Author Archives: dakazu

Golden Kamuy

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Golden Kamuy

A manga about a Russo-Japanese war veteran who teams up with a young Ainu huntress to track down escaped convicts for their tattoos that will combine into map that leads to a hidden cache of gold in Hokkaido.

Yeah, this is basically a Japanese Western set in a the snowy lands of Hokkaido but it who cares because it’s an amazing manga. I love all the eating scenes and every time Sugimoto shouts “I AM SUGIMOTO THE IMMORTAL!”. 

This series even won 2018 Grand Prize for the Tezuka Osamu Cultural Awards. The anime had fantastic casting and the only con was the CG animated animals.

Super entertaining and 100% available in English legally from Viz. Go read it!

~dakazu

203 – One Shot 14 – Manga Poverty with Deb Aoki

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203 – One Shot 14 – Manga Poverty with Deb Aoki

We’re joined by lovely manga journalist Deb Aoki this week to talk about the changes in the Western manga industry, compare them to the problems in Japanese publishing that are addressed in Shuho Sato’s memoir Manga Poverty, and rejoice over the plethora of recent manga licensing news!

Check out Deb’s twitter, professional site and Manga Answerman articles!

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Spicy Cafe Girl

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Spicy Cafe Girl

A manga about stories revolving around the Thai restaurant Duan in Tokyo. New hire Tetsuya ends up getting wrapped up in some crazy adventures because of the potential shady past of the master.

I’ve talked about Akira Fukaya’s Mitsurin Shounen before. Fukaya likes to create a lot of manga based around South Asian countries and cuisines. The master of the Duan is a reoccurring character in a few other Fukaya titles. I like his art style and loved the fun cast of characters from the little Afghanistan girl to the badass Ellie. I’m sad this is only a single volume release and would have loved to read more stories about them all.

~dakazu

Angolmois – Genkou Kassenki

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Angolmois – Genkou Kassenki

A manga about disgraced samurai Jinzaburo Kuchii defending Tsushima island from Mongol invasions of the Kamakura period of Japan.

With the recent release of the anime adaptation, a lot of people noticed how this series covers the same subject as the upcoming AAA video game Ghost of Tsushima for Playstation 4. Comparisons aside, I’m unfamiliar with the Kamakura period so this was a fun read. The battles are intense and the story has a good sense of dread as the Mongol hoards keep surrounding the defending samurai forces. My only complaint is the designs for the faces look kinda plain. Especially for Jinzaburou. Otherwise a fun read and I’m currently enjoying the look of the anime as well.

~dakazu

Our Dreams at Dusk: Shimanami Tasogare

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Our Dreams at Dusk: Shimanami Tasogare

A manga about a gay teenager who finds a gathering of fellow LGBTQ+ people in his town that’s run by a mysterious and mystical woman.

I read some of this and my first thought was that it was the most progressive LGBTQ+  manga that I’ve ever read. I find that most manga covering LGBTQ+ topics tend to be behind modern times or are very basic, such as My Brother’s Husband. It was nice to read something more realistic and current.

Everyone is super excited that Seven Seas Entertainment is bringing an official English release and so am I!

~dakazu

Peleliu – Rakuen no Guernica

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Peleliu – Rakuen no Guernica

A manga about the battle of Peleliu island in the Pacific Theater during World War II. It follows the Japanese soldiers who fought against an onslaught of US Marines for over 2 months.

Juxtaposed to the cute character designs, this is a serious war manga. The simple designs of the characters actually add a lot to the horrors of war that happen to the soldiers we follow. It’s still an ongoing series in Young Animal magazine and I think it’s one of their best current manga.

~dakazu

UQ Holder!

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UQ Holder!

A tale of a young boy who becomes a vampire and joins a special peace keeping task force made up of immortals. Eventually it’s revealed as a sequel to Negima! Magister Negi Magi.

I’m honestly not the biggest fan of Ken Akamatsu from his early days with Love Hina and his general focus on harem manga. I didn’t read Negima! but I followed UQ Holder! a little when it was serialized in Shonen Magazine. I recently tried catching up on the series but when I got to the part about alternate history/timelines I just threw my hands up and gave up. I don’t know what it is about time travel/alternate timelines but just like when it happened in Magical Girl Apocalypse I completely checked out. It just comes off as such a cheap plot device and makes everything overly complicated.

~dakazu

202 – Manga in Motion 30 – Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honneamise

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202 – Manga in Motion 30 – Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honneamise

On this episode dakazu present’s Gainax’s first feature film Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honneamise to Darfox and Seamus!

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Imuri

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Imuri

A fanatsy sci-fi tale of a young noble who gains a hidden ancient power used by his people to oppress a slave race. His adventures will lead him to become the leader of the slaves and revolt against his former people.

Yeah, this is basically just like Frank Herbert’s Dune but I don’t care. It’s so well done and I love the shojo-esque art style of Miyake Ranjyo. Truely an sci-fi epic in every sense. It’s awesome.

~dakazu