水溜まりに浮かぶ島 [Mizutamari ni Ukabu Shima] #1

A quietly moving image greets readers on this first volume from Kōdansha: a young boy carries a small girl on his back, the two of them sharing a red polka-dotted umbrella as they stand in what appears to be a rain-soaked, reflective puddle — a loyal dog at their side. The title Mizutamari ni Ukabu Shima ("An Island Floating in a Puddle") feels perfectly captured in that cover scene, where the still water turns the pair into something almost adrift and self-contained. A gentle, atmospheric start to what promises to be a heartfelt slice-of-life manga.