Category Archives: Written Word

All written posts

Biomega

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Biomega

A manga about a synthetic human agent on a mission to track down a young girl who is immune to the deadly virus that transforms people into zombie-like drones.

We’ve discussed this on a previous episode.

As a fan of Tsutomu Nihei I should have read this much sooner. This series is extremely similar to BLAME!. The main character is basically Kyrii but they gave him a cool motorcycle and an even bigger gun. The story focuses on a dying Earth that’s about to be over run with horrible mutated creatures. The Earth get’s transmuted drastically midway through the story and it’s fantastically drawn by Nihei.

If you prefer BLAME! over Nihei’s later stuff like APOSIMZ then I think you’re really enjoy this book.

Available in English from VIZ.

~dakazu

VS Evil

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VS Evil

A manga about a female college student who get’s haunted by a vengeful spirit with amnesia. The college student much survive dangerous run-ins with terrifying apparitions and help the spirit with his missing memories to be free of him.

So this manga is a prime example where a manga artist’s artistic ability alone completely carries the series. Takashi Yomoyama‘s art is amazing. Whether it’s exciting action, horrific monster designs, or excessive fan service, he delivers on all accounts. I especially liked the sequences where the spirit would possess the college girl which transformed her physical appearance. Also loved how on the covers of the volumes it says “Uncensored version for Adults” because the original online published chapters needed to be censored.

This series was publish online on Cycomi but will be moving to a print magazine due to popularity. I hope Yomoyama continues to find success with this book because he definitely deserves it.

~dakazu

Satsujin Auction

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Satsujin Auction

A manga about a deadly online auction where customers bid for the right to decide how victims die.

This series was alright. Although the concept of a murder auction isn’t really original I though it was drawn well by Takahiro Akiyoshi. I had more problems with Michio Yazu‘s story. I figured out the truth behind the auction pretty early and the ending wasn’t good. Giving the female detective on the case the ability to tell if someone is lying was also a standard gimmick I’ve seen before. This one is a completely decent and therefor forgettable series.

~dakazu

Tsukiko and the Satellite and other stories

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Tsukiko and the Satellite and other stories

A collection of short comics by illustrator and comic creator Mississippi.

We’ve discussed this on a recent episode.

Really enjoyed this. Independent/alternative manga is has such a different feel than mainstream manga. The panel layout feels closer to Western comics but the art style reminded me of Japanese newspaper comics. This collection has a similar vibe to panpanya‘s An Invitation from a Crab, so if you enjoyed that manga you’ll probably enjoy this one too.

Available digitally from Glacier Bay Books.

~dakazu

The Unwomanly Face of War

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The Unwomanly Face of War

A manga adaptation of Svetlana Alexievich’s book which won the Noble Prize in Literature.

We’ve discussed this on a recent episode.

I love these adaptations of historical events. Keito Koume does a fantastic job of bringing Alexievich’s oral history of Russian female soldiers during World War 2 to life. Since Alexievich interviews many veterans of war we get to see women who tended to the laundry, female snipers, and even female fighter pilots. But Seamus did warn me that Svetlana Alexievich tends to alter facts to fit the narrative she wants to tell so I won’t take her stories as absolute truths. Regardless, this series is great.

~dakazu

Puro Chichi

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Puro Chichi

A manga about a stay-at-home father who vows to become a professional dad to care for his newborn son while dealing with his own diagnosis of Asperger’s syndrome.

Really good series. I like how the focus was child care through the eyes of an autistic adult. Mieko Osaka did a fantastic job of representing Asperger’s syndrome and creating a positive representation with the father Nao.

I do question how Nao could have grown up without ever getting any diagnosis. The end of the story focuses on the relationship between Nao and his judgmental mother and it felt like it was for the sake of conflict. Also it ends abruptly but I still really enjoyed this manga.

~dakazu

Bokyotaro

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Bokyotaro

A manga about a Japanese man who awakens five hundred years into the future after a malfunction in his cold sleep machine. Stuck in an abandoned post-apocalyptic world, he decides to try and travel from Iraq back to Japan.

This is Yoshihiro Yamada‘s current series and I’ve been really enjoying it. What sets apart this post-apocalyptic story from all the others is this twisted sense of logic the current society has adopted. Human decedents are not vicious cannibals but simple folk who have adopted a lifestyle devoid of material wants. The catch is they participate in brutal hunting rituals against deadly feral animals to prove themselves. I love this contrast that the main character struggles to adapt to.

I really think Yamada has a talent for sci-fi stories. His canceled Dokyoboshi was also really good. Fingers crossed this one lasts a while.

~dakazu

Monkey Peak the Rock

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Monkey Peak the Rock

The followup to Monkey Circle and third series of the Monkey Peak manga.

We’ve discussed this on a recent episode.

Koji Shinasaka and Akihiro Kumeta have brought me more horror movie antics and I couldn’t be happier. This one follows a group of soldiers and scientists on a secret mission to capture the dreaded monkey creatures. A survivor from the first Monkey Peak story accompanies them as they investigate a cave and get trapped inside. The setting is similar to the horror franchise The Decent and it works really well. I eagerly look forward to seeing how everything will fall apart for the survivors.

~dakazu

H.P. Lovecraft’s At the Mountains of Madness

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H.P. Lovecraft’s At the Mountains of Madness

A manga adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft‘s At the Mountains of Madness.

Gou Tanabe continues to adapt Lovecraft stories. This one is the best of the adaptations because unlike The Haunter of the Dark, The Hound and Other Stories, or The Colour Out of Space it’s a full series told over two omnibuses. This really allows Tanabe to fully realize the sights and horrors of the ancient city in Antarctica. His artistic interpretation of Shoggoth is truly impressive.

It’s available from Dark Horse Comics. If you’re a Lovecraft fan you will love this.

~dakazu

GIGANT

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GIGANT

A manga about a high school student who meets his favorite porn star who has gained an alien power to grow in size.

We’ve discussed this on a previous episode.

This book is VERY Hiroya Oku. And by that I mean everything from the story to characters is very similar to Oku’s other works like GANTZ and Inuyashiki. You have strange humanoid aliens who dress strangely, a horny teenage protagonist, an excessively sexy female character, fantastical alien creatures, violent action scenes, and weird self-promotional scenes praising Oku’s other manga.

Basically if you’ve read Oku’s other stuff and like it, you’ll like this. Not really my taste but I’ll keep skimming it as I read through my issues of Big Comic Superior.

It’s available from Seven Seas Entertainment.

~dakazu