303 – One Shot 28 – Same Cell Organism
This week Darfox recommends the luxurious indie comics anthology Glaeoliawhile dakazu shares the horrifying true story of child abuse in Uchi no Yome wa Jidougyakutai Survivor. Then we discuss the days of early BL by talking about Same Cell Organism by Sumomo Yumeka for our newest One Shot review!
Continue readingTono-sama to Stitch
A manga where Stitch from Lilo & Stitch time travels to feudal Japan where a powerful warlord becomes obsessed with his cuteness.
We’ve discussed this on a older episode.
Seriously, how did this happen?
I’m far more interested in how this series came to be than the actual manga itself. Is this like how Kingdom Hearts was born because Square Enix was in the same building as Disney? Did an editor at Kodansha have an elevator ride with a Japanese Disney executive? It baffles the mind how this story of Stitch in Warring States Japan meets “not Nobunaga Oda”. Speaking of which, why is the warlord not factual? He’s clearly drawn as Nobunaga Oda but for whatever reason isn’t named as such. Did Disney have a problem with Stitch interacting with an actual Japanese warlord? This series raises so many questions! Also, why are some panels animated? Is it because it’s Disney? I’m so confused!
You can see this strange title on Comic-Days.
~dakazu
Moon Land
A manga about a young gymnast who is more interested in reaching perfect control over his body than competing against others.
We’ve discussed this on Darfox Dabbles.
This is a decent sports series. I’ve read several manga about gymnastics and this one is alright but I think the gimmick of a non-competitive protagonist doesn’t work well for a sports manga. Creator Sai Yamagishi has set up main character Mitsuki as an gymnast who slowly starts to engage with opponents and grows into an athlete who can both be competitive and focus on their personal performance. However Mitsuki’s distant nature doesn’t work as well for a sport manga. Sports manga protagonists work best as characters who are filled with passion. They don’t have to be aggressive or assertive but they work best if they show off their effort. You can look at Yowamushi Pedal, Hajime no Ippo, or Haikyu!! as good examples. Unfortunately Mitsuki’s character is what Moon Land is all about so you immediately lose a bit of that passion. I will say that his teammates help make up for that a little.
It’s currently available to read on Manga PLUS.
~dakazu
Teigakusei Otto no Kozukai Banzai
A chronicle of how manga artist Kouji Yoshimoto and others around him budget their monthly allowance.
We’ve discussed this on a previous episode.
I’ve talked about Kouji Yoshimoto‘s manga like Black Jack Sousaku Hiwa and Sabishii No Wa Anta Dake Ja Nai before. I’m happy to report that this new series is a big hit! Readers are really relating to Yoshimoto as he struggles to budget his allowance against his penny pinching wife. It’s hilarious to watch him seriously agonize if he can afford to blow 300 yen on snacks when there’s still a week left before his new allowance. Not only does Yoshimoto share his allowance but the rest of the series introduces other adults who manage their meager allowance by using coupons or point cards. It’s hilarious and resonates with anyone who’s had an allowance. I love it!
~dakazu
Denjin N
A horror manga about a poor idol fanatic who becomes digitized and able to freely control all electric devices after suicide. He promises to get revenge on those who mistreated him and help his favorite idol become world famous.
This is the current series by the creative team behind Starving Anonymous and Fort of Apocalypse. Interesting enough there is also a draft credit to Kuu Tanaka, the artist behind The Vertical World.
As far as horror manga goes, Denjin N is very good. Our idol is horrified as rival idol groups and talent agencies fall to gruesome accidents caused by our digital stalker. The story even advances to a state where the digital stalker sheds his superego and his destructive id that forces all of Japan to worship the idol. While this doesn’t include the usual creative monster designs Kazu Inabe is known for, Yuu Kuraishi join him in creating a horrifying look at extreme stalkerism.
Currently serialized on Comic-Days.
~dakazu
Shiori Experience – Jimi na Watashi to Hen na Oji-san
A manga about a boring school teacher who ends up meeting the ghost of Jimi Hendrix. Now she must become a musical legend before her 28th birthday or she will die!
We’ve discussed this on a recent episode.
It’s a shame I’ve never heard about this manga til now because it is extremely my jam. It’s a music manga, it’s about teachers inspiring students, and it’s about pursuing your dreams. All things I love reading about! I also think the gimmick that the members of the 27 Club are agents of the devil who grant talent is great. I’ve only read two volumes so far and those mostly focus on the teacher starting a rock music club at school and recruiting students as band members but I’m looking forward to other members of the 27 Club appearing.
Bravo to author Kazuya Machida and artist Yu-ko Osada! Definitely going to keep reading this one!
~dakazu
The Way of the HouseHusband
A comedy manga about a former infamous yakuza who now lives as a househusband.
I’ve been enjoying this series since it started on Kurage Bunch. It’s absolutely hilarious to watch our househusband, Tatsu, bring intense yakuza energy into house chores and grocery shopping. One of my favorite jokes is Tatsu scaring shoppers at the supermarket when he goes off about that “premium white powder” known as flour. But the most surprising thing about this series is how creator Kousuke Oono has been able to keep this joke going for over fifty chapters! Oono continues to bring over-the-top moments full of big laughs. I fully recommend this comedy.
Available in English from VIZ.
~dakazu
302 – Triple Dip 43 – BL Metamorphosis, A Man and His Cat, Hi Score Girl
On this episode Morgana catches up on Witch Hat Atelier and SPY x FAMILY, dakazu experiences the 27 Club with Shiori Experience – Jimi na Watashi to Hen na Oji-san, and we run down all the new manga licensing announcements! Then it’s time to make up for our last Triple Dip with three excellent series, as we examine A Man and His Cat, BL Metamorphosis, and Hi Score Girl!!!
Also congratulations to the winners of our 300th episode manga giveaway contest, Dwayne, John, and Dawn! Thanks again to everyone who participated!
Continue readingHimeno-chan ni Koi wa mada Hayai
A manga about a 9 year-old girl who thinks she’s ready for romance.
This is a cute slice of life comedy. The joke revolve around the titular Himeno-chan who has a crush on her classmate Ouji-kun. Ouji is oblivious to Himeno’s romantic advances and it’s hilarious to see him misunderstand the note she give him that says “Meet me behind the gymnasium. Come alone” as a threat. Creator Yuzuchiri does a good job balancing these jokes along with some sweet moments where Himeno and Ouji get along and just have fun as kids. My favorite character is Ouji’s brother, who is a stand up guy who helps his brother’s friends and starts getting noticed by Himeno’s older sister. I also like the wordplay with Hime meaning ‘princess’ and Ouji meaning ‘prince’.
Currently seralized on Kurage Bunch.
~dakazu
Pocha Koi
A romantic comedy manga about Maru-chan, a chubby office lady who tries to lose weight but can’t help herself from eating.
This seems like a cute and lighthearted comedy but I take issue with how Kouji Murata is making jokes about a woman’s weigh. You get situations where Maru-chan is embarrassed because she wore the same outfit as the rival skinny girl and hers is super tight. Or Maru-chan get’s a bike ride from the handsome co-worker but her weight pops the tire. Everything seems to go back to the main character being overweight. And while Murata does exemplify Maru-chan’s cuteness when she’s happily eating, it doesn’t take away the fact that her weight is constantly being made fun of. A shame because I was hoping this would just be about a woman who loves eating.
~dakazu