238 – Anime Interlude 10 – Dororo
Miki’s Stopwatch returns and fights through his audio problems as we discuss anime from the 2019 winter season and new stuff from the 2019 spring season!!
Continue reading238 – Anime Interlude 10 – Dororo
Soft Metal Vampire
Soft Metal Vampire
A manga about a girl who becomes targeted by the government and a squad of element manipulating dhampir squad that protects her.
I’m a fan of Hiroki Endo and while it’s nice to see him get back to his sci-fi roots, this series suffers from being pretty generic. The concept of these dhampirs manipulating different elements like Carbon or Nitrogen is something a child would come up with. Even the dhampirs’ mouths open up like a parasitic maw like the vampires from the movie Blade 2.
I will say Endo’s utilizing what he learned from All Rounder Meguru in all the action scene. Unfortunately everything from his monster to armor designs are just super rote and uninteresting.
It’s currently serialized in Afternoon Magazine.
I don’t think I’ll be keeping up with this one myself.
~dakazu
TIEMPO
TIEMPO
A soccer manga about a timid player who is bullied by his talented senior but it leads to him to display an untapped potential of observation.
A decent sports manga by newcomer Daisuke Iino. It’s always interesting to see how sports manga are done a little differently when they run in a seinen magazine but this one seems like it’s closer to a typical shonen sports book. The best parts so far is seeing the growth of the main character as he unlocks his potential for soccer.
Currently running in Young Jump.
~dakazu
Kikaijikake no Juvenile
Kikaijikake no Juvenile
A manga that takes place in a world where soldiers are enhanced with cybernetic prosthetics. A young cybernetic mechanic must use this weapon to get revenge on the criminals who murdered his mother.
A new series by PACT creator Shinnosuke Kuji. I really like the intensity of Kuji’s art when he draws characters who are just fuming for revenge. He conveys anger with heavy detailing on faces that juxtapose their overall simple designs.
With PACT I really hated how generic his overall design aesthetic was and unfortunately I haven’t really seen a great improvement here. I’m hoping that the story will makeup for that as I continue to check it out.
Currently running in Young Magazine the 3rd.
~dakazu
Hoankan Evans no Uso: Dead or Love
Hoankan Evans no Uso: Dead or Love
A manga about sheriff Elmore Evans, who became one of the best lawmen in the West because he wanted to be popular with the ladies.
I really like this fun comedy. I like how Evans comes off as cool and collected to others but his sole motivations for everything is based on his desire for romance. His eternal rival/love interest, bounty hunter Phoebe, is secretly attracted to him and I assume the series will eventually end with them being together.
Honestly I’m surprised the story gimmick hasn’t worn out it’s welcome yet but I’ll keep reading it because I like it.
Currently running in Weekly Shonen Sunday.
~dakazu
Kumo no Graduale
Kumo no Graduale
A manga about an elite aerial operatives that destroy weapons in a world filled with airships.
I remember this manga because my brother was reading it. He never had the final volume so I’m glad I got to track that down and read it. Too bad it was one of those “End Part 1″ deals.
I liked a lot of the characters and they barely finished recapping the origins of the main girl when it ended. I’d recommend it with the caveat that it’s unfinished.
~dakazu
Farewell, My Dear Cramer
Farewell, My Dear Cramer
A sports manga that follows a group of high school female soccer players as they work to build a team that can compete in the nationals.
We’ve discussed this on several episodes found here, here, and here.
Our co-host Seamus recommended this one and I really liked it. There are plenty of soccer manga out there but this one is solely focused on female players. I liked how the series even addresses the problems these female athletes face in today’s society where they have such a limited opportunity to pursue a career because of how minor female soccer is in Japan.
A solid sports manga. I’ll be reading more. It’s available digitally through Crunchyroll and comiXology.
~dakazu
237 – One Shot 18 – My Solo Exchange Diary vol. 2 with Jocelyne Allen
237 – One Shot 18 – My Solo Exchange Diary vol. 2 with Jocelyne Allen
Translator Jocelyne Allen returns as we finish the trilogy of Kabi Nagata books by reviewing My Solo Exchange Diary vol. 2!!!
Check out Jocelyne’s awesome blog and hire Jocelyne for translation and interpertation!
Continue readingTakaga Tasogare
Takaga Tasogare
A manga about a world where men no longer exist.
Another new series by Kengo Hanazawa. Hanazawa is following his slow burn storytelling he perfected in I am a Hero here. Nothing much happens in this 1st volume until the end. I expect him to slowly get into the backstory of why all the men in this world have died out and it’s even illegal to write the word.
Currently running in Big Comic Superior.
I’ll be keeping a close eye on this one.
~dakazu
Rhyming Man
Rhyming Man
A manga about a boy who’s pushed by his former hip-hop star father to become a rapper.
It’s nice to see Kiminori Wakasugi return a bit to his Detroit Metal City roots with this one. It was pretty enjoyable but I think it ultimately fails because it tried to be more of a straight drama and Wakasugi is much better with comedy. The story of Rhyming Man and his eventual acceptance of becoming the rapper he was groomed up to be is something pretty unoriginal. The real star of this manga is his wannabe father, Shaka King. Shaka King is a great and hilarious character that clings to his former glory, raps while excelling in his real talent of cooking, and talks a big game but always cowards out. This series might have lasted longer if it all about the father instead of the son.
~dakazu