Monthly Archives: December 2019

Khan -Kusa to Tetsu to Hitsuji-

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Khan -Kusa to Tetsu to Hitsuji-

A manga that explores the possibility that Minamoto no Yoshitsune escaped his fate in Japan to travel to Mongolia and become Genghis Khan.

Really interesting historical fiction. I wasn’t aware that there were actual Japanese theories about this. The manga begins where Yoshitsune was supposed to die and follows him escaping on a boat to Mongolia. There we follow him as he slowly integrates himself into a village. After the village is attacked by bandits he meets Jamukha, who proposes the idea of conquering and uniting the great plains. Eventually the two become rivals as they each establish their own clans and battle it out.

I love this type of alternate history manga. Takeshi Seshimo‘s art work is very good and I particularly liked the battle scenes. It’s a shame this isn’t translated because it would be right at home with works like Vagabond.

~dakazu

Chikyu Hyokai Jiki

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Chikyu Hyokai Jiki

A manga about an accident at a space mining facility that forces a group of survivors to risk travel across the frozen surface in search of help.

We’ve discussed this on a recent podcast.

I ended up picking up this book because while I’ve read Jiro Taniguchi‘s manga, I wasn’t aware that he’d written outside the genre of slice of life. And I was pleasantly surprised that his realistic art style worked well with this science fiction story. I will say that I got huge Alien vibes as the miners reminded me of space truckers. They were blue-collar workers that seemed like a perfect cast for men trapped on a facility that was losing power and supplies. When the group of survivors venture to the surface they meet an indigenous tribe and learn of a prophecy that foretells the resurrection of an alien race. All of this lore really makes it close to Prometheus or something of the sort. I enjoyed this.

~dakazu

272 – Darfox Dabbles 6 – MANGA Plus 2

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272 – Darfox Dabbles 6 – MANGA Plus 2

On this episode dakazu has gone back to watch everything Psycho-Pass and talks about the brilliant job Psycho-Pass 3 does to reboot the series. Then it’s time for Darfox to revisits MANGA Plus and check out the new titles! Get his impressions on The Vertical World, SPY x FAMILY, East, Into The Night, and more!!!

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Million Joe

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Million Joe

A manga about a manga editor who decides to hides the death of a genius manga artist to keep his mega hit series “Million Joe” ongoing.

Super interesting premise and execution. This manga has the feel of a heist movie as the editor, his shady friend, and the chief assistant all work together to pull off this challenging con job on the editor-in-chief and hardcore fans of Million Joe. There’s lots of tension between the 3 of them as they each question if they can trust each other. The editor feels guilt for not monitoring the genius manga artist’s health and doesn’t want to disappoint all the fans. The assistant needs money to cover his large debt but is stressing out about becoming the ghost artist. And the friend idolizes the editor for his bold plan but keeps a secret insurance in case everything goes south. Author Ryoji Toguchi did a great job setting up these tense relationships and the realistic challenges they have to face. Also Iroha Ichimaru‘s art work is very distinct. The characters all have very cartoony designs but it works well to contrast the tense tone of the series.

I won’t spoil have everything turns out but I will say I enjoyed all 3 volumes of this manga!

~dakazu

Kami Appli

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Kami Appli

A manga about a young man who receives a mysterious “God Tool” smart phone with apps that let him hack security cameras and control combat drones. He must team up with other “God Tool” users to capture criminals and uncover the mystery behind the creation of this powerful phone.

Wow, this was surprisingly enjoyable! I’ve read some of Shosho Kurihara‘s other manga and I’ve always though his art was pretty lacking. That’s why when he was the writer for Nano Hazard I thought his talents were being used effectively. But diving into this I get the same kind of vibe you get from a Nobuyuki Fukumoto series where the storytelling outshines the limitations of the art.

I like the initial setup of this where the protagonist gets this powerful phone and immediately starts abusing it’s powers. Before he realizes that the apps cost money to use he’s in a huge amount of debt. That leads him to capture people the “God Tools” organization has deemed to be criminals. But as he teams up with other users he begins to question the organization itself and that helps keep the plot going at a good pace. The battles against the criminal and other “God Tools” users feature some really unique ideas that make them feel more like mind games than straight up fist fights.

