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