Category Archives: dakazu’s reading

Various manga dakazu’s read with some commentary

Rin

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Rin

The sequel series to Sugar. It continues to follow the exploits of genius boxer Rin Ishikawa.

This is a fascinating character study of human behavior as Rin has reached superhuman status, toying with his opponent that he wins the championship from. He mocks others openly because they have no understanding of the world he sees from his talent. He’s contrasted by the serious Tachikawa, a ex-criminal who’s attained his own championship through grit and determination. After Rin sucker punches Tachikawa he challenges him to fight in the ring. While Tachikawa begins to lose himself to prepare for their match Rin’s world is rocked when his childhood sweetheart rejects him for his heinous behavior. Rin falls into a dark spiral filled with brothel visits until he hits rock bottom. Ultimately, he finds Tachikawa’s intense animosity in the ring to be better than any sexual gratification he could ever hope to achieve.

Hideki Arai is a master of crafting charismatic characters and Rin is one of his best. It’s intense and very adult but that’s what I loved about this.

~dakazu

The Magnificent Grand Scene

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The Magnificent Grand Scene

A manga about a young girl’s journey into becoming a ballerina.

Really solid sports manga! Initially I was more curious about reading a non-hentai work by Cuvie but I ended up being pleasantly surprised at how good this series is. Our main character Kanade shares a lot of similar characteristics you find in shonen sports protagonists. She’s upbeat and friendly even to harsh rivals, she fails but always gets back up to try again, and she has her own unique talent that others acknowledge and envy. I also like that it’s a ballet manga that actually focuses on female ballet dancers unlike Dance Dance Danseur, though the artwork is not quite as dynamic in comparison.

A great sports series that focuses on female characters. We need more sports series like this one. It’s available digitally through Kindle & comiXology.

~dakazu

Africa Salaryman

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Africa Salaryman

A manga about African animals working in a modern society.

This series might seem similar to BEASTARS but it’s nothing alike. It’s a comedy series through and through as it’s mostly presented in a 4-panel style manga. I will say that the jokes here are pretty funny. There’s a great dynamic between the scumbag toucan, straight man lizard, and their air headed lion senior. I’m enjoying the current anime as well.

A decent comedy. Just don’t expect a lot of logic or depth.

~dakazu

Kiriko

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Kiriko

A manga about a group of former classmates who are anonymously invited to their middle school where they get hunted down by a horrific monster who is the girl they bullied to death.

Decent horror manga. The premise and plot is really generic but Shingo Honda‘s design of Kiriko is great. She has long limbs covered with cigarette burns and a terrifying face and as she kills off the classmates she grows larger and larger. The horrific designs were the highlight of this single volume manga. If you want to enjoy more of Honda’s creepy monsters I recommend checking out his Hakaijuu series as well.

~dakazu

Killer Ape

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Killer Ape

A manga that takes place in a peaceful 2199 Japan where a man joins a paramilitary company so he can vlog his experiences reliving historical battles through a virtual reality soldier training program.

The setup for this manga is quite busy but was really enjoyable once it got going. The protagonist slowly starts to change his life view as he interacts with famous historical figures such as Napoleon Bonaparte and William the Conqueror. The transformation from a peace knowing citizen to a seasoned soldier matches the title’s Killer Ape hypothesis that suggests human evolution is tied to war and aggression. As the series progresses it eventually leads to an actual conflict in the present times that the main character must now participate in.

This was an entertaining series that mixed historical settings with science fiction well. It’s a shame that it recently ended but that also means it didn’t overstay it’s welcome either. Solid manga for sure.

~dakazu

Fechippuru ~ Bokura no Junsuina Koi~

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Fechippuru ~ Bokura no Junsuina Koi~

A romantic comedy about a man with a hair fetish and a woman with a back fetish who start dating.

This one was pretty decent. There’s lots of jokes around their fetishes that break the usual romance troupes. I appreciated that their relationship is weird but it works for them. As the series progresses we’re introduced to other characters that have their own fetishes and that keeps things funny.

~dakazu

Shinmai Nitta-ism

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Shinmai Nitta-ism

A manga about a brand new teacher who helps teachers and students alike with his unorthodox methods but it all may be a ploy to take over the school.

I really enjoyed this series while it ran on Jump+. It’s similar to GTO in a lot of ways but the protagonist here is almost a perfect being, as he’s adapt at everything from drinking veteran teachers under the table to befriending lonely students through video games. Nitta uses quite a bit of underhanded tactics like blackmailing to get his ways but it’s always done with the best interest of others in mind. Also this series is incredibly witty and has great comedic timing.

The artist Hirakei is currently working on another awesome comedy called ‘Tis Time for “Torture,” Princess that you can read on Manga PLUS!

~dakazu

Yasuko to Kenji

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Yasuko to Kenji

A manga about a high school girl and her overprotective ex-delinquent older brother.

It’s been a while since I’ve looked at a shojo manga with all the usual troupes but I should’ve known I’d love anything done by Aruko. This series is just as funny and heartwarming as My Love Story!!. The cat & dog dynamic between the siblings is especially hilarious. Unfortunately it ended after 4 volumes and the story didn’t reach a full conclusion but I hear there was a live-action drama so I might hunt that down instead.

~dakazu

Uzumaki

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Uzumaki

A manga about a young woman trying to survive in her small coast town as an obsession with spirals leads everyone into madness.

My absolutely favorite series by Junji Ito. I love how each separate story is connected through the theme of spirals. Ito’s artwork shines as you get to experience his horrific designs in a astonishingly wide variety of forms.

A pinnacle of illustrated horror and a must-read for any manga fan. I’m looking forward to the upcoming anime adaptation.

~dakazu

THE OUTER ZONE

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THE OUTER ZONE

A manga about a mysterious woman named Misery who guides you through tales of strange occurrences ranging from the occult to science fiction.

This is essentially Tales from the Crypt or The Twilight Zone turned into a manga. Each chapter is usually a standalone story about someone’s interaction with a cursed object that becomes a morality play. Sometimes the people survive and sometimes they brutally die. I remember reading this as a child and having nightmares from Shin Mitsuhara‘s creepy monster designs. Looking back know it’s really tame by today’s standards.

~dakazu