Senpai's Diary: June--Celebrating Pride at Senpai & Co.
- Ashe Jherek
- Jun 1
- 8 min read
Hi, Friends!
We had a very enjoyable May here at Senpai & Co.! It was a busy month with lots of fun things happening one after the other, and it's like there's never a dull moment at the shop. Even quiet, peaceful days have business behind the scenes.
May Artist Alley Recap!
May's featured artists were MaruMarks and Froogy Printss, and it was so much fun spending the weekend with them! On Friday especially, the shop was full of people, and it felt like the perfect event we've been dreaming of. But don't worry--we're ambitious here at Senpai & Co.! We’ve already been working with our artists behind the scenes to make future weekends even smoother and more exciting.
Special Guest: Milky, from Milky & Coco's!
On Saturday, we also had a very special guest appearance: Milky, one of our local cat celebrities, from Milky & Coco's Kit-Tea Café!
The fun and exciting news here is that Senpai & Co. will be sourcing fun cat-themed manga series... Here are some of Milky's favorites that he found from our shelves:
Portland Book Week
We also have something we’re really excited about this month...
We’re officially part of Portland Book Week.
As a Vancouver-based shop, being included in the broader PDX book scene means a lot to us. It’s something we’ve been quietly working toward, and it feels really special to be part of something that celebrates local bookstores, reading, and community on a larger scale.
We weren't expecting to get accepted into Portland Book Week's registry for the Indie Bookstore Crawl, but we must have IRL plot armor, because we're a valid stop on the list! Come get a Bingo Board from any of the more than seventy participating bookstores (or print it yourself at home), and visit plenty of bookstores to fill your board! Official rules are posted on Portland Book Week's website, as well as a full list of participating bookstores.
At Senpai & Co., we're celebrating our participation with a special discount: Show us your bingo board, and you can get 10% off any one item in-store per visit.
We're Building a Discord!
One small thing we’ve been working on behind the scenes is a Discord for the shop.
This was actually something a lot of people in the community had been asking about for a while, so we decided to go for it... and before setting it up, we put out an open call to see what people would actually want from it.
The responses were super helpful, and we built the server around that as best we could.
Right now, it’s still pretty simple. Just a space for recommendations, talking about what we’re reading, and continuing conversations outside of the shop.
A lot of what we’ve been building lately has been about making the store feel more like a place people can exist in for a while… and this is kind of an extension of that.
If you’ve ever come in and wanted to ask for recs, talk about a series, or just hang out a little longer, that’s the idea.
It’s still new, but we’re really excited to see what it turns into. If that sounds like something you'd like to be a part of, we'd love to have you there.
It's still coming together, but the goal is simple: a space to talk about what we're reading, share recommendations, and keep the conversations going outside of the shop.
It's not released yet... but we're excited to share it with everyone soon!
Artist Alley Weekend: June 26-28
This June, come to Senpai & Co. for a Pride-Themed Artist Alley-style pop-up event! Featuring two local artists: Miaofei and ETTO Arts!
Click the image to be taken to the artist's social media page. We think they're both incredible fits for our event!
About the Artist Alley
"So... what is your Artist Alley?" is a question we've been getting pretty often, and we're always more than happy to talk about it!
At Senpai & Co., we value handmade goods and want to support local artists, so we built a program to offer in-store space to local artists to sell their anime and manga-inspired art (think stickers, buttons, keychains, etc). Every month, we also invite artists into the shop to set up a table and sell their full array of work, convention-style. That is where you can find bigger items like prints!
If you'd like to know more about the logistics behind the program, we put together an Artist FAQ page, and if you're a fandom artist and are interested in partnering with Senpai & Co., feel free to fill out an application or add yourself to our mailing list!
Applications open periodically throughout the year, usually for a few days at a time. Artists on our mailing list receive early access notifications before applications open publicly.
We do not use any AI screening tools, computer filtering, or automations; we process all applications by hand. Therefore, processing times can take a while depending on the volume of applications.
You've Been Summoned (Again): June's Escape the Isekai
One of our favorite things we’ve started this year is Escape the Isekai: our monthly in-store scavenger hunt that turns the shop into a story you can step into.
Each month, the setup changes. New world, new stakes, new reason you’ve been summoned.
For June… things get a little less friendly.
The Demon Lord has grown bored and created a cruel game. He has invited “heroes” from other worlds to compete in his Dungeon of Trials. Solve the puzzles and escape before the dungeon seals forever. If you succeed, you win glory. If you fail… You become part of the dungeon.
From there, you’ll have 30 minutes to work your way through the shop, decoding clues, solving puzzles, and figuring out how to escape before time runs out.
If you’ve played before, this one leans a little more into the “trial” side of things; still chaotic (in the best way), but with a bit more structure and a bit more pressure to actually figure it out.
