Golosseum
This manga is INSANE. Russia vs USA via martial arts involving fake versions of Hilary Clinton, Putin, Hulk Hogan, and Rasputin. Throw in a decendent of Hijikata Toshizo and a Godzilla sized Andre the Giant because WHY NOT?!
Baba Yasushi is known for martial arts manga but the concept of technology that renders humans impervious to firearms and explosions so that we can have World War of the Fists is so crazy you kinda get sucked in to reading more.
~dakazu
Tensai Yanagisawa Kyouju no Seikatsu
A manga chronicling the eccentric, introverted, and genius professor Yanagisawa. Story arcs cover various stages of his life from childhood to present a look into his sometimes humorous interactions with people around him.
I love this manga because it supersedes slice of life manga with the entire life of it’s protagonist. There is something very special about how manga artist Kazumi Yamashita is able to endlessly add to this character with a variety of stories.
Some of them focus on professor Yanagisawa and his family though out his life. Others focus on his various students. Sometimes he is just the bystander to strangers going through a mid-life crisis. Every tale is different but related through Yanagisawa in someway and makes wonderful use of a long-running manga format.
I also love that the professor is based on Yamashita’s actual father who was just as essentric as Yanagisawa.
This is a special manga. Highly recommended.
~dakazu
Chi no Wadachi
A fantastic thriller about a mother obsessed with her son.
The chilling tension that Shuzo Oshimi brings us in this series is amazing. It’s such a slow burn but that makes the tension more palpable. It’s definitely my favorite book that Oshimi has done to date.
~dakazu
Agnes Kamen
Manga about a professional wrestler who ends up working for a rival company as Agnes Mask.
I’ve only read a few manga about wrestling but this one was pretty mediocre. Artwork was decent with lots of focus on muscles but pales in comparison to Baki’s Keisuke Itagaki. The story covers the time period when pro-wrestling wasn’t businesslike and more crazy so that’s something at least. It also ends abruptly which means it was probably canceled. For a good wrestling manga I suggest Lock Up by Tetsuya Saruwatari.
~dakazu
Boku ni Kanojo ga Dekirumade
An autobiographical tale of 31 year old manga artist Dyne Satou’s quest for start his first romantic relationship.
I was immediately hooked after Satou reveals he’s still a virgin in the first chapter. To have to admire someone’s willingness to share something potentially embarrassing to a public audience. The rest of the manga is filled with his experiences with group dating, speed dating, different match sites, and other attempts to date women.
It ended and I won’t reveal what happens but I liked this a lot and hope Satou continues to write more autobiographical manga because I think he has a talent for it.
~dakazu
Ranpo no Gourmet
A food manga about a private detective who’s senses are as sharp as his tastebuds. He follows his targets to their favorite diners and enjoys the menu while solving the case.
This is a good mix of covering tasty foods and simple cases of stalking suspects. I especially liked the detective’s obsession with being a dandy gentlemen mentor to his younger assistant.
~dakazu
Kankinjou
A man is kidnapped and blackmailed by a woman who seeks revenge on him for something he can’t remember.
A twisted manga to say the least. Besides the sexual assault, entrapment, and other horrible things the antagonist punishes the protagonist with, the story spreads its web of terror around other characters and slowly reveals the reasoning behind the woman’s revenge.
The revenge stuff is pretty gross so I haven’t continued it past the 1st volume. I’ll probably go back to read spoilers about what the big reveal was later after it’s finished.
I think the manga artist’s afterword says it all: “If you’re interested in this story, there’s probably something different about you. And if you’re enjoying this story, you probably have issues that need to be addressed. I suggest walks and masturbation”.
~dakazu
F no Mitsumei
A manga about a young British man’s mission to steal information about tea leaves from China.
Finding a historical manga focusing on the tea trade of the 19th century is more than enough to keep reading this!
~dakazu
Gleipnir
Bizarre story of a boy who can transform into a living mascot animal and the girl who learns his secret.
This is a very weird manga and there’s a lot of gross sexual tension between the boy and the girl who literally crawls inside him. I’m casually following it as this point but honestly this feels like another manga that’s trying too hard to sell itself with a weird premise.
~dakazu
Doko ka Tooku no Hanashi wo shiyou
I finally got to finish this delightful series about an Inca village where people with the ability to speak with objects try to help stranger with amnesia.
The story ended up having a wild twist that I didn’t expect and a very bittersweet ending. I high recommend this book for it’s simple, adorable, and beautiful art.
~dakazu