Author Archives: dakazu

Mitama Security: Spirit Busters

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Mitama Security: Spirit Busters

A manga about a teenager girl Rena Haze who is haunted by a procession of spirits. An elite SecuREIty agent Joh Mitama comes to protect her but he is terrified of spirits.

We’ve discussed this on an older episode.

I absolutely loved this quirky comedy of a manga. I think Tsurun Hatomune has had amazing comedy chops since his previous series Mukidashi no Hakuchou. Everything involving the character of Shakejiro was hilarious. While Mitama Security: Spirit Busters lasted longer than other newer series in Weekly Shonen Jump, it was unfortunately canceled in under a year. I hope to see Hatomune come back soon with another great comedy series soon.

You can still read it on Manga Plus for now.

~dakazu

ZIPMAN!!

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ZIPMAN!!

A manga about a young man who zips into a special suit that houses his dead twin brother’s consciousness in order to battle against an evil organization.

We’ve discussed this on an older episode.

ZIPMAN!! is not Yusaku Shibata first foray into the highly competitive battleground known as Weekly Shonen Jump. His previous series Yoakemono was also canceled due to lack of popularity. But while Yoakemono failed to make an impression on me, I thought ZIPMAN!! had some fantastic action scenes that grabbed my eye. Unfortunately I think this manga suffered from the overly complicated backstory with it’s main characters. Twin brother storylines are overly complex and splits the focus for the reader, even if the story focused primarily on Kaname. Double Taisei also suffered from the same problem. And while the focus is here is more on sentai heroes, you can see some overlap with My Hero Academia.

Yusaku Shibata is a talented artist so I really hope he’ll eventually make a series that works for him, whether it be in Weekly Shonen Jump or not. You can still read this on Manga Plus for now.

~dakazu

Guardian of the Witch

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Guardian of the Witch

A manga about a young knight who betrays his kingdom when he learns that his final mission as the guardian of a witch is to kill her before the evil seed inside her grows out of control. Together they escape the city and set off to explore the lands to find a cure to save the witch’s life.

Yet another manga that did not survive in Weekly Shonen Jump. I think this fantasy series from Asahi Sakano is too similar to Black Clover. It was too easy to compare his art to Yuki Tabata‘s and they just don’t stack up. I actually think this series could have had a place to grow in maybe Weekly Shonen Champion but it just wasn’t made to last in Jump. You can still read it over on Manga Plus for now.

~dakazu

Bone Collection

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Bone Collection

A manga about a mediocre exorcist with the forbidden ability to use yokai powers trying to hide his connection to a mysterious beautiful girl who happens to be the great yokai Gasha Dokuro.

Here’s another manga that debuted in Weekly Shonen Jump, only to quickly be canceled and ended in 15 chapters. I feel bad for Jun Kirarazaka but this series felt ill equipped to garner popularity. The art work is distinctive but not what I would call impressive and the main character felt like just another shonen protagonist motivated by his libido. Nothing stood out to me and I think that was the general opinion on this series. You can still read it for yourself on Manga Plus while they leave it up for now.

~dakazu

319 – One Shot 32 – Tokyo Tarareba Girls Returns

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319 – One Shot 32 – Tokyo Tarareba Girls Returns

This week we’re excited to return to the “what if?” ladies with Tokyo Tarareba Girls Returns! What has happened to Rinko, Kaori, and Koyuki since the ending of Tokyo Tarareba Girls? Akiko Higashimura gives us the answers with this sequel that the hosts have been dying to read!!!

Continue reading →

Time Paradox Ghostwriter

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Time Paradox Ghostwriter

A manga about a talentless manga artist who ends up plagiarizing a god-tier manga sent from 10 years in the future.

We’ve discussed this on a previous episode.

The latest manga to debut in Weekly Shonen Jump and then end in 14 chapters. I feel bad for the writer Kenji Ichima but especially for the artist Tsunehiro Date. Date has not had success with any of his previous series of Cross Account or Tokyo Wonder Boys. Date is very talented and I was really impressed by their art of this series but unfortunately didn’t gain any popularity which lead to it’s cancellation. It joins the long list of series that have come and gone from the Weekly Shonen Jump lineup.

You can read it on Manga Plus while it’s still available.

~dakazu

Kitaro

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Kitaro

A manga about the last survivor of the ghost tribe, Kitaro, and his adventures dealing with Japanese yokai.

Shigeru Mizuki‘s representative work. Mizuki adapted the Hakaba Kitaro character created by Masami Ito and Keiyo Tatsumi from his days doing kamishibai street theater. This series helped popularize monsters and creatures from Japanese folklore. It has been adapted into numerous anime adaptations and is well known in popular culture today. The original manga by Mizuki is still interesting to read today, albeit simple in story as it was intended for children. Revisiting Shigeru Mizuki‘s work always makes me appreciate his art work, especially considering he comes from the generation of manga artists who drew everything themselves.

Kitaro is iconic and still worth reading today. Collections are available in English from Drawn & Quarterly.

~dakazu

Venus in the Blind Spot

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Venus in the Blind Spot

A collection of horror stories by Junji Ito.

We discussed this on a recent episode.

This book is the latest Junji Ito story collection put out by VIZ. I liked this collection better than Smashed: Junji Ito Story Collection as it has fan favorite stories of The Enigma of Amigara Fault and Human Chair. However the titular story didn’t have the same horror flair Ito is usually known for.

The other stories don’t quite stack up to the hits in Shiver: Junji Ito Selected Stories but this book also contains beautiful color pages that include illustrations from Ito’s adaptation of No Longer Human. Overall, this is another great book for Junji Ito fans to own.

~dakazu

Cat Eyed Boy

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Cat Eyed Boy

A manga about a strange cat eyed boy who is hated by humans and demons.

I rather enjoyed this manga! I liked how the titular cat eyed boy was morally grey and how is sometimes ambivalent towards the plight of humans. He even sides with the monsters if the humans are evil and deserve to be punished. I can see the appeal this series would have to young readers, as cat eyed boy isn’t your straight forward hero. Kazuo Umezu‘s monster designs are creepy and he does include violence but I wouldn’t say it’s extreme enough for a content warning. I’m glad this series is available from VIZ.

~dakazu