If you haven’t tried it yet, this is one of the most fun ways to experience the space. It’s part puzzle, part story, and part just… letting yourself play along with the premise.
We’ll be running June’s Escape the Isekai on the last Monday of the month.
All you have to do is walk in and say: “I’m here to Escape the Isekai.”
We’ll take care of the rest.
(And this time… you might actually want to take the Demon Lord seriously.)
And a little bonus: If you can successfully Escape the Isekai, you've earned yourself 15% off any Isekai titles, and 5% off any other manga or light novel titles. Same-day in-store redemption only.
June Double-Punch Deal
This month, we're celebrating our LGBT shelves--one of the most loved corners of the shop.
All month long, earn double punches on purchases of:
BL/GL manga
Danmei novels
LGBTQ+ manga, light novels, and more
Our community has always shown up for these stories, and it shows. BL in particular has always been one of our strongest, most consistently supported genres.
And if romance isn't your thing, you're definitely not left out. Our LGBT section goes beyond romance, highlighting stories with nonconforming characters and personal journeys, like Blue Period, Senpai is an Otokonoko, and Boys Run the Riot.
Whether you're picking up a longtime favorite or you've been meaning to explore this section, June's a great time to start.
June Drops
Tuesday, 6/2
Aoashi (3-in-1 Edition) vol 1
Arcana
Beloved by the Male Lead's Nephew (light novel) volume 1
Beneath the Falling Camellia Blooms vol 1
Billy Bat vol 1
Chainsaw Man vol 21
Delinquent and the Transfer Student vol 1
Die: Loaded Volume 1: Zero Sessions
Exiled Heavy Knight Knows How to Game the System (omnibus) vol 1-2
I Picked Up a No-Good, Useless Prince vol 1
I'm No Angel vol 1
Magical Girl Dandelion vol 2
Nana 25th Anniversary Edition vol 4
Shinobi Undercover vol 1
Tamon's B-Side vol 11
Tuesday, 6/9
Avatar: The Last Airbender: Fire and Family Treasury Library Edition
Babe at My Back Has Her Eye on Me. I'm Done For vol 1
Dandadan vol 19
Dangerous Convenience Store vol 7
Fragrant Flower Blooms With Dignity vol 13
Gatherer's Adventure in Isekai vol 1
Let's Run an Inn on Dungeon Island! (in a World Ruled by Women) omnibus, vols 1-2
May I Ask for One Final Thing? vol 1
Minecraft the Manga vol 6
Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin (Deluxe) vol 6
My Isekai Life: I Gained a Second Character Class and Became the Strongest Sage in the World! vol 25
Possibly the Greatest Alchemist of All Time vol 1
A Sign of Affection omnibus 4 (vol 10-12)
Tuesday, 6/16
Assassin's Creed Shadows: Tales of Iga vol 1
Haikyu!! (3-in-1 Edition) vol 9 (includes vol 25-27)
Fluffy Café in Another World (manga) volume 2
Gladiator Battle Life (manga) volume 1
Mars 30th Anniversary Edition vol 1
One Piece Omnibus (Egghead) vol 36 (106-108)
Parasyte Paperback Edition vol 7
Strange Pictures vol 1
Tuesday, 6/23
The 100th Time's the Charm: She Was Executed 99 Times, So How Did She Unlock "Super Love" Mode?! vol 1
Blue Lock vol 31
Bungo Stray Dogs: Wan! vol 13
Daughter of the Demon Lord is Too Kind!! vol 1
Otaku x Gal vol 2
Safe & Sound in the Arms of an Elite Knight vol 1
Sentenced to Be a Hero: The Prison Records vol 1
My Darling Devilish Daughter vol 2
Tuesday, 6/30
AI the Adventurer: That Magic Shouldn't Work! vol 1
Blue Lock omnibus 3 (vol 7-9)
Disney Manga: Tim Burton's Nightmare Before Christmas: The Battle for the Pumpkin King (English edition)
Fishgod vol 1
High Elf With a Long Life vol 1
My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! vol12
Red Book vol 1
Remnant: The Beastmen Omegaverse Saga vol 1
What If I Said I Love You? vol 1
Title Requesting
New releases are always exciting, but if there’s a specific volume you’re waiting on, don’t forget:
Our Title Request Form is always open. Ask us to find Volume X of Series Y---no service fee, just the cost of the book if we track it down.
It’s an easy way to finish a series, stay local, and avoid the online scavenger hunt.
If there's a series you want to see on our shelves, tell us! We love tracking down requests.
Thank you for your continued support
See you in the shop,
Ashe & the Senpai & Co. Team
PS: June 1st was Ashe's birthday :)
Running the shop has been a dream come true, and I really just want the shop to be successful enough for me to quit my day job and be with the books full-time.
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