Higuma no Te
A prototype for Hell Warden Higuma.
This progenitor has a different story from Hell Warden Sigma but all the basic elements are the same. I’m sorry to say but Natsuki Hokami is probably better off moving on from this series idea. I just don’t see anything unique that establishes these characters for lasting appeal.
~dakazu
Kimi ga Bokura wo Akuma to Yonda Koro
A manga about a boy with amnesia who is forced to uncover his past as a violent bully by his victims.
I’m really not sure what this series is trying to do…
Well, I do but I don’t like it or care for it.
Takashi Sano has created a story where this protagonist slowly learn about his past as an awful person. The mystery and driving force of the story is the reveal of what he did that lead to the death of a girl he was supposedly in love with. The only problem is that everything about this bully’s past is so vile and despicable that when the truth(that didn’t make much sense) was revealed I didn’t care to sympathize with him at all. The series is still on-going but because of this I don’t care what happens to him or the guilt he’ll have to live with after what he’s done. Nothing will be worth reading about.
Screw this guy.
~dakazu
Mother Ghoul
A manga about a group of female students who have shipwrecked on an island filled with horrific lizard creatures.
This one ended up being pretty good. I didn’t really get much out of this manga until I read past the first volume. The survival of the girls is told parallel with a fairy tale that explains the lore behind the islands origins, which leads to some really gruesome revelations. The story delves into some Lord of the Flies stuff with one group of girls having an almost cult-like delusions about their situation. Kiku Sugawara‘s solid art work helps carry all of this into a decent horror series. I’ll keep reading more for now.
~dakazu
Ichigeki
A manga about a group of country peasants who are recruited and trained to become an assassination squad against the Satsuma during Bakumatsu era Japan.
Wow. I don’t think I’ve ever read anything by Jiro Matsumoto that’s this grounded in reality. It doesn’t come close to the strange psychological nature of his other works like Freesia or Joshi Kohei. I assume this is because the writing is handled by Yoshio Nagai.
Matsumoto’s brutal violence fits extremely well with the historical setting of feudal Japan. It honestly might be the easiest of his series to recommend for newcomers.
~dakazu
258 – State of Shonen 1 – We Never Learn
When Seamus is away, shonen will save the day! Morgana is back as an official member of the hosts this episode so we discuss the current arcs and happenings of our favorite shonen manga series, such as We Never Learn, Black Clover, Fire Force, and more!!!
Continue readingShigeru Mizuki’s Hitler
A manga biography by Shigeru Mizuki about the rise and fall of Adolf Hitler.
Another power non-fiction work from Shigeru Mizuki. I was really impressed with Mizuki’s ability to seamlessly mix his cartoony characters with realistic backgrounds. There’s extreme attention to detail as Mizuki also recreated many famous photos of Hitler but through his own unique drawings. The subject matter is tough to read at times but this book handles these events with a serious tone that you’d expect from a history novel.
~dakazu
Motokare ga Fudanshi ni natte orimashite.
A manga where an office lady accidentally runs into her ex-boyfriend from high school who has become a BL otaku because of her.
Pretty entertaining series. Definitely similar to Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku with a similar cast of adult otaku. The only difference here is that the guy is into BL and also a huge fan of the doujinshi that the main character puts out. She keeps this a secret from him and it leads to hilarity between them.
The themes here are definitely adults who have to hide their perverse hobbies. It’s playing with troupes of adulthood in society and poking fun at otaku culture.
A fun read.
~dakazu
Pop Team Epic
A series of irrelevant 4-panel strips staring Popuko and Pipimi.
Yeah… This really isn’t for me.
The humor is completely random to the point of not being appealing. I can deal with wacky humor to an extent, and that extent being anything by Kyosuke Usuta. Bkub Okawa on the other hand seems to have written jokes while they were tripping on some drugs.
I will say the anime is enjoyable because they filled it with creative alternative animation. The paper animated Hellshake Yano segment is particularly impressive.
I say just watch the anime and skip the manga.
~dakazu
Rice Shoulder
A manga about a giant woman who gets scouted to become a professional boxer.
This was a good sports manga! I’ve read Tsuyoshi Nakaima‘s golf series Ougon no Rough before and I’ve enjoyed his cartoony art work. Even though boxing is represented well through the action, this is filled with comical scenes that give it a whimsical feel.
A solid and fun read!
~dakazu
Nikujo no Susume
A manga about an office lady who has a complex about what she looks like when she eats her favorite food: meat.
I liked this series but man o man, does it feel like fetish bait. Various characters indulge in eating their favorite foods while giving orgasmic expressions. It’s very similar to Meshinuma in that sense.
The main character even cries because her boyfriend dumped her for how she looked while eating. This also leads a potential romantic relationship with a co-worker’s who’s erectile dysfunction gets fixed after he sees her devouring her meal. Eventually she makes friends with other female co-workers and they start hanging out together to eat various meat dishes.
It’s a weird concept where I really feel a culture gap with Japanese society. Is there as stigma against women who eat meat and enjoy it in Japan? Possibly, but this manga sure leans into that hard and it comes off a bit ridiculous.
~dakazu