ACAA Gaiden: Paula to Michelle
A story about two childhood friends who grow up and fall in love with each other. I’m so impressed by Natsume Ono’s ability to write such a touching side story. It just proves how well crafted the world of ACCA is.
If you’re a fan of ACCA: 13-Territory Inspection Dept. then I highly recommend this book.
~dakazu
Starving Anonymous
I rather enjoyed Kazu Inabe’s artwork on Apocalypse no Toride and this new series really takes advantage of his talent creating disgusting creatures. A horror manga about escaping a facility crawling with monsters, I got hit with a few unexpected twists.
It’s available in English from Kodansha and I recommend checking it out.
~dakazu
Shuujin Riku
A hidden gem of shonen manga. Story focuses on young Riku who is falsely convicted of murder and is sent to the world’s worst prison. Riku must defeat and befriend other prisoners so they can come up with an elaborate escape plan to bust out. All the characters are young men right out of a delinquent manga.
It ended earlier this year. Even though it started to fizzle out towards the ending I enjoyed this series a lot.
~dakazu
Moto Fuuzokujou ga Kanemochizuma ni narimashita
A manga version of the popular novel based on the real life experiences of author Oka Hoa who is a former sex worker. The story follows Hoa as she runs away from an abusive home life and lives on the streets until she ends up working at a brothel.
It’s pretty rough reading about the author’s awful past but fortunately they focus a lot on the positive aspects being a sex worker had on her life. She was able to connect with customers and it helped her become very successful. I’m glad they didn’t shy away from the shady business of the Japanese brothel industry and knowing this will have a happy ending makes it easier to digest. I’m interested to read more.
~dakazu
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
192 – Manga in Motion 29 – Mob Psycho 100
This week we take a look at the live-action adaptation of Mob Psycho 100 on Netflix!
Continue readingPlease 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
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
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
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