On October 8, 2022, Yen Press announced on Twitter that the Reborn as a Vending Machine, I Now Wander the Dungeon manga is coming to English readers! The release date hasn’t been announced, but Japan still only has one volume, as well.
So, we won’t be that far behind, but will we get it before the anime starts? And how many volumes will the manga get?
There are only three light novels in the series, and volume one of the manga contains nine chapters. However, the light novels have 110 chapters across all three, so the manga should last a while.
A breath of fresh air?
Isekai might be the strangest genre in existence. Most of the main characters die, become OP, and make or attract a harem, and the majority of the main characters are stupid.
Reborn as a Vending Machine, I Now Wander the Dungeon walks the tightrope between creative and bizarre. The nameless main character loves vending machines.
So much so that he has to buy new items and even considers joining a subscription service so that he can get a free drink. But before he can decide, something that looks like Truck-kun runs into a vending machine and drives away.
Anyone else would jump out of the way and let the vending machine fall, but our boy tried to save it. And somehow got reincarnated as a vending machine, and sent to a fantasy world.
He can’t talk or move but can customize his inventory, and all the items he bought back when he was human. But he quickly discovers that he needs money to upgrade himself, change his stock, and stay alive.
Fortunately, a hunter, Lammis, finds him and buys some items. Finally, they find a way to communicate and Lammis decides to bring him with her as she heads back to her village.
Can the newly named Boxxo make enough money to survive in this strange world?
The problem with using Japanese vending machines
Japan is known for many things and is often developing new technologies. But some of their products can be bizarre and in some cases, illegal.
Like used women’s underwear, or new women’s underwear designed to look and smell like it’s been used thanks to perfume, they come in various colors and styles. Thankfully, our Boxxo seemed to veer on the practical side when buying items from a vending machine.
But I’ve never encountered an isekai that didn’t have fan service or plenty of love interests. Thankfully, the first chapter shows that Boxxo uses his brain and focuses on essential things, like surviving.