Butakai Ouji to 100 Kai no Kiss

Posted on by

Butakai Ouji to 100 Kai no Kiss

A manga adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen‘s fairy tale The Swineherd.

We’ve discussed this on a previous episode.

Yeah, this manga has some serious problems. The original fairy tale is already ridiculous with the prince disguising himself to seduce the princess and then shaming her after he reveals his identity. Tsunami Umino takes it even further with the prince then forcing the princess to become his sex slave. And after the princess learns about the princes true feelings she falls in love with him? Yikes!

Umino commented in the after thoughts that she just wanted to draw some sexy stuff. I just wish sexy stuff didn’t have to include sexual assault and ridiculous logic. And it’s a shame because she mixes in some fun modern day elements into the story.

~dakazu

Biomega

Posted on by

Biomega

A manga about a synthetic human agent on a mission to track down a young girl who is immune to the deadly virus that transforms people into zombie-like drones.

We’ve discussed this on a previous episode.

As a fan of Tsutomu Nihei I should have read this much sooner. This series is extremely similar to BLAME!. The main character is basically Kyrii but they gave him a cool motorcycle and an even bigger gun. The story focuses on a dying Earth that’s about to be over run with horrible mutated creatures. The Earth get’s transmuted drastically midway through the story and it’s fantastically drawn by Nihei.

If you prefer BLAME! over Nihei’s later stuff like APOSIMZ then I think you’re really enjoy this book.

Available in English from VIZ.

~dakazu

VS Evil

Posted on by

VS Evil

A manga about a female college student who get’s haunted by a vengeful spirit with amnesia. The college student much survive dangerous run-ins with terrifying apparitions and help the spirit with his missing memories to be free of him.

So this manga is a prime example where a manga artist’s artistic ability alone completely carries the series. Takashi Yomoyama‘s art is amazing. Whether it’s exciting action, horrific monster designs, or excessive fan service, he delivers on all accounts. I especially liked the sequences where the spirit would possess the college girl which transformed her physical appearance. Also loved how on the covers of the volumes it says “Uncensored version for Adults” because the original online published chapters needed to be censored.

This series was publish online on Cycomi but will be moving to a print magazine due to popularity. I hope Yomoyama continues to find success with this book because he definitely deserves it.

~dakazu

Satsujin Auction

Posted on by

Satsujin Auction

A manga about a deadly online auction where customers bid for the right to decide how victims die.

This series was alright. Although the concept of a murder auction isn’t really original I though it was drawn well by Takahiro Akiyoshi. I had more problems with Michio Yazu‘s story. I figured out the truth behind the auction pretty early and the ending wasn’t good. Giving the female detective on the case the ability to tell if someone is lying was also a standard gimmick I’ve seen before. This one is a completely decent and therefor forgettable series.

~dakazu

Tsukiko and the Satellite and other stories

Posted on by

Tsukiko and the Satellite and other stories

A collection of short comics by illustrator and comic creator Mississippi.

We’ve discussed this on a recent episode.

Really enjoyed this. Independent/alternative manga is has such a different feel than mainstream manga. The panel layout feels closer to Western comics but the art style reminded me of Japanese newspaper comics. This collection has a similar vibe to panpanya‘s An Invitation from a Crab, so if you enjoyed that manga you’ll probably enjoy this one too.

Available digitally from Glacier Bay Books.

~dakazu

297 – Triple Dip 42 – I Want to Hold Aono-kun So Badly I Could Die, Crown of Love, INVESTOR-Z

Posted on by

297 – Triple Dip 42 – I Want to Hold Aono-kun So Badly I Could Die, Crown of Love, INVESTOR-Z

This week Morgana looks forward to reading more Blue Flag and BEASTARS while dakazu shares some of his favorite manga artists active on Twitter! Than the crew are ready to tear apart one of the three manga they read for Triple Dip! Will it be I Want to Hold Aono-kun So Badly I Could Die, Crown of Love, or INVESTOR-Z!!!

Continue reading →

The Unwomanly Face of War

Posted on by

The Unwomanly Face of War

A manga adaptation of Svetlana Alexievich’s book which won the Noble Prize in Literature.

We’ve discussed this on a recent episode.

I love these adaptations of historical events. Keito Koume does a fantastic job of bringing Alexievich’s oral history of Russian female soldiers during World War 2 to life. Since Alexievich interviews many veterans of war we get to see women who tended to the laundry, female snipers, and even female fighter pilots. But Seamus did warn me that Svetlana Alexievich tends to alter facts to fit the narrative she wants to tell so I won’t take her stories as absolute truths. Regardless, this series is great.

~dakazu

Puro Chichi

Posted on by

Puro Chichi

A manga about a stay-at-home father who vows to become a professional dad to care for his newborn son while dealing with his own diagnosis of Asperger’s syndrome.

Really good series. I like how the focus was child care through the eyes of an autistic adult. Mieko Osaka did a fantastic job of representing Asperger’s syndrome and creating a positive representation with the father Nao.

I do question how Nao could have grown up without ever getting any diagnosis. The end of the story focuses on the relationship between Nao and his judgmental mother and it felt like it was for the sake of conflict. Also it ends abruptly but I still really enjoyed this manga.

~dakazu

Bokyotaro

Posted on by

Bokyotaro

A manga about a Japanese man who awakens five hundred years into the future after a malfunction in his cold sleep machine. Stuck in an abandoned post-apocalyptic world, he decides to try and travel from Iraq back to Japan.

This is Yoshihiro Yamada‘s current series and I’ve been really enjoying it. What sets apart this post-apocalyptic story from all the others is this twisted sense of logic the current society has adopted. Human decedents are not vicious cannibals but simple folk who have adopted a lifestyle devoid of material wants. The catch is they participate in brutal hunting rituals against deadly feral animals to prove themselves. I love this contrast that the main character struggles to adapt to.

I really think Yamada has a talent for sci-fi stories. His canceled Dokyoboshi was also really good. Fingers crossed this one lasts a while.

~dakazu

Monkey Peak the Rock

Posted on by

Monkey Peak the Rock

The followup to Monkey Circle and third series of the Monkey Peak manga.

We’ve discussed this on a recent episode.

Koji Shinasaka and Akihiro Kumeta have brought me more horror movie antics and I couldn’t be happier. This one follows a group of soldiers and scientists on a secret mission to capture the dreaded monkey creatures. A survivor from the first Monkey Peak story accompanies them as they investigate a cave and get trapped inside. The setting is similar to the horror franchise The Decent and it works really well. I eagerly look forward to seeing how everything will fall apart for the survivors.

~dakazu