.

* Love Hina (completed): I don't like this manga much, but it's one of the classic examples that put slice-of-life harem rom-coms on the map. A lot of harem manga are reusing or reacting against tropes codified in Love Hina, so if you're interested in harem manga as a cultural phenomenon it might be worth a look.