Dorohedoro
After 13 years this dark fantasy series is finally finished. I loved Q-Hayashida’s amazing artwork and I’m happy to see this manga completed.
There’s an anime adaptation in the works and I’m excited to see how it will turn out!
~dakazu
Otoriyose Ouji Iida Yoshimi
A food manga about Yoshimi Iida, a young man who loves to order food online from all over Japan.
I quite enjoyed this one. The gimmick of focusing on real-life food you can order for yourself online is a nice touch for readers who are interested in trying out these tasty looking dishes for themselves. Shiho Takase has a wonderfully charming art style for the characters and I love the overall positive feel of this series. Iida himself runs a twitter account where he constantly posts his food and it was a fun addition that made the story feel even more grounded in modern times.
~dakazu
Dumbbell Nan Kilo Moteru?
A manga about high school girl who starts working out at a gym to lose weight.
This manga is perfect for me because I’m currently trying to lose weight and it gives thorough breakdowns of workout techniques and tips for dieting. The part I found surprising was that there was a lot of comedy in this series with the main instructor constantly ripping through this clothes to show off his muscles. My only complaint is the large amount of fan-service of all the girls. Every stretch or explanation was accompanied by a huge crotch shot that I didn’t care for.
Planning on using these techniques immediately!
~dakazu
228 – Frankenstein: Junji Ito Story Collection part 1
This week we dive into the wonderful horror of Frankenstein: Junji Ito Story Collection! We’ll specifically be reviewing Ito’s take on Frankenstein!
Continue readingHigh-Rise Invasion
A manga where people are summoned into a world where they must survive on top of high-rise buildings while avoiding killers wearing strange masks.
Checked out this series because the author Tsuina Miura also does Ajin: Demi-Human. Initially I thought the premise of survival on rooftops was pretty stupid but I got wrapped up in the mystery behind the world and the different masks that control victims. I think the art work isn’t anything special but sufficient for the actions scenes and violence.
It’s available in English from Seven Seas Entertainment.
I’ll keep reading it for now and hopefully the mysteries won’t take too long to unfold.
~dakazu
Seikatsu
A manga about people who form a group to enact vigilante justice against wrongdoers in their city.
I’m a huge fan of Shigeyuki Fukumitsu and while he’s most known for his autobiographical work about his wife, I always enjoy most of his fictional work like this one.
I really liked how the story focuses on these individuals who feel the need to punish petty injustices like rude people talking loudly on the train. Their group eventually grows into a large organization that maintains the peace of the community but corruption ends up getting the original members ostracized. It’s a pretty common story line but Fukumitsu has a really unique way of drawing action scenes so that carried me through til the end of the book.
Also Fukumitsu must really like hammers as a weapon because this isn’t the first manga I’ve seen him use them in.
~dakazu
The Full-Time Wife Escapist
A manga about a woman who enters into a common-law marriage with a man to make a job out of being a house wife.
We covered this series recently but afterwords I ended up diving into it and read the whole thing. Although it is ultimately a straight-up romance manga with numerous cliche, I really loved how they approached these overused storylines. Breaking down the relationships of love and physical contact logistically was hilarious and refreshing. I also appreciated that this was a story about adults dealing with love instead of younger teenagers.
I loved it so much that I even watched the live-action drama, which was also excellent!
~dakazu
Mustard Chocolate
A manga about a high school senior who wants to get into a fine arts college to find a place where she belongs.
I discussed this manga for the podcast a long time ago but recently reread it and it still holds up wonderfully. Tomoko Fuyukawa’s simple artwork shines and she makes great use of the 4 panel layout for some really effective storytelling. The growth of the main character Rinko throughout the book is particularly satisfying but just about every other character is also great.
A lovely single volume release.
~dakazu
My Love Story!!
A manga about a giant high school boy, who has no luck with women, suddenly finding himself is a romance with a beautiful girl.
A wonderful heartwarming romance manga. I love Aruko’s art work and the way draws Takeo as the most manliest of men. The story is filled with great characters and their earnest feelings for each other.
While to focus is on Takeo and his girlfriend Rinko, I think the best relationship in this series is the friendship between Takeo and his good looking friend Suna. Suna cares about Takeo more than even himself and there’s a really touching moment where Takeo supports Suna during a family crisis.
Suna/Takeo forever!
~dakazu
What Did You Eat Yesterday?
A food manga about a middle-aged gay couple and the meals they eat together.
This is the manga that introduced me to Fumi Yoshinaga and it’s still one of her best series. I absolutely love the relationship between the more serious and closeted lawyer and his effeminate hair dresser partner. As you read the series the lawyer starts to open up about his sexuality slowly to his family and friends and it’s just a wonderful character progression. Also Yoshinaga does not skim over any details of the food and the recipes are covered thoroughly.
A fantastic LGBTQ+ couple and food manga combo. Highly recommended and available in English from Vertical Publishing! I’m looking forward to the live-action drama this year!
~dakazu