B – Brahms 20-sai no Tabiji

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B – Brahms 20-sai no Tabiji

A manga about a young Johannes Brahms traveling with violinist Ede Reményi.

This series is strange. The main story happens concurrently with a modern high school student discovering the music of Brahms and trying to get with a girl who loves classical music. Even the main story suffers from spending a large chunk of the backstory on some side characters. If you’re doing a biographical manga about Brahms then just focus on him! Especially because this is only 3 volumes long.

Waste of what could’ve been an interesting bio-manga.

~dakazu

251 – Tokyo Tarareba Girls part 2

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251 – Tokyo Tarareba Girls part 2

This week we continue our Retrospective on Akiko Higashimura’s Tokyo Tarareba Girls with Morgana “Manga Maven” Santilli! We also talk about bugs and critters for a long time!!!

Make sure to follow Morgana on Twitter and check out her website!

Continue reading →

Billy Bat

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Billy Bat

A manga about a comic creator who’s character called Billy Bat turns out to be an entity that has been influencing history since the dawn of man.

Here it is. The manga that became the progenitor of our Manga Machinations podcast.

This title is so full of insane plot twists and mystery that it became the focus of our first discussions recorded in audio format. We spent hours theorizing the truth behind the white & black bat, breaking down the connection between Hitler and Lee Harvey Oswald, and trying to predict where/when the story was headed next.

Unfortunately in typical Naoki Urasawa fashion, the series ended with a whimper which also didn’t wrap up most of the confusing plot threads. But overall, the mountain of conspiracy theories we built on the way ended up being the best thing that could of ever started our journey as a manga podcast.

Here’s to you, Billy Bat. I pray for the day you’ll be officially available in English.

~dakazu

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind

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Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind

A manga taking place on a post-apocalyptic Earth where giant mutated insects live in a poisonous forest that threatens to engulf the remnants of humanity. The princess Nausicaä must fight to defend her home and bring peace between the warring kingdoms.

Hayao Miyazaki’s manga opus. It’s crazy to think that when he started this series he was told it would not be adapted into a film, only for it to become the critically acclaimed movie that helped cement his career as an animator.

The manga is far more richer in content than it’s film counterpart. Nausicaä ends up seeing the destruction of war first-hand as she makes her way through the vastly different kingdoms. In the end she learns the truth behind the world and helps shape the future of humanity. It’s an epic story with strong environmental themes that Miyazaki is known for.

This series is a must for any Studio Ghibli fan.

We did a Retrospective on this.

Available from VIZ.

~dakazu

BLAME!

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BLAME! 

A manga about a man named Kyrii who wanders through an ever growing cybernetic mega structure in search of Net Terminal Genes.

One of the greatest sci-fi manga you will ever find. Tsutomu Nihei’s experience as an architect shines through in the sprawling landscapes of towering buildings that gives his work a sense of scale you just don’t find in other artists. This is one of the ultimate “show, don’t tell” stories I’ve ever seen.

I feel a little bad for Nihei because it’s really hard not to compare his other titles like Knights of Sidonia and APOSIMZ to the excellence of this debut work.

We’ve done a Retrospective on this.

Available from Kodansha Comics.

~dakazu

SLAM DUNK

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SLAM DUNK

A manga about a red haired delinquent who starts playing basketball to impress a girl.

Every time I reread SLAM DUNK I’m reminded of how it’s a fucking masterpiece.

THE basketball manga that made basketball popular in Japan. One of the greatest sports manga of all time. Takehiko Inoue filled this series to the brim with exciting sports action, hilarious comedy, and heartfelt drama.

Again, it’s a masterpiece.

We did a full Retrospective on it.

Available from VIZ.

~dakazu

Parasyte

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Parasyte 

A manga about a young man who’s right hand is taken over by an alien parasite that feed on humans.

Wonderful seinen horror series. One of the best things about this manga is Hitoshi Iwaaki’s horrific art work. Infected human head split open and transform into gaping maws filled with fangs and tentacles. I also love how the story never devolved into making the main character some kind of superhero who hunts down the parasytes and instead has a very sensible government who reacts realistically to the alien threat.

It’s had numerous spin-offs like Kiseijuu Reversi & Neo-Parasyte m and had a great anime adaptation a few years back.

We’ve done a full Retrospective on it.

Available from Kodansha Comics.

~dakazu

Goodnight Punpun

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Goodnight Punpun

A manga about the odd life of Punpun Onodera, who is drawn as a cute bird.

Fantastic series. I absolutely think it’s Inio Asano’s definitive title. There is so much craft put into the art work, story, and characters. The characters are so damn good in this manga. Everyone from God to Funky Afro-Bro stand out and make thing so weird but good. I almost compare it to David Lynch’s Twin Peaks level of strange charm.

We’ve done a full retrospective on the series.

Available from VIZ.

~dakazu

250 – Tokyo Tarareba Girls part 1

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250 – Tokyo Tarareba Girls part 1

We’re joined by the awesome Morgana “Manga Maven” Santilli as we jump into a full Retrospective on Akiko Higashimura’s Tokyo Tarareba Girls!!! How will we feel about Higashimura’s meta-commentary about women in their 30s needing love and marriage to find happiness?

Make sure to follow Morgana on Twitter and check out her website!

Continue reading →