199 – Anime Interlude 7 – Megalo Box
It’s once again that time of the year for our anime expert Miki’s Stopwatch to join us and review the last season of anime. We pick our favorites and also give quick takes on some of the new summer anime as well!
Continue readingMeshiage!!
A manga about the food Japanese soldiers ate during the Russo-Japanese war.
It was fun to read about what soldiers ate during this time period. My main complaint is that there wasn’t enough distinction between characters because they all wore the same uniform and had similar haircuts.
~dakazu
Umi-Meshi Monogatari
Manga about 2 female friends who travel around Japan to eat delicious seafood and win big at Pachinko.
I love seafood so this was fun to read. I also liked that one of the girls is curvy and they don’t try to body shame her for her weight.
~dakazu
Oni no Sakuza
A manga focused on the Honda Sakuzaemon, otherwise known as Honda Shigetsugu: a samurai serving under Tokugawa Ieyasu who’s ferocity was feared by even Oda Nobunaga.
I’m not really a fan of warring states period in Japan. I mostly checked out this manga because I was a fan of Shinji Saijyo’s more famous cooking manga Iron Wok Jan! Unfortunately I haven’t found any of his other series compares to that one and this one is no different.
~dakazu
Sengoku Comiket
A story about an otaku who time travels to the warring states period of Japan and uses his otaku skills to dominate battles under Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
It’s a silly series but very enjoyable. I’m only a recent fan of Ryoichi Yokoyama’s work but he has good comedy chops.
~dakazu
Satoko and Nada
A wonderful story about a Japanese girl attending an American University who learns about Muslim and Saudia Arabia culture through her roommate.
This is a fantastic series that is originally a web manga. It’s presented in a yonkoma or 4-panel style so each page has it’s own episode and punchline. Because the target audience is Japanese, this book is a pretty simple beginner’s course in Muslim religion and culture.
I thought is was heartfelt and wonderful. It’s available from Sevens Seas Entertainment!
~dakazu
198 – One Shot 13 – My Solo Exchange Diary with Jocelyne Allen
Special episode this week as returning guest translator Jocelyne Allen joins us! She back to answer more questions about translating, help us discuss LGBTQ+ representation in manga, and review the recently released My Solo Exchange Diary which she translated!
Check out Jocelyne’s blog & her professional website!
Continue readingFuichin Tsaichen!
Biographical manga about the life of Toshiko Ueda, one of first major female manga artists during the golden age of manga.
This is a really touching story. Ueda went through lots of heartache and loss during World War 2 while her family was based in Harbin, China. The series follows her entire life up to her death.
~dakazu
Genshijin Kareshi
A high school girl is sent back in time to the prehistoric era where she is saved by an australopithecus garhi or primitive man.
I’m usually not big on shoujo manga but the premise of a prehistoric boyfriend x high school girl was interesting enough that I enjoyed it. I think shoujo with comedy elements are usually easier for me to read.
~dakazu
Back Street Girls
Three yakuza goons are forced by their boss to undergo surgery and become cute girls to break into the Idol market.
The premise is absurd and hilarious. Lots of dirty jokes. Sometimes the manga would get excessive with the amount of torture it put the 3 main characters in. Otherwise I enjoy this series a lot. Looking forward to the anime this summer!
~dakazu