Category Archives: Written Word

All written posts

Scum’s Wish

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Scum’s Wish

A romance manga about a high school couple who sexually confide in each other for either of their unrequited love.

We did a full retrospective on this series that you can listen to. I really, really liked this manga. Mengo Yokoyari’s beautiful artwork only goes hand in hand with her ability to realistically display adolescent love. Just about every character has a terrific arc that fleshes them out.

However I personally HATE the epilogue Scum’s Wish decor and wish it never existed!

~dakazu

Sporting Salt

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Sporting Salt

A manga about a high school student who dreams of becoming the best sports doctor in the world.

Yet another series that failed to make a mark in Weekly Shonen Jump. The art style really reminds me of Reborn! and I wonder if creator Yuuto Kubota was inspired by Akira Amano or even worked as an assistant under them.

Based on what I’ve seen I feel like slice of life series just don’t fair well in Jump unless they’re a romance or comedy or have some supernatural element that sets them apart.

This was regrettably unremarkable.

~dakazu

Nature Jimon

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Nature Jimon

A manga about real life Japanese TV personality Jimon Terakado and his almost bizarre obsession with food, bug hunting, and survival.

Man I love this manga. It entertains by being informative to an almost ludicrous level. Jimon is no doubt a strange guy. He loves wagyu beef enough to get a breeder’s license and will school you in the proper way to eat Korean BBQ. His eccentric personality shines through in this series and Jimon himself explains everything from great places to eat to the intense length he and his friends go hunting for stag beetles.

I’ve only read a couple volumes but I’d love to track down the rest!

~dakazu

Yuube wa Otanoshimi Deshita ne

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Yuube wa Otanoshimi Deshita ne

A manga about a man who invites a member from his Dragon Quest X guild to be his roommate but didn’t know they were a girl.

This manga is a pretty simple sitcom setup as the guy and girl now have to adapt to living with each other. Nothing really interested me about this series except that it’s filled with non-stop references to Dragon Quest X! Many chapters introduce various aspects of the game and information about MMORPG culture in general. It almost feels like a straight up commercial. Reminds me a lot of the Netflix series Dad of Light.

This wasn’t bad by any means but I don’t care about Dragon Quest X so it’s just not for me.

~dakazu

Gal Gohan

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Gal Gohan

A food manga where a teacher befriends a gal and teaches her how to cook.

Not really a fan of this one. The focus was less about food and more about fan service. Lots of up-skirt and cleavage shots. I think Marii Taiyo draws very cute characters and a kinda liked the personality of the main girl but they’re heavily pushing for a romantic relationship between this teacher and student which I really am not a fan of.

This manga is just really not for me. Will be available from Seven Seas Entertainment.

~dakazu

Buzzy Noise

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Buzzy Noise

A manga about a young man who’s simple life of work and creating music is suddenly turned upside down by a neighbor who comes into his life.

I’ve seen this manga in Big Comic Spirits for a while and finally had a chance to sit down and check out the first volume. Right off the bat I was really engaged because of Jun Mutsuki’s distinctive art style. The story of a reclusive genius getting discovered in the music industry is actually pretty rote and nothing significant. However the wonderful art kept me interested to read more.

I’ll definitely keep an eye on this series from now on.

~dakazu

Otoriyose Ouji Iida Yoshimi

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Otoriyose Ouji Iida Yoshimi

A food manga about Yoshimi Iida, a young man who loves to order food online from all over Japan.

I quite enjoyed this one. The gimmick of focusing on real-life food you can order for yourself online is a nice touch for readers who are interested in trying out these tasty looking dishes for themselves. Shiho Takase has a wonderfully charming art style for the characters and I love the overall positive feel of this series. Iida himself runs a twitter account where he constantly posts his food and it was a fun addition that made the story feel even more grounded in modern times.

~dakazu

Dumbbell Nan Kilo Moteru?

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Dumbbell Nan Kilo Moteru?

A manga about high school girl who starts working out at a gym to lose weight.

This manga is perfect for me because I’m currently trying to lose weight and it gives thorough breakdowns of workout techniques and tips for dieting. The part I found surprising was that there was a lot of comedy in this series with the main instructor constantly ripping through this clothes to show off his muscles. My only complaint is the large amount of fan-service of all the girls. Every stretch or explanation was accompanied by a huge crotch shot that I didn’t care for.

Planning on using these techniques immediately!

~dakazu

High-Rise Invasion

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High-Rise Invasion

A manga where people are summoned into a world where they must survive on top of high-rise buildings while avoiding killers wearing strange masks.

Checked out this series because the author Tsuina Miura also does Ajin: Demi-Human. Initially I thought the premise of survival on rooftops was pretty stupid but I got wrapped up in the mystery behind the world and the different masks that control victims. I think the art work isn’t anything special but sufficient for the actions scenes and violence.

It’s available in English from Seven Seas Entertainment.

I’ll keep reading it for now and hopefully the mysteries won’t take too long to unfold.

~dakazu