Category Archives: Written Word

All written posts

Robot Zantouhei

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Robot Zantouhei

A sci-fi take on WW2 where Japan developes the technology to transform humans into robot soldiers.

I read this series a long time ago and still love it. Though the story is the overused “non-human must regain their humanity” plot the action is fantastic. It’s very nationalistic for Japan so I doubt it would ever get an official translation but Yokoo Kimitoshi’s art work is so stylized and unique it would definitely catch the eye of readers. His style actually reminds of Scud: The Disposable Assassin. I will say that it’s easy to see that the design of the robot soldiers were heavily inspired by the original Iron Man.

An old favorite of mine for sure!

~dakazu

Sensei no Shiroi Uso

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Sensei no Shiroi Uso

A manga about a young teacher and her high school student who make a connection through their experiences being raped.

This series is the definition of a mixed bag. I think the way Akane Torikai handles the subject of rape is actually very well done. It doesn’t feel like a cheap way of setting up villains or adding drama and it felt like the act was being addressed for what it is.

However I just can’t deal with the romance between the teacher and her student. For a story that handles rape so well, I’m dumb founded with the cliche teacher/student relationship. It would’ve been so much better if the two characters made a connection based on understanding and camaraderie instead of attraction. I was hoping it might end differently but I was disappointed as usual.

Also, every student was a complete asshole? Not sure why they took such an unrealistic approach to them.

~dakazu

Sensou Meshi

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Sensou Meshi

A collection of stories revolving around food during World War 2.

I’m a fan of Santa Uonome’s character art work. The people he draws may look cute but they allow Uonome to bring out the deep emotional expressions from their simple designs. The stories he tells here are all about people finding comfort in food during the tough times of war. Honestly, this series is more about human drama than the food.

A heartwarming series that I liked!

~dakazu

Komitsu-sensei no Jikaisaku ni Gokitai Kudasai.

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Komitsu-sensei no Jikaisaku ni Gokitai Kudasai.

A comedy about a manga artist who just ended his previous series and his struggles to create a new one.

I rather enjoyed this one. Naoki Mizuguchi has a good knack for comedic timing and really plays up the idiocy of the protagonist. I particularly enjoyed how Komitsu-sensei would drag down his talented assistant at every given opportunity.

I recommend this along with Mizuguchi’s current series Saotome Senshu, Hitakakusu.

~dakazu

Drifters

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Drifters

A manga where historical figures are summoned into a fantasy realm to do battle.

A interesting series to say the least. Kohta Hirano is best known for his Hellsing series and his distinct art style carries through in this one. Unfortunately I’m completely ignorant when it comes to history so it was difficult to understand the references with some of the historical characters. I felt similarly when I read Alan Moore’s The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.

Regardless, this is a decent action manga and available in English from Dark Horse Comics.

~dakazu

World Trigger

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World Trigger

A manga where a special defense agency protects a city from the invaders of another dimension known as “neighbors”. A young agent meets a humanoid neighbor and changes everything about what he knew.

2018 marked the miraculous return of World Trigger after nearly a 2 year hiatus. I had largely given up hope that the series would return after the first year so I overjoyed when it did.

I was a fan of Daisuke Ashihara’s work since his previous series Kashikoi Ken Rilienthal. Ashihara likes to create many characters that are genuinely good people and I really like that about his stories. His artwork has improved during the course of this series though I’m slightly concerned with the huge amount of characters he keeps adding to the story.

Super happy that we get to read more of this great manga!

~dakazu

Mado kara Madoka-chan

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Mado kara Madoka-chan

A manga about a silent lady who changes the window into her apartment to various stores.

What a cute series! I really like the relationship between Madoka-chan and the salesman who always comes by her window. She always wants to impress him with different stores that vary from carnival games to restaurants and he always  plays the straight man. She’s also a silent character so the hapless salesman always narrates her colorful expressions to the reader. It has some obvious fan service but it never felt excessive enough to ruin the fun. Also, the series ended with volume 5 so the gimmick never got old.

A lovely manga that I enjoyed!

~dakazu

Kendo Shitouden Cestvs

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Kendo Shitouden Cestvs

A manga about a young gladiator slave who fights to win his freedom in the during the Roman era. Sequel to Kentou Ankokuden Cestvs.

Cestvs is basically a boxing manga with an ancient Roman empire setting. The action is well drawn and the fights are exciting. Shizuya Wazarai incorporates facts about martial arts as the main character faces off against various opponents. It reminds me a lot of Holyland.

Wazarai has been drawing this series for over 20 years now and I hope he’ll finish it soon because I want to read the ending!

~dakazu

BEASTARS

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BEASTARS

In a world of anthropomorphized animals who live in a society where carnivores are forbidden to eat herbivores, a young grey wolf falls in love with a dwarf bunny.

If you’ve listened to any of our episodes you know that we are HUGE fans of BEASTARS here at Manga Machinations. Our co-host darfox even wrote an excellent essay about it.

We’re overjoyed to hear that VIZ will be publishing this amazing manga next summer so people can finally read it legally.

~dakazu

Ōoku: The Inner Chambers

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Ōoku: The Inner Chambers

A manga about an alternate history of the Edo period of Japan where a disease wipes out 90% of the male population and the government is ruled by female shoguns who make use of a special male harem to produce offspring.

I love Fumi Yoshinaga’s work but when I started reading Ōoku I felt I had to take notes because there were SO MANY characters spanning various timelines of different rulers. The alternate history aspect was also fascinating but hard to follow because I’m so ignorant of Japanese history. The use of early modern English in the translation also didn’t help.

I recently read the newest volume and was reminded of how beautifully crafted this series was. Despite my ignorance with the historical references, I couldn’t help but be invested in the characters and their motives within the Japanese court.

The series is phenomenal and available in English from VIZ. I highly recommended it.

~dakazu