Author Archives: dakazu

Ressentiment

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Ressentiment

Earlier work by I am a Hero artist Kengo Hanazawa. Main character Takuro is a typical Hanazawa protagonist. He’s middle-aged, overweight, and balding low self esteem guy in a shitty job. Takuro ends up escaping into the virtual world with a virtual girlfriend named Tsukiko.

I think Hanazawa really relishes in protagonists who are borderline terrible people. Hideo from I am a Hero shares Takuro’s traits of being wishy-washy. This book reminds me a lot of Erichin’s Mitamura-kun series.

~dakazu

Shinya Shokudō

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Shinya Shokudō

Manga about the customers who attend a late-night diner where the owner cooks anything requested. Each chapter revolves around a dish and different patrons.

I’ve been reading this series for a while and it continues to be great. I love the simple art style and the variety of stories told. They be humorous, sweet, tragic, or joyous. This manga was adapted to a live-action series which is available on Netflix as Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories. 

~dakazu

Tsuma ni Koisuru 66 no Houhou

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Tsuma ni Koisuru 66 no Houhou

A collection of short stories about artist Shigeyuki Fukumitsu’s actually wife and family. Fukumitsu specializes in non-fiction and has done several series based on his wife. This manga is his current iteration.

When I read stories about how he admits to using meager tactics to appease his wife’s fiery temper it made me wonder if she reads the manga later and gets back at him. Of course, the next chapter was a story about this exact thing and it became it’s own little story.

Lots of self deprecating humor and the wife’s wild personality makes anything about Fukumitsu’s wife entertaining to read.

~dakazu

194 – Triple Dip 27 – Machida-kun no Sekai, Sensei no Shiroi Uso, Yotsuba&!

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194 – Triple Dip 27 – Machida-kun no Sekai, Sensei no Shiroi Uso, Yotsuba&!

dakazu is back and ready to dive into more manga with a new Triple Dip! This week we dive into Machida-kun no Sekai, Sensei no Shiroi Uso, Yotsuba&!

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Kii Hantou Umimachi Gohan

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Kii Hantou Umimachi Gohan

Manga artist Natsuo Motomachi recalls her time living on the Kii Peninsula with each chapter focusing on local cuisine she ate. Food manga is common but I liked that Motomachi focuses on the nice country lifestyle and local foods she enjoyed making/eating that made her happy! It was also nice that she included recipes for the reader.

~dakazu

Helck

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Helck

I was introduced to this manga on a whim and initially I thought the premise of having a fantasy warrior equivalent of Superman join the Demon’s army was silly. As I kept reading the story evolved into a generic but epic struggle of good vs. evil that got me to finish the whole series.

It wasn’t anything original but definitely ended up being a surprise like from me.

~dakazu

Ikioku

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Ikioku

Cute short story about a silent but skilled housewife by Shojo Fight! manga artist Yoko Nihonbashi.

I’m a giant fan of Nihonbashi’s work and while this one is short, it includes an in-depth breakdown of how she planned her panel layouts and storytelling. It’s super insightful to learn about a manga artist’s creative process!

~dakazu

Uratarou

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Uratarou

A tale of a princess who wants to live forever and an immortal who just wants to die.

Urataro is the first work I’ve finished by Atsushi Nakayama.

I’ve skimmed through his other manga Negimaki Kagyu when it was serialized in Young Jump and always thought his art was unique and very stylized. I rather enjoyed this despite it’s pretty simple story and gory violence. It ended kind of abruptly so I think it might have been canceled, which is a shame.

~dakazu

Yukibana no Tora

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Yukibana no Tora

Akiko Higashimura’s historical manga that asks “What if Waring states period warlord Uesugi Kenshin was actually a woman?”

Higashimura’s patented humor really make digesting the plot easier. I especially love her “Higashumura teatime” sections where she breaks the 4th wall when the historical beats are the heaviest. I want to read more.

~dakazu

Issak

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Issak

Historical war manga follows a samurai who works as a mercenary during the Thirty Years’ war to seek revenge. The twist is that he specializes in sniping with his long rifle.

The art is decent and the story is alright.

Taking a samurai and putting him in Europe is a gimmick but giving him a gun is just enough of an extra gimmick that I’m willing to keep reading this. 

~dakazu