Naraku no Hitsuji

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Naraku no Hitsuji

A manga about a vlogger who starts making a young prostitute a subject of his streams only for them to pick a fight with the mob.

Finally got to finish this series and I really liked how it ended. The vlogger originally subjects the prostitute to abject humiliation and suffering. He takes advantage of this girl who has no self worth but in her eyes he is the first person who’s even treated her as a human. It’s an ugly tale of horrible misguided motivations between these two who struggle with themselves.

As the story progresses he fights against his desire for revenge against his friends who betrayed him and the mobster who humiliated him and his growing feelings towards her. I won’t spoil the ending but I was very satisfied at how everything ended up playing out.

While this story is filled with terrible things I could appreciate how they served a purpose and didn’t feel like a cheap plot device for exploitation. They also take a realistic approach to problems of modern silent observers.

~dakazu

231 – Darfox Dabbles 4 – MANGA Plus

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231 – Darfox Dabbles 4 – MANGA Plus

On this episode we get Darfox to checkout a slew of titles available in English(and Spanish) through Shueisha’s globally available MANGA Plus app!

Continue reading →

Soshite Boku wa Gedōman ni Naru

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Soshite Boku wa Gedōman ni Naru

A dramatized autobiography by Shinji Hiramatsu about starting his career as a manga artist.

This one is really unique because Shinji Hiramatsu is covering his own life but he’s clearly taking some liberties the narrative to paint this picture of a young manga artist who falls into darkness after creating violent manga. While there are other real manga artists who appear in the story, Hiramatsu has changed the names of all editors from Shueisha he worked with. There are some really over-the-top scenes where Hiramatsu himself is literally butting heads with the editors who antagonize him. Because of this I ended up looking at this series as more of a work of fiction than an actually autobiography.

~dakazu

Hibiki – Shousetsuka ni Naru Houhou

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Hibiki – Shousetsuka ni Naru Houhou

A manga about a 15 year old genius girl who changes the literary world with her writing talent and often volatile personality.

I’ve heard a lot of buzz around this series last year when it was adapted into a live-action movie. Finally got around to reading it and was floored by how good it was.

Although the story is centered around literary works and awards, it’s clearly not the focus. It’s all about Hibiki and her ‘give no fucks’ personality. She’s a fascinating character who’s incredibly straight forward. Some thug threatens her with and empty threat and she doesn’t hesitate to break his finger. Reporters try to get a scoop on her personal life and she follows them back to their home and openly threatens their family. She’s a sociopath by all standards yet there’s something so refreshing about a person who isn’t bogged down by social standards of society. She does what she wants and that’s how she lives her life. I was completely enthralled to see what she would do next as adults keep trying to use her talent for their own gain, only to have Hibiki completely blowup in their faces.

I will say the artwork is simple but the story is so good that I’m going to be following this series from now on.

~dakazu

Bokutachi ga Yarimashita

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Bokutachi ga Yarimashita

A manga about a group of friends who accidentally set off a large explosion that kills a group of thugs they were trying to prank.

We covered this in a triple dip episode last year.

This series is a very slow burn. You spend the whole first volume just following the main guys goofing around and then getting targeted by these punk. Things really start rolling in the aftermath of the explosion where each guy deals with the guilt of what they’ve done in different ways. Watching them struggle with themselves and each other while avoiding the watchful eyes of a detective made for a really thrilling story. Everything ramps up to a final conclusion that is one of the best endings I’ve read for a series like this.

I’d personally love to see this brought over by Kodansha but given the subject matter it might be impossible. Still worth checking out in my opinion.

~dakazu

GROUNDLESS

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GROUNDLESS

A manga where a one-eyed widow takes up a sniper rifle to seek revenge in the civil war that consumes the island kingdom of Alistria.

Every aspect from the soldier’s uniforms to their weapons in this manga are heavily inspired by World War 2. Reading this was like experiencing Band of Brothers or Saving Private Ryan. It’s filled with heavy drama about the guilt of killing and the horrors of war. The art work is a little rough around the edges due to the fact it started as a web manga. However by volume 2 they get right into some meaty action scenes that were wonderfully chaotic.

A solid war story. I’ll be reading more.

~dakazu 

Sougou Jikan Jigyou Gaisha Daihyou Torishimariyaku Shachou Senzoku Hisho Tanaka Seiji

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Sougou Jikan Jigyou Gaisha Daihyou Torishimariyaku Shachou Senzoku Hisho Tanaka Seiji

A manga about an elite secretary to the president of a comprehensive time company that travels back 20 years back in time to protect said president from assassinations attempts from a rival company from the future.

Yeah, that synopsis is makes this series crazy from the start but I was actually really enjoying this when it started. Unfortunately this is yet another manga that was sacrificed to the meat grinder that is the Weekly Shonen Jump’s cutthroat popularity polls. I would have personally loved to read more of this but it was canceled after a mere 20 chapters.

I wish Keiji Amatsuka the best in their future endeavors. They’re clearly talented and hope they find success.

~dakazu

Batuque

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Batuque

A manga about a young girl who becomes interested in capoeira after meeting a mysterious homeless man.

A new manga by Tokio Sako who is best known for his Usogui series. I haven’t gotten into Usogui but would like to revisit it someday. In the mean time I’m enjoying Sako’s impressive artwork applied to the fluid movement of martial arts. I think it’s an interesting choice starting the protagonist so young but I like it so far.

Will keep reading more in Weekly Young Jump.

~dakazu

RYOKO

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RYOKO

A manga where a young girl battles and hunts mutant food monsters in a post-apocalyptic world.

I was a fan of this fun adventure series when it started but it went on hiatus back in 2017. They’ve finally resumed serialization in Weekly Shonen Sunday this month and I’m excited to read more!

~dakazu

Orient

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Orient

An Asian fantasy where two childhood friends, Musashi and Kojirou, have trained to become warriors so they can defeat the ‘Oni’ demons who have taken over the lands.

A new manga by Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic creator Shinobu Ohtaka. I was very surprised to hear that her new manga was in Weekly Shonen Magazine because Magi was in Weekly Shonen Sunday. I always wish I knew what happens when a manga artist changes publishers.

This manga hasn’t made a good impression so far. Ohtaka is leaning into the extravagant battles scenes she drew for the end of Magi and I’m not really enjoying them because of her general design aesthetic here. The setting is Sengoku Japan with references to famous samurai warlords but mixed with modern technology like motorcycles. Ohtaka seems to be pulling some designs from motorcycle gang uniforms and mixing them with Asian flair. It all comes off as a bit of a mess.

I liked Magi but this manga seems to be pulling everything I disliked about that series and making it a focal point. I think I’ll just keep skimming over new chapters as I make my way through Weekly Shonen Magazine for now.

~dakazu