I’m enjoying it so far and will be reading more for sure!

~dakazu

Ai to Noroi

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Ai to Noroi

A manga about a girl who is sexually molested by her father that traumatizes her for the rest of her life.

We discussed this on a recent episode.

This is one of the most powerful and disturbing series I’ve ever read. There is such an strong emotional connection you feel from the pages as you read about this young girl who is abandoned from any form of salvation around her. Her mother won’t intervene against her father’s sexual assault and she’s shunned at school after she rejects the local religion everyone buys into. What follows is a real downward spiral of tragedy as she solicits herself to strangers, becomes a shut-in, and can’t find happiness in a marriage. To top it all off, this is semi-autobiographical. My heart aches at the thought of Fumiko Fumi going through any amount of these awful things.

It finished it’s run on Kurage Bunch and I would love for it to get an official release someday.

~dakazu

The Last Saiyuki

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The Last Saiyuki

A manga about a boy who must protect a girl with prosthetic limbs that has the power to shape fears into reality.

Welcome to the latest manga to come and go quickly in Weekly Shonen Jump. When this debuted my initial thought was this is way too complex and it wasn’t in a good way. When you have to explain the way the girl’s power works in the 2nd chapter with text so much text it fails to “show not tell”. A shonen battle series really needs to present it’s characters doing some cool stylish actions instead of discussing them. Especially a new one trying to win popularity against the likes of My Hero Academia and One Piece.

Also establishing the girl as a limbless character with a potentially evil power isn’t bad but why does she need to be helpless and saved by her adoptive brother? This protector and protected scenario is overplayed and can be seen in lots of shonen series like Samurai 8: The Tale of Hachimaru. I would have preferred it if they removed some prosthetic limbs from the girl and have her on a journey around Japan, meeting comrades, all while trying to control her powers that manifest fears. It would’ve made more sense when the title is a reference to Journey to the West.

~dakazu

Dokunie Cooking

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Dokunie Cooking

A manga about an elf who wants to be a live sacrifice to repay her debts but the monster refuses to eat her because her feet stink.

Yeah, the synopsis makes this series seem paper thin and it really is at the beginning. Every chapter follows the bodacious elf as she tries to find a way to be eaten only to be rejected by the monster. I liked how the monster only spoke through signs he held but the obvious fan service was eye rolling.

Luckily the story takes a turn as angel characters appear to try and defeat the monster, which makes the elf reveal her dark side as she threatens them from taking away her objective. This revelation of the elf’s super strength and sadistic side really added to the comedy and kept me reading. I’m glad I did because the relationship between the monster and elf evolve and the story does some good twists at the end that made them really likable. All I had to do was completely ignore all the gratuitous fan service.

~dakazu

Shinjuku Swan

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Shinjuku Swan

A manga about a young man who becomes a scout man for the red light district of Shibuya, Japan.

We’ve discussed this on an older episode.

This is essentially a crime drama. It’s a well done story that follows the main character’s decent into the seedy underbelly of the red light districts. There’s a fair bit of exploitation as the scout men recruit women to work at cabaret bars and brothels while taking a cut for themselves. This manga doesn’t shy away from those elements and the main character strives to uphold a sense of righteousness to protect his clients. Eventually it turns into all out war with other scout groups and criminals that makes this feel like a delinquent series that stars men instead of teenagers. Ken Wakui really evolved his art work as the series progressed and it’s almost completely different for his current manga Tokyo Revengers.

~dakazu

271 – Fantasy Magazine – Horror

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271 – Fantasy Magazine – Horror

This week we launch our new format called Fantasy Magazine! Morgana, Darfox8, and dakazu have all drafted non-licensed or out-of-print series to create their ultimate horror-themed manga magazine! Listen in as we present our picks of Petshop of Horrors, Dai Dark, and Jisatsutou and then debate whether or not they fall under the category of horror!!!

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