Sayonara Shikyu

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Sayonara Shikyu

A manga biography by Yuki Okada about being diagnosed with cervical cancer and the surgery she underwent to remove her uterus.

We’ve discussed this on an previous episode.

Once again I have found another emotional non-fiction series. However unlike other depressing books about child abuse this one covers cancer. While the subject matter is serious I really loved Okada’s adorable art work and really funny expressions that helped add levity to everything. She effectively conveys her anxiety about her health and there’s a lot of heavy issues she addresses with the decision about leaving her ovaries or removing them.

Okada’s husband and her 2 year-old daughter are also featured along with other members of her family who helped support her. Surprising enough, the husband Yuji Terajima is the creator behind the mega-hit baseball manga Ace of the Diamond. A fair bit of the manga is dedicated to Okada’s relationship with Terajima and how Okada went out of her way to allow him to work uninterrupted but he quickly decided to take time off to take care of their daughter during her surgery. It’s very touching to see them both care for each other during this difficult period in their lives. And the moment when the daughter cries quietly after finally being reunited with Okada makes me cry every time.

This is a wonderful non-fiction manga about overcoming cancer. I know Okada is currently in the middle of drawing a followup to this series and I’ll definitely be reading it when she’s finished.

~dakazu

Mukidashi no Hakuchou

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Mukidashi no Hakuchou

A manga about the perfect student Kakeru Shiratori who is a secret streaking exhibitionist.

This is a really ridiculous comedy. Kakeru is obsessed with the thrill of being naked at school and nearly gets caught every chapter but narrowly escapes. It’s pretty one note until Kakeru gets into naked battles against other streakers which is equally preposterous to read about. The series didn’t last on Jump+ and it ended after four volumes but luckily Tsurun Hatomune has recently found success with Mitama Security: Spirit Busters in Weekly Shonen Jump. I recommend reading Mitama Security: Spirit Busters because Hatomune has really perfected his comedy in it.

~dakazu

306 – Fantasy Magazine 2 – Science Fiction

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306 – Fantasy Magazine 2 – Science Fiction

Seamus is out this week so Morgana, Darfox, and dakazu submit their top science fiction manga picks they’d like to license for another edition of Fantasy Magazine! We also discuss Monster #8, Chainsaw Man, I Had That Same Dream Again: The Complete Manga Collection, Lv1 Maou to One Room Yuusha, Mieruko-chan, and more!!!

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Musume e ~Shourai Shinitaku nattara Koitsu wo Yome~

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Musume e ~Shourai Shinitaku nattara Koitsu wo Yome~

A collection of stories from Shinya Suzuki about raising his daughters.

I really glad Shinya Suzuki got the opportunity to make this series for Jump+. He explains in the beginning how after finishing he hit series Mr. Fullswing in 2006 he was muddling about without getting another series going. He started a blog during this period and eventually put up a manga titled “Dear Daughter, If you feel like dying in the future read this”(same title of this book) which gained a lot of buzz and praise online. This led to this serialization of auto-biographical comics focused on themes of raising children and family care.

These comics are thoughtful, heartfelt, and most importantly very funny.
Suzuki’s strength as a manga artist comes from his comedy chops and low-brow comedy to boot. Case in point, he introduces his wife as someone with thick eyebrows and even thicker poops and draws himself being thrown outside naked for revealing such secrets. Regardless of thick poops, Suzuki is extremely open about his frustrations and anxieties he has towards his children as a parent. It’s wonderful to see that he doesn’t shy away from mistakes he’s made so he can learn from them for the better.

This is a great auto-biographical series about raising kids. And thick poops.

~dakazu

Jyaken San Wa Sugu Bureru

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Jyaken San Wa Sugu Bureru

A manga about a brother who’s life gets turned upside down when his sister finds a demonic sword she wants to keep. When the sword comes alive everything becomes a slapstick comedy in this world of fantasy, magic, and smartphones.

A long, long time ago I talked about a Dragon Quest V fanfiction manga adapatation Katachikubi dashita ossan no ato tsuketara tenkuu no tsurugi wo mitsuketa. It was a hilarious and beautifully drawn but was never finished. Well the reason it was unfinished was the artist Nikiichi Tobita started this series! While I’m sad I won’t get to read more Katachikubi dashita ossan no ato tsuketara tenkuu no tsurugi wo mitsuketa, I’m very happy for Tobita to have a paying job. Tobita is such a good artist it’s actually helps with the contrast to really silly slapstick antics the characters are going through. This is a really fun series and I look forward to reading more.

~dakazu

Futari Ashita mo Sorenari ni

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Futari Ashita mo Sorenari ni

A comedy manga about a couple who just start living together.

This is such a cute manga! I just love the dynamic between these two that creator Suzuyuki has made. They tease each other and sometimes get in arguments but blush over every sweet gesture their partners do for them. In the first chapter the guy accidentally ate his partner’s milk flan but refuses to admit to the crime. Later the woman tries to catch him in the act by pretending to be asleep but he kisses her and leaves a pile of milk pudding with an apology beside her. That’s just just too cute and wholesome!

It’s currently serialized on Kurage Bunch.

~dakazu

Shuttle Eyes

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Shuttle Eyes

A sports manga about a teenager son of a sports chiropractor who is invited to play badminton after watching a world junior match and predicting every move of the athlete.

Pretty decent sports series. It had the standard setup where the main character has a unique skill that allows him to have a great advantage despite being a complete beginner of the sport. In this case it was perceptive vision from his background observing his father’s therapy work being applied to badminton. Unfortunately Ren Hamahara‘s art and story here didn’t win popularity in Young Jump and it ended in 4 volumes. I enjoyed it but it wasn’t particularly special so I have to agree with the results.

~dakazu

Boku to Sanbon Ashi no Chiyonpi

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Boku to Sanbon Ashi no Chiyonpi

A manga about manga artist Doragon Odawara‘s three-legged miniature pinscher Chiyonpi.

We’ve discussed this on a recent episode.

My cousin told me about this manga last year and I put off on reading it for a long time because I knew it would make me cry. And it did. I cried a lot thinking about my beloved basset hound Maddy who passed away in 2014.

Crying aside I was surprised to read such a touching tale from Odawara because he’s usually known for crude comedy manga filled with dirty jokes. In this book he covers his own insecurities that led him to owning a dog and the surgery that left Chiyonpi with three legs. Odawara unique cartoony art really matches the funny and heartwarming tales of a manga artist and his beloved pet.

~dakazu

Junjo Sentai Virginias

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Junjo Sentai Virginias

A comedy manga about the powerful Pure Heart Sentai Squad Virginias who will lose their powers if they lose their virginity. The new Pink ranger is interested in the 33 year-old Red ranger because she is actually 28 herself.

This is a cute comedy by Taro Fukuoka about misunderstandings and it works due to the short chapter length. It actually became funnier as I read it because there is almost no development between Red and Pink. I appreciated how they would break the 4th wall to point out how there might be even negative development. I also really liked how the villains were super supportive of Red and just really friendly with Virginias. The evil leader of the villains moonlights as a cute girl and ultimately decides not be be the evil leader because they enjoy being cute. It’s simple and lighthearted fun.

Currently running on Jump+.

~dakazu

305 – Kasane part 2

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305 – Kasane part 2

On this episode Morgana joins Deb Aoki’s Best & Worst 2020 Comi-Con panel, we celebrate the 2020 Eisner awards manga winners, and we discuss the newest volume of BEASTARS! Then our Retrospective on Daruma Matsuura’s Kasane shocks us with a new character and we compare this tale of misery with spoilers from The Last of Us Part II!!!

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