Rising Sun
Finished this manga about a group of people who start their training to join the Japanese Self Defense Force. Although I thought their last training exercise dragged on for a bit, I really enjoyed this series.
Looks like they’ll be following the main character as he starts working as a ranger in the sequel series Rising Sun: Ranger & Rescue. Will definitely be checking that out in the future!
~dakazu
Shiiku Shoujo
A manga about a high school girl who is curious about strange organisms and her science teacher who secretly observes her.
It’s hard to put my finger on this one. On one hand it seems like a manga that just focuses on introducing these minor creatures like barnacles and sea slugs. But then you have the science teacher keeping a research diary on the behaviors of the girl. A possible teacher/student romance is further suggested by when they introduce another high school girl who has a crush on the science teacher. I like learning all about the random creatures because creator Asako Nakagawa puts in lots of visual gags but I really could do without any creepy romantic relationships between the girl and her teacher.
~dakazu
STALKER JOKERS
A manga about a team who specializes in stopping stalkers.
This was a pretty interesting manga. Artist Hiroto Ooishi is know for his work on Dorei-ku: Boku to 23-nin no Dorei so his style works well with portraying darker human emotions.
The story follows a three man team with each member specializing in skills that help track and subdue the stalkers. That isn’t to say they’re saints or anything. The resolution of their case goes hand in hand with them taking a very big cut from both the victim and the stalker. This is a clearly a story about criminals who just happen to prey on stalkers and I’m glad they don’t shy away from that ugly fact.
A dark crime drama that focuses on obsession. It’s keeping me entertained for now.
~dakazu
232 – Triple Dip 34 – Crocodile Baron, Kakegurui – Compulsive Gambler -, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba
This week Seamus is back to check out Crocodile Baron, Kakegurui – Compulsive Gambler-, and Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba for a Triple Dip!
Continue readingKami-sama no Iu Toori
A manga where people are suddenly forced to play games of life or death with bizarre creatures in a battle to become the new god of the world.
A staple of the death game survival genre that became super popular in the 2000′s. These manga are all about pitting humans in horrible games similar to the SAW horror movies. It’s a gruesome genre where 90% of all characters die.
This title ran in Bessatsu Shonen magazine and was so popular that after it’s 5 volume run, they started a sequel series in Weekly Shonen Magazine that became a powerhouse. This original series is still pretty good and many of the characters here appear again in the sequel series.
Unfortunately this prequel is not officially licensed but you can read all of As the Gods Will: The Second Series available from Kodansha comics.
~dakazu
Sachi no Otera Gohan
A manga about a 27 year old office lady named Sachi who regains her love of food after befriending a group of men who work at a Buddhist temple.
This is a cute series! I liked how it introduced Buddhist cuisine as something you can make at home and enjoy. The story is pretty simple with Sachi being the audience surrogate for someone learning about all the different recipes.
Another solid food manga!
~dakazu
Shin Tennis no Ouji-sama
The sequel to The Prince of Tennis where an all-star group of the Japanese middle school tennis players are brought to an Under-17 training camp to prepare for the U-17 World Tennis Cup.
As a long-time The Prince of Tennis fan I have to say this very clearly.
This is not worth reading.
I think Takeshi Konomi has either gone off the deep-end or spent too much time listening to his own song; this sequel series takes everything over-the-top about The Prince of Tennis and multiplies them 10-fold.
Endless 2-page spreads of various characters posing instead of playing tennis? CHECK
A slew of new characters who never look like their actually under 17? CHECK & CHECK
Every character using special moves that defy physics while literally going super-saiyan? CHECK & MATE
Shit is ridiculous and not in a good way. It’s kinda sad to see the series downfall.
Go read the original and pretend this doesn’t exist.
~dakazu
Kemono Jihen
A manga about a group of half-demons who form an investigation team that specialize in dealing with paranormal cases. The newest member is a half-demon named Kabane who possesses incredible regeneration powers but was raised with no emotions.
I really liked this series. I didn’t know this was being done by Sho Aimoto who did Hokenshi no Shinigami, a moderately successful manga that ran in Shonen Jump.
While I like the protagonist, his shtick of starting with no emotions and gradually learning them as he interacts with his peers and enemies is nothing original. But when it’s done well with interesting side characters and solid art, I can’t complain about it. It actually makes me really excited to read some more!
~dakazu
Tokyo Revengers
A manga about a man who time travels back and forth from the past to infiltrate a gang that’s responsible for killing his ex-girlfriend in the future.
I’m a huge fan of Ken Wakui’s Shinjuku Swan series. He cut his teeth on seinen manga so I was surprise when switched to shonen stuff after that one ended. His first project Dessert Eagle was alright but ultimately didn’t land the mark. This follow up series is doing much better and I’m enjoying it a lot.
My favorite part is how the protagonist Takemichi constantly jumps from the past back to the future. Lots of variance from the butterfly effect drastically changes the future, sometimes for the worst. Since Shijuku Swan was essentially in the delinquent/gang genre, Wakui feel very much at home drawing all these gang battles.
Really enjoying everything so far and glad Wakui is enjoying success.
~dakazu
Alice & Taiyo
A manga about a shy song writer teaming up with a talented singer to take over the world with their music.
Another new manga that came and was quickly canceled in Weekly Shonen Jump. I personally think it just wasn’t interesting enough to capture the attention of the Jump audience. A shame because the art work was pretty good and I like slice of life stories about music.
This definitely felt like something the editors took a chance on and unfortunately it failed.
~dakazu