Bokura wa Mahou Shounen

Posted on by

Bokura wa Mahou Shounen

A manga about a boy with a strong sense of justice who dreams of becoming a superhero getting magic powers that turn him into a magical girl.

This manga is interesting because it plays with the concepts of gender stereotypes. At first the boy is embarrassed at transforming into a cute outfit. Eventually he must overcome his own feelings and accept that he is cute which in turn makes him more powerful.

I questioned how creator Teppei Fukushima would handle issues of gender identity but so far the series has done a good job with representation.

~dakazu

240 – Creator Cross Section 5 – Kazuo Koike

Posted on by

240 – Creator Cross Section 5 – Kazuo Koike

On this episode we pay tribute to manga writer Kazuo Koike who passed away recently. We examine his themes of historical facts, violence, nudity, and tattoos throughout his work on Lone Wolf and Cub, Lady Snowblood, Crying Freeman, and Mad Bull 34!!!

Continue reading →

8 Tales of the ZQN

Posted on by

8 Tales of the ZQN

An anthology manga based on Kengo Hanazawa’s I am a Hero.

This is an awesome collection by a star-studded group of manga artists. You have Mengo Yokoyari of Scum’s Wish doing a great backstory on Hiromi, horror master Junji Ito doing a story about fast vs. slow zombies, and Koji Yoshimori doing a manga biography on Hanazawa’s life, just to name a few. Even with my reservations about aspects of I am a Hero, I highly enjoyed this anthology!

~dakazu

Akuma-kun

Posted on by

Akuma-kun

A horror series about a young boy who wants to open a portal to hell and summon demons.

Wow.

My first exposure to Shigeru Mizuki’s classics Akuma-kun series was the 90′s TV show reboot. It’s probably my favorite Mizuki series just because I loved the monsters who fought along with Akuma-kun to rid the world of evil. I think Mizuki really got to stretch his creative wings from his Japanese horror roots. But I never knew that his original origins were so sinister.

The Akuma-kun here is a horrifying child who ultimately wants to take over the world with monsters. It reminded me a lot of the anime Hakaba Kitarou, which was also a dark version of it’s original series.

~dakazu

Mato Seihei no Slave

Posted on by

Mato Seihei no Slave

A manga where a connection to another dimension filled with monsters cause all women to develop superpowers. A high school boy enters becomes a slave soldier for a female anti-demon hunter but in exchange receives perverted rewards.

Making the world where men have become inferior but the protagonist just happens to have a hidden talent that makes him strong is some needlessly over complicated setup for a typical male empowerment harem story. Add in the fact that the female members must repay him by granting his sexual desires and it’s hard not to laugh at the extent the author Takahiro is going to get to that “sweet fan service” from a stupid ecchi series. It’s a shame too because I think the art work by Youhei Takemura is very good, especially his fight scenes.

It’s currently running on Jump+ and it’s 100% not for me.

~dakazu

Reversibleman

Posted on by

Reversibleman

A manga where people who’ve turned inside out become monsters who only live to full fill their darkest desires. A high school girl uses her failed “reversible” ability to store guns in her body to get revenge against the monster who killed her sister.

This is just a mediocre manga. There’s a lot of gory body horror with scenes of people turning inside out but the artwork is mediocre. If I’m going to suffer through something with gross stuff like that it needs to be stylized or unique in a way that should capture my intention. Instead I was endlessly eye rolling from the scenes of human intestines attacking people like tentacles or 10 guns being pulled from inside a small high school girl’s body.

It might sound interesting when I describe it but I assure you this one is really just meh.

~dakazu

My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!

Posted on by

My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!

An isekai manga about a high school girl who’s resurrected as the evil rival in her favorite otome game.

This was pretty alright overall. The series still suffers from a lot of typical isekai troupes, like the endless self conversations held by the main character to give exposition about the situation they’re in.

I did like how they set up that Catarina must focus on these things because otherwise she will end up being exiled or killed. It adds a sense of urgency to her mission to try and change her relationship with all the handsome male heroes and her eventual meeting with the true heroine of the game. But of course her actions are slowly changing from the original narrative of the game and making her the object of affection to all so I guess the troupe of over-powered reincarnator still stands.

An English version will be available from Seven Seas Entertainment this summer and an anime adaptation has been announced.

~dakazu

Ijimeru Yabai Yatsu

Posted on by

Ijimeru Yabai Yatsu

A manga about a school bully who is secretly being tortured by his victim to keep bullying her.

Not a fan of this kind of shit.

The twist that creator Nan Nakamura is trying to put on the subject of bullying comes off as trite and makes light of real life bullying. This series is trying to make a big mystery about why the victim forces the protagonist to bully her but I doubt any explanation will make sense.

Currently running on Pocket Magazine as a web manga.

~dakazu

239 – Triple Dip 35 – The Tale of Genji: Dreams at Dawn, Kurozuka, Kiichi!

Posted on by

239 – Triple Dip 35 – The Tale of Genji: Dreams at Dawn, Kurozuka, Kiichi!

This week we read The Tale of Genji: Dreams at Dawn, Kurozuka, and Kiichi! for Triple Dip!

Continue reading →