Category Archives: dakazu’s reading

Various manga dakazu’s read with some commentary

Marie Antoinette no Ryorinin

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Marie Antoinette no Ryorinin

A manga about a Japanese chef who joins the court of French Nobility  and does cooking battles in the name of Marie Antoinette.

Unlike Nobunaga no Chef which put’s a time traveler back in the past, Chef Isobe is simply a man who’s traveled from Japan to France. It’s hard to believe that this Japanese chef in the 18th century created famous condiments like tartar sauce, introduced burgers and fries to America, and helped spread croissants across Europe.

This manga was never finished and I kinda get why.

~dakazu

Please tell me! Galko-chan

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Please tell me! Galko-chan

At first glace this looks like a manga that asks pervy questions to the main characters for titillation but this series is actually about the thoughtful relationships between friends. The characters are all given nicknames that label them but the manga goes out of the way to subvert those stereotypes. 

Galko-chan herself may embrace her gal-style appearance but she’s actually very thoughtful and kind. Unlike her flashy looks she’s quite pure and innocent. I really liked how she was best friends with an otaku girl and rich elite as well.

This book doesn’t shy away from titillation but the characters seemed to be written from a place of love and care. Also it’s rare to find a color manga!

Really liked this manga. It’s available in English from Seven Seas Entertainment and I highly recommend it!

~dakazu

Devils’ Line

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Devils’ Line

Manga where vampires hide within society in plain sight. The story follows a female victim of vampire stalking and her relationship with her half vampire savior who works for a secret police task force.

This reminded me a lot of Showtime’s True Blood. I started watching the anime adaptation but I ended up dropping it. As far as vampires go, this isn’t as interesting as Happiness by Shuzo Oshimi.

It’s available in English through Kodansha.

~dakazu

DEAD Tube

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DEAD Tube

Wow, it’s been a while since I’ve read such utter edge lord garbage but here we are.

A manga that’s only trying to be as offensive as possible with excessive gore and sexual content. The only thing I can compare it to is the shock-horror film A Serbian Film. I found it laughable that the creators tried to make the main characters sympathetic at one point of the story. It doesn’t matter if you make them suffer horrible losses when they’re awful people. I won’t care about them.

This doesn’t even work as a decent satire. If you want to read something that’s violent and full of sex you’re better off reading anything else.

~dakazu

Maguro Tosabune

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Maguro Tosabune

Manga version of Kenji Saito’s novel about fishermen who spend 2 years out at sea catching Tuna.

This is basically the tuna version of Discovery channel’s Deadliest Catch. Everything from the process of fishing to the individual stories they tell about the fishermen are very similar. From grizzled veterans to young greenhorns, the struggles they experience on their voyage are all based on real life woes of real Japanese tuna fishermen.

I really liked Yuske Aoyagi’s art style. Reminded me of old school artists like Tetsuya Chiba. I was impressed with his ability to differentiate all the fishermen, mostly with sublte differences in the faces.

~dakazu 

Legend of the Galactic Heroes

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Legend of the Galactic Heroes

I finally jumped into this series with the new anime. Decided to take a look at this recent manga version done by Ryu Fujisaki. I’m a fan of his Houshin Engi and I thought his stylized art worked well for space battle scenes. This versions starts with the childhood of Reinhard but I can’t tell if that’s unique or not because I’m not familiar with the series. I’ll keep reading and watching the anime to hopefully find out why this series is so beloved by fans.

~dakazu

The Highschool Life of a Fudanshi

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The Highschool Life of a Fudanshi

Comedy series about a guy who likes BL.

Jokes aside, I enjoy manga that cover fushoujo/fudanshi as a topic because I get to learn a lot about the fandom. It’s very informative in understanding the culture and why there is a giant business with doujinshi.

Also I LOVE the song from the anime.

~dakazu

Tsuribito Seikatsu

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Tsuribito Seikatsu

A chronicle of Edomae no Shun artist Terushi Sato’s favorite pastime of fishing.

It was entertaining to read Sato’s tales of fishing with his manga assistants and other famous manga artists. I liked how most of the stories revolve around him failing to catch anything and feeling dejected as it added a sense of realism. He also introduces some experimental recipes he’s tried as well. A good mix of fishing and food, I’d like to read more.

~dakazu

Gaka Bakka

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Gaka Bakka

A comedy where Vincent Van Gogh escapes from heaven and returns to life in Japan because we wants to become famous while still alive. He’s joined by other famous artists of history, including Pablo Picasso, Leonardo Da Vinci, and Salvador Dali, as they all try to make it big by becoming manga artist.

The concept idea of this manga is hilarious and there a plenty of jokes to be made about these famous artists struggling to understand the modern manga industry. Da Vinci trying to figure out what “moe” means is amazing enough to have me keep checking out this manga.

~dakazu