Category Archives: dakazu’s reading

Various manga dakazu’s read with some commentary

Yona of the Dawn

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Yona of the Dawn

A manga about a princess who must escape her kingdom of Kohka with her bodyguard Hak after her beloved cousin Su-won overthrows the throne.

Really nice series. I’ve heard about this one before but never read it until we covered it for the podcast. I was really impressed with Mizuho Kusanagi’s designs as they give the world a general Asian backdrop. The story is a bit rote so far and Yona herself starts off pretty boring but it’s hooked me enough that I want to keep reading. The epic fantasy featuring many handsome men reminds me a lot of Basara by Yumi Tamura.

Available from Viz Media.

~dakazu

Alice & Zoroku

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Alice & Zoroku

A manga about an old man who ends up looking after a young girl with powers that bring imagination to life.

I really like this one! The odd couple pairing of powerful and arrogant Sana with crotchety old Zoroku works perfectly. Zokuro scolds Sana often but with purpose and she slowly begins to learn right from wrong. I’m really interested in reading more as they escape the organization that kept Sana locked up like a lab rat and other girls with powers start to appear.

This is a side note but they sure love using Alice in Wonderland as a motif in manga.

Available from Seven Seas and there’s an anime adaptation as well.

~dakazu

Moe-tai

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Moe-tai

A manga about an overweight teen who falls in love with boxing after being forced to lose weight by his sister.

Not too bad. The story is pretty simple so the short length works within it’s single volume. Iqura Sugimoto’s character art that made the main character really likable. I really liked how he never lost weight to change his look and his revelation was more about finding something he could set as a goal.

~dakazu

Sankarea: Undying Love

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Sankarea: Undying Love

A manga about a zombie fanatic who helps a girl commit suicide but instead turns her into a zombie.

I had heard a lot about this series because people really like the anime. When I finally got around to reading it I found the art was nice and story was alright but everything felt bland. I think the worst thing is that it was really predictable and the story played out like I thought it would. There’s lots of female characters so you can consider this bit of a harem manga and also plenty of fan service that I don’t care for.

It’s a fine series but I think ultimately a lackluster one for me.

Available from Kodasha Comics.

~dakazu

Ajin: Demi-Human

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Ajin: Demi-Human

A manga about a boy who discovers he’s an immortal ‘Ajin’ and must escape from the government that hunts him down.

This series is pretty good. I like how Ajin are setup as monsters in the eyes of society. You sympathize with Kei and his plight of trying to figure out what he is and the way others now view him. It reminded me a lot of Parasyte.

The story ramps up nicely as Kei discovers people who help him and other Ajin who seek to use their powers to strike back at the government. The use of Ajin immortality as a respawn allows creator Gamon Sakurai to setup some unique action sequences. Sakurai also introduces these creepy physical entities that the Ajin can summon called Black Ghosts. They work almost like a stand from Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure and there of plenty of nice fighting between them.

Solid story and art. I recommend it. Available from Kodansha Comics.

~dakazu

Kyoto Kosodate Sanpo

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Kyoto Kosodate Sanpo

A manga about Junko Kubota raising her children while experiencing the local delicacies of Kyoto.

Another fun read for me. Kubota’s cute art style works great with the many comedic moments that happen with her family. I liked the dynamic that she shared with her husband and children as they revisited classic Kyoto eats from her own childhood. The children worked perfectly for food reactions and Kubota picked some choice moments that genuinely put a smile on my face.

~dakazu

Bougyaku no Kokekko

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Bougyaku no Kokekko

A manga where a group from an orphanage must survive a world where all adults have turned into giant murderous chickens.

Another “X-turns into X” horror manga. Gory scenes of humans being ripped apart and throw in some antagonistic human survivors as well. Honestly, there’s nothing that separates this from Shibuya Goldfish or all the shock horror stuff out there.

Someone find me one where blow-up dolls are the monsters so I can at least have a laugh.

~dakazu

Hitokiri

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Hitokiri

A historical manga about the assassin Okada Izō who worked under Takechi Hanpeita during the Bakumatsu period of Japan.

The Bakumatsu period is my favorite historical time of Japan. Many samurai clashed to over throw the government. Izō is one of the more notable assassins during this time and this book perfectly covers his struggles of being used as a weapon under Takechi. I’m glad that this manga covers Izō’s friendship with revolutionary Sakamoto Ryoma and fellow assassin Tanaka Shinbei.

I love Hiroshi Hirata’s art. It’s very realistic style that uses thick ink lines for contrast. Reminds me of Lone Wolf and Cub’s Goseki Kojima. Hirata has done many historical manga and this one is great like the rest of them.

~dakazu

Benjie

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Benjie

A manga about a young man who starts his new job as a zookeeper at North Safari Sapporo zoo.

Really great series about animals and the zoo. The main character Takatoshi has a lot of baggage from giving up on his dream of playing baseball and he struggles to learn about taking care of animals. It’s a pretty simple set up but Katsumi Tatsuzawa’s art work is excellent. The star animal is an Indian eagle-owl named Benjie and I like how he antagonizes Takatoshi. It’s fun to get Benjie’s inner dialogue as he watches Takatoshi struggle to become a full fledged zookeeper.

This manga is done in collaboration with North Safari Sapporo zoo, which actually exists and is known for it’s potential for danger. It’s also rare to see a manga that’s done in full color and not black and white.

You can check it out in Japanese online here.

~dakazu

35-sai kara no Osake Debyu

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35-sai kara no Osake Debyu

A manga where 35 year old Sachiko Orihara starts her journey to understand the appeal of alcohol.

This was pretty fun to read. I like how Orihara chronicles all her experiences from buying to tasting from a comedy aspect. She even drags her editor around with her, as they despair at how bitter beer is and how strong whiskey tastes. I’m happy that by the end she acquired the taste of a few different drinks.

Humorous and entertaining.

~dakazu