Author Archives: dakazu

Gunjou no Magmel

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Gunjou no Magmel

A manga where a mysterious new continent filled with monsters and hidden secrets called Magmel appears suddenly where rescue specialists called Anglers work for a living.

Honestly speaking this manga really doesn’t seem that interesting. It’s obviously heavily inspired by Hunter x Hunter and other works by Yoshihiro Togashi. I’ve seen it on Jump+ but just started reading it after the anime began this season. The only unique thing I found was that it’s done by a Chinese artist Dainenbyou.

A pretty typical shonen adventure manga but I didn’t see anything that would keep me reading.

~dakazu

241 – One Shot 19 – Maiden Railways

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241 – One Shot 19 – Maiden Railways

This week we read about relationships that meet and travel at trains and train stations in Asumiko Nakamura’s Maiden Railways!

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Children of the Whales

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Children of the Whales

A sci-fi fantasy manga where survivors on a floating island above a sea of sand have telekinetic powers.

This is a fantastic series! I love that the creator Abi Umeda is approaching this as a transcription of a strange journal she came across in a mysterious bookstore. Umeda’s artwork is gorgeous and the world she’s crafted is intricate and very unique. It reminds me of WOMBS or Imuri. I’ll definitely be keeping up with this one.

 An anime adaptation is available on Netflix as well.

~dakazu

Fukujuu Toshi

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Fukujuu Toshi

A manga where clothes become monstrous creatures who being devouring humans.

Yeah….

Another apocalyptic gore series. The only difference is the really dumb premise of clothes being a plot by alien invaders who were secretly biding their time to wait until their numbers had spread so they can take over the earth. The protagonist has somehow kept his clothes from fully taking over his body and he must now try and survive both clothes monster and other human survivors who question him.

Just writing this about this is enough to roll my eyes. Hard pass on this one for me.

~dakazu

We Never Learn

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We Never Learn

A romantic comedy about a male high school student who must tutor two girl geniuses in subject they are incompetent in.

I tried.

I really did, I swear.

The anime started and I tried to actually get into this manga but I just can’t.

Too much typical harem-style plots and excessive fan service for me.

~dakazu

Noise

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Noise

A manga about a small and quiet country town that must deal with a stranger that is a criminal on the run.

Really interesting series. The story setup is almost more suited for a drama than a manga. After young men of the town deal with the stranger they must continue to hide what they’ve done as more people arrive to investigate their small town.

Also the title as very apt as the ‘noise’ of what happens begins to grow out of control.

I’m really interested to see how everything will end up playing out.

~dakazu

Tonari no Akujo

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Tonari no Akujo

A manga about a woman who plots to steal her childhood sweetheart’s love by moving in next door and ruining his girlfriend’s life.

I enjoyed Tamaki Vanessa Chihiro’s Yokohama Doppelganger so I checked out this new book she did. This series is hella creepy because the evil woman Kanon takes her time to slowly manipulate her love and the girlfriend.

It’s a good slow burn.

~dakazu

H.P. Lovecraft’s The Hound and Other Stories

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H.P. Lovecraft’s The Hound and Other Stories

Checked out another round of H.P. Lovecraft stories adapted into manga by Gou Tanabe. Tanabe’s artwork continues to be amazing as it really brings out the majesty and horror of Lovecraft. ‘The Temple’ might be my favorite one I’ve read so far.

Highly recommend these books for fans of both Lovecraft and horror in general.

~dakazu

Bokura wa Mahou Shounen

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Bokura wa Mahou Shounen

A manga about a boy with a strong sense of justice who dreams of becoming a superhero getting magic powers that turn him into a magical girl.

This manga is interesting because it plays with the concepts of gender stereotypes. At first the boy is embarrassed at transforming into a cute outfit. Eventually he must overcome his own feelings and accept that he is cute which in turn makes him more powerful.

I questioned how creator Teppei Fukushima would handle issues of gender identity but so far the series has done a good job with representation.

~dakazu

240 – Creator Cross Section 5 – Kazuo Koike

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240 – Creator Cross Section 5 – Kazuo Koike

On this episode we pay tribute to manga writer Kazuo Koike who passed away recently. We examine his themes of historical facts, violence, nudity, and tattoos throughout his work on Lone Wolf and Cub, Lady Snowblood, Crying Freeman, and Mad Bull 34!!!

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