Category Archives: Written Word

All written posts

Bone Collection

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Bone Collection

A manga about a mediocre exorcist with the forbidden ability to use yokai powers trying to hide his connection to a mysterious beautiful girl who happens to be the great yokai Gasha Dokuro.

Here’s another manga that debuted in Weekly Shonen Jump, only to quickly be canceled and ended in 15 chapters. I feel bad for Jun Kirarazaka but this series felt ill equipped to garner popularity. The art work is distinctive but not what I would call impressive and the main character felt like just another shonen protagonist motivated by his libido. Nothing stood out to me and I think that was the general opinion on this series. You can still read it for yourself on Manga Plus while they leave it up for now.

~dakazu

Time Paradox Ghostwriter

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Time Paradox Ghostwriter

A manga about a talentless manga artist who ends up plagiarizing a god-tier manga sent from 10 years in the future.

We’ve discussed this on a previous episode.

The latest manga to debut in Weekly Shonen Jump and then end in 14 chapters. I feel bad for the writer Kenji Ichima but especially for the artist Tsunehiro Date. Date has not had success with any of his previous series of Cross Account or Tokyo Wonder Boys. Date is very talented and I was really impressed by their art of this series but unfortunately didn’t gain any popularity which lead to it’s cancellation. It joins the long list of series that have come and gone from the Weekly Shonen Jump lineup.

You can read it on Manga Plus while it’s still available.

~dakazu

Kitaro

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Kitaro

A manga about the last survivor of the ghost tribe, Kitaro, and his adventures dealing with Japanese yokai.

Shigeru Mizuki‘s representative work. Mizuki adapted the Hakaba Kitaro character created by Masami Ito and Keiyo Tatsumi from his days doing kamishibai street theater. This series helped popularize monsters and creatures from Japanese folklore. It has been adapted into numerous anime adaptations and is well known in popular culture today. The original manga by Mizuki is still interesting to read today, albeit simple in story as it was intended for children. Revisiting Shigeru Mizuki‘s work always makes me appreciate his art work, especially considering he comes from the generation of manga artists who drew everything themselves.

Kitaro is iconic and still worth reading today. Collections are available in English from Drawn & Quarterly.

~dakazu

Venus in the Blind Spot

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Venus in the Blind Spot

A collection of horror stories by Junji Ito.

We discussed this on a recent episode.

This book is the latest Junji Ito story collection put out by VIZ. I liked this collection better than Smashed: Junji Ito Story Collection as it has fan favorite stories of The Enigma of Amigara Fault and Human Chair. However the titular story didn’t have the same horror flair Ito is usually known for.

The other stories don’t quite stack up to the hits in Shiver: Junji Ito Selected Stories but this book also contains beautiful color pages that include illustrations from Ito’s adaptation of No Longer Human. Overall, this is another great book for Junji Ito fans to own.

~dakazu

Cat Eyed Boy

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Cat Eyed Boy

A manga about a strange cat eyed boy who is hated by humans and demons.

I rather enjoyed this manga! I liked how the titular cat eyed boy was morally grey and how is sometimes ambivalent towards the plight of humans. He even sides with the monsters if the humans are evil and deserve to be punished. I can see the appeal this series would have to young readers, as cat eyed boy isn’t your straight forward hero. Kazuo Umezu‘s monster designs are creepy and he does include violence but I wouldn’t say it’s extreme enough for a content warning. I’m glad this series is available from VIZ.

~dakazu

Fuan no Tane

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Fuan no Tane

A collection of short creepy stories.

We’ve discussed this on an older episode.

Here’s another horror series by Masaaki Nakayama. He did this prior to PTSD Radio but its almost exactly the same. Lots of 4-7 page shorts that end with a person coming face to face with a creepy looking apparition. I still find Nakayama’s work to be a little half-baked because they always end right after the confrontation and you don’t get to see the aftermath. I’m legitimately curious about tracking down a Masaaki Nakayama horror series that isn’t short form like this or PTSD Radio.

~dakazu

Blood on the Tracks

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Blood on the Tracks

A thriller manga about a son who is obsessed with her son.

We’ve discussed this on a recent episode.

It’s great that Chi no Wadachi is now official available in English from Vertical! Shuzo Oshimi has created the slowest of slow burns that just builds dread without using any spoken dialogue. Oshimi’s use of subtle glances and closeups are enough to put you on edge as you turn each page! The story has gone into so crazy places that I can’t wait for English readers to experience. I highly recommend this book if you love tense thrillers!

~dakazu

Jagan wa Gachirin ni Tobu

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Jagan wa Gachirin ni Tobu

A horror manga about a deadly giant owl called Minerva who can kill anyone just by looking at them. After the American government captures the owl and then it escapes, an old hunter is the only hope for survival as Minerva wreaks havoc upon Tokyo.

We’ve discussed this on a recent episode.

This is one of Kazuhiro Fujita‘s manga he did for a seinen magazine. Because it ran in Big Comic Spirits it doesn’t have his usual shonen action manga themes of friendship and courage. Instead, Fujita is able to focus solely on a some really amazing fights between the hunter and a truly horrific monster.

Minerva the giant owl is easily the best part of this book. The winged beast zips around the sky and it’s humongous eyes continuously cry bloody tears. Fujita does some great creepy moments by drawing characters reflected in Minerva’s eyes, showing that they’re in peril. I think this series stands up to Fujita’s most creepy content from Ushio and Tora. It’s a shame it’s not available officially.

~dakazu

Smashed: Junji Ito Story Collection

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Smashed: Junji Ito Story Collection

A collection of Junji Ito‘s horror comics.

Another Junji Ito collection from VIZ. It’s good but I think I prefer the overall group of stories in Shiver: Junji Ito Selected Stories more. This book contains a lot of comics revolving around one of Ito’s reoccurring characters, Soichi. These stories are tonally comedic and more irreverent compared to Ito’s more horrific works. They seem heavily inspired by Kazuo Umezz‘s works like The Drifting Classroom that are targeted for younger readers, and in that sense they don’t appeal to me compared to Ito’s other works.

~dakazu

The Strange Tale of Panorama Island

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The Strange Tale of Panorama Island

A manga about a struggling novelist who steals successfully steals identify of a recently deceased friend and uses his wealth to build an extravagant island amusement park.

I really liked this book. Since this is an adaptation of Edogawa Ranpo novella, you get all of Suehiro Maruo‘s elegant artwork without any of the extreme content he’s known for. Maruo does a fantastic job creating the beautiful and almost otherworldly scenery within the island paradise. His take on the aquatic tunnel is especially impressive.

I recommend The Strange Tale of Panorama Island to readers who want an easy entry point into Suehiro Maruo‘s work. It’s available in English from Last Gasp.

~dakazu