Category Archives: dakazu’s reading

Various manga dakazu’s read with some commentary

Fuku wo Kiru Nara Konna Fuu ni

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Fuku wo Kiru Nara Konna Fuu ni

A manga about a young man who rediscovers his fashion sense after his sister helps him out.

I’ve read plenty of DIY/self improvement manga (mostly about food) but this is the first one I’ve seen that covers fashion. I didn’t really like it because pointing out flaws in someone’s fashion sense came off as pretentious instead of helping. This becomes more relevant later in the series when new characters show up that need to have their fashion “fixed”.

Not really for me and happy to read something else instead.

~dakazu

Meshiage!!

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Meshiage!!

A manga about the food Japanese soldiers ate during the Russo-Japanese war.

It was fun to read about what soldiers ate during this time period. My main complaint is that there wasn’t enough distinction between characters because they all wore the same uniform and had similar haircuts.

~dakazu

Oni no Sakuza

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Oni no Sakuza

A manga focused on the Honda Sakuzaemon, otherwise known as Honda Shigetsugu: a samurai serving under Tokugawa Ieyasu who’s ferocity was feared by even Oda Nobunaga.

I’m not really a fan of warring states period in Japan. I mostly checked out this manga because I was a fan of Shinji Saijyo’s more famous cooking manga Iron Wok Jan! Unfortunately I haven’t found any of his other series compares to that one and this one is no different.

~dakazu

Satoko and Nada

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Satoko and Nada

A wonderful story about a Japanese girl attending an American University who learns about Muslim and Saudia Arabia culture through her roommate.

This is a fantastic series that is originally a web manga. It’s presented in a yonkoma or 4-panel style so each page has it’s own episode and punchline. Because the target audience is Japanese, this book is a pretty simple beginner’s course in Muslim religion and culture.

I thought is was heartfelt and wonderful. It’s available from Sevens Seas Entertainment!

~dakazu

Fuichin Tsaichen!

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Fuichin Tsaichen!

Biographical manga about the life of Toshiko Ueda, one of first major female manga artists during the golden age of manga.

This is a really touching story. Ueda went through lots of heartache and loss during World War 2 while her family was based in Harbin, China. The series follows her entire life up to her death.

~dakazu

Genshijin Kareshi

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Genshijin Kareshi

A high school girl is sent back in time to the prehistoric era where she is saved by an australopithecus garhi or primitive man.

I’m usually not big on shoujo manga but the premise of a prehistoric boyfriend x high school girl was interesting enough that I enjoyed it. I think shoujo with comedy elements are usually easier for me to read.

~dakazu

Back Street Girls

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Back Street Girls

Three yakuza goons are forced by their boss to undergo surgery and become cute girls to break into the Idol market.

The premise is absurd and hilarious. Lots of dirty jokes. Sometimes the manga would get excessive with the amount of torture it put the 3 main characters in. Otherwise I enjoy this series a lot. Looking forward to the anime this summer!

~dakazu

“Kodomo wo Koroshite kudasai” to iu Oyatachi

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“Kodomo wo Koroshite kudasai” to iu Oyatachi

Tales about two social workers who work with parents dealing with children who have grown to become emotionally disturbed adults.

As someone with experience with social work, I really appreciate how the creative team of artist Masakazu Suzuki and author Takeshi Oshikawa take time to address the issue of these troubled adult from all sides. Many stories include the problems with parenting that help foster these violent behaviors. They even cover how mental care workers and doctors can be neglectful and release patients from care before they are ready.

Many tales end in tragedy but they all address the importance of mental care and healthy family relationships. I think this manga is very informative.

~dakazu