Helck
I was introduced to this manga on a whim and initially I thought the premise of having a fantasy warrior equivalent of Superman join the Demon’s army was silly. As I kept reading the story evolved into a generic but epic struggle of good vs. evil that got me to finish the whole series.
It wasn’t anything original but definitely ended up being a surprise like from me.
~dakazu
Ikioku
Cute short story about a silent but skilled housewife by Shojo Fight! manga artist Yoko Nihonbashi.
I’m a giant fan of Nihonbashi’s work and while this one is short, it includes an in-depth breakdown of how she planned her panel layouts and storytelling. It’s super insightful to learn about a manga artist’s creative process!
~dakazu
Uratarou
A tale of a princess who wants to live forever and an immortal who just wants to die.
Urataro is the first work I’ve finished by Atsushi Nakayama.
I’ve skimmed through his other manga Negimaki Kagyu when it was serialized in Young Jump and always thought his art was unique and very stylized. I rather enjoyed this despite it’s pretty simple story and gory violence. It ended kind of abruptly so I think it might have been canceled, which is a shame.
~dakazu
Yukibana no Tora
Akiko Higashimura’s historical manga that asks “What if Waring states period warlord Uesugi Kenshin was actually a woman?”
Higashimura’s patented humor really make digesting the plot easier. I especially love her “Higashumura teatime” sections where she breaks the 4th wall when the historical beats are the heaviest. I want to read more.
~dakazu
Issak
Historical war manga follows a samurai who works as a mercenary during the Thirty Years’ war to seek revenge. The twist is that he specializes in sniping with his long rifle.
The art is decent and the story is alright.
Taking a samurai and putting him in Europe is a gimmick but giving him a gun is just enough of an extra gimmick that I’m willing to keep reading this.
~dakazu
Discommunication
A newer manga by Masami Yuki of Patlabor fame. The story is about a high school girl who wins a newcomer manga award after she turns in her brother’s manuscript under her own name. Now she’s forced to draw BL manga when she really wants to draw a shonen action series.
The series itself is very good but that’s not the impressive part. Yuki was able to collaborate with different manga artists who did the coloring for the fake BL stories that would start each chapter. This includes Nastume Ono, Akiko Higashimura, Daisuke Igarashi, and many others!
It was short and sweet and it was nice to read something by Masami Yuki again.
~dakazu
ACAA Gaiden: Paula to Michelle
A story about two childhood friends who grow up and fall in love with each other. I’m so impressed by Natsume Ono’s ability to write such a touching side story. It just proves how well crafted the world of ACCA is.
If you’re a fan of ACCA: 13-Territory Inspection Dept. then I highly recommend this book.
~dakazu
Starving Anonymous
I rather enjoyed Kazu Inabe’s artwork on Apocalypse no Toride and this new series really takes advantage of his talent creating disgusting creatures. A horror manga about escaping a facility crawling with monsters, I got hit with a few unexpected twists.
It’s available in English from Kodansha and I recommend checking it out.
~dakazu
Shuujin Riku
A hidden gem of shonen manga. Story focuses on young Riku who is falsely convicted of murder and is sent to the world’s worst prison. Riku must defeat and befriend other prisoners so they can come up with an elaborate escape plan to bust out. All the characters are young men right out of a delinquent manga.
It ended earlier this year. Even though it started to fizzle out towards the ending I enjoyed this series a lot.
~dakazu
Moto Fuuzokujou ga Kanemochizuma ni narimashita
A manga version of the popular novel based on the real life experiences of author Oka Hoa who is a former sex worker. The story follows Hoa as she runs away from an abusive home life and lives on the streets until she ends up working at a brothel.
It’s pretty rough reading about the author’s awful past but fortunately they focus a lot on the positive aspects being a sex worker had on her life. She was able to connect with customers and it helped her become very successful. I’m glad they didn’t shy away from the shady business of the Japanese brothel industry and knowing this will have a happy ending makes it easier to digest. I’m interested to read more.
~dakazu