Ginga no Shinanai Kodomotachi e

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Ginga no Shinanai Kodomotachi e

A manga about an immortal sister, her brother, and their mother. As centuries pass them by, the children ponder their existence against the rest of the world that can experience death.

Despite the simple design of the children the subject material was very macabre and I found it disturbing. Any manga that can illicit such a strong emotional response after reading deserves respect. But just like the one and only time I watched Requiem for a Dream, I’m not sure if I want to go through that again.

~dakazu

Uhyo! Tokyo-to Kita-ku Akabane

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Uhyo! Tokyo-to Kita-ku Akabane

This is manga artist Tooru Seino’s wacky tales of real life residents in the city of Akabane. While it’s great to see a manga covering crazy-but-true stories it felt a bit exploitative to be sharing information on some people there, like the local homeless lady. While Seino writes her in a positive light, he is still using her and others he meets for his comedy material. I think it’s important to keep that in mind, even if the city of Akabane has embraced this manga as a source of local pride. 

I do appreciate manga(or any entertainment) that is based on real people and real stories so I enjoyed it.

~dakazu

Youkai Gohan: Shinsen no Ryourinin

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Youkai Gohan: Shinsen no Ryourinin

Another food manga. This one is about literally about eating Japanese monsters of folklore. The fictional recipes they present here are kinda gory and they’re using that for some comedy elements but I honestly didn’t enjoy it that much. If you want to read about fantasy cooking stick with Delicious in Dungeon.

~dakazu

Wana Girl

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Wana Girl

Manga about a high school girl who’s knowledgeable with traps.

This is very similar to Sanzoku Diary with it’s outdoor hunting subject matter. I liked how the traps were used primarily as pest control to protect crops and not for active hunting. Making the main characters female seems like an easy way to get more readers but there was no fan service, so that’s good. I always like manga that focuses on outdoors stuff so I recommend this one.

~dakazu

185 – Manga in Motion 27 – Wolf Children

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185 – Manga in Motion 27 – Wolf Children

This week we check out another Mamoru Hosoda film, Wolf Children!

Continue reading →

Yuuhi

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Yuuhi

I’ve been a fan of Yu Koyama’s manga since reading Ooi! Ryouma while growing up. Yuuhi is the main character who struggles at leading a dual life of young yakuza boss and aspiring professional boxer. I like the post-war Japan setting and Koyama’s use of non sequential narrative. 

One note about Koyama is that he is one of those manga artists that always draws the same face for the majority of his characters throughout his various series. I don’t mind it myself though.

~dakazu

Zombiful Life

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Zombiful Life

The main character is a zombie who has been cured and become sentient again. Now he and other cured zombie have reintegrated within society. Being a zombie is pretty useful until he discovers that because his heart isn’t beating, he can’t get an erection anymore. Now he’ll forever be a virgin!

I know zombies are a tired genre but the entire concept of this manga was dumb enough to make me laugh. I’ll keep reading it.

~dakazu

Baby Steps

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Baby Steps

One of the most realistic takes on a sports manga. No super human moves or abilities here, just good old fashioned tennis strategy! I was surprised when it ended suddenly and it looks like artist Hikaru Katsuki also was planning on continuing the series. Still, 10 years is a long time to be serialized and it also got a few anime seasons.

~dakazu

Deaikei Site de Imouto to Deau Hanashi -333 nichime-

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Deaikei Site de Imouto to Deau Hanashi -333 nichime-

The title really says it all, which is kinda a shame because I like artist Mocchi_au_lait’s cute character designs. She specializes in yuri stories and there are several others in this volume that were very sweet. This book is a sequel to the original story of the sisters falling in love while growing up and follows their relationship around a year later. Honestly, if it weren’t for the incest angle I would be totally behind this manga as a yuri that focuses on the pure love behind kisses and hugs and not on titillation and fan service. Ironically, I probably wouldn’t have even checked out this manga if not for the premise. 

~dakazu