Manga Tak

On this episode of Manga Tak, Mat is joined once again by Tom to discuss the classic Go Nagai horror manga, Devilman!

After Toei Animation requested a lighter version of his manga, Demon Lord Dante, that could be turned into an anime, Go Nagai created Devilman. Given specific direction to make the manga darker, Nagai launched a more adult work in Kodansha’ Weekly Shōnen Magazine in 1972, just a month before the anime was due to air.

Devilman is the story of Akira Fudo, a high school student who absorbs the power of a demon called Amon in order to battle the demons hidden in human society. Only a human with a pure heart can wield such a power without fear of corruption. Once little more than a crybaby, Akira now weilds the terrible power of a devil, yet holds the innocent soul of a man… Thus Devilman!

Join us to hear why Mat finally isn't loving a book covered on the podcast, the influence of Go Nagai on the world of manga and how even in a bleak story, a little bit of hope goes a long way!

Thanks to Juliano Zucareli for our theme music!

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On this week's episode, I'm joined by my good friend, illustrator and graphic designer, Crystal to discuss Kaiju No. 8 by Naoya Matsumoto.
 
First published digitally on Shueisha’s Shonen Jump+ app, Kaiju No. 8 is a series written and illustrated by Naoya Matsumoto. It’s the story of Kafka Hibino, a kaiju-corpse cleanup guy who still dreams about making it into the Japan Defence Force, an elite military unit who eliminate the Kaiju that terrorise the country, to fulfil a childhood promise to his friend Mina. 

But when Kafka gets a second chance to try out for the defence force, he undergoes an unexpected transformation! How can he fight Kaiju now that he’s become one himself? 
 
Join us as we get into the weeds on what it means to be 'kaiju', the fine line between quality and originality, and dropping many, many hot takes...

Thanks to Juliano Zucareli for our theme music!

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On this week's episode, I'm joined by Graphic Designer / Comic artist Jibé to discuss the classic manga The Ghost in The Shell by Masamune Shirow.

Originally published from April 1989 to November 1990 in Kodansha’s Young Magazine, The Ghost in the Shell is considered a seminal work not only in the manga sphere, but as a foundational piece of the cyber punk genre. 

It is the tale of cyborg super agent Major Motoko Kusanagi and the Public Security Section 9 counter-cyberterrorist organisation. When Major Kusanagi tracks the master hacker, the Puppet Master, her quest leads her into a world beyond information and technology where the very nature of consciousness and the human soul are turned upside down.

It’s a tale of politics, technology and metaphysics that poses the question: what does it truly mean to be human?

Join us as we role up our philosophical (not to mention metaphorical) sleeves to discuss the themes of the book, compare what's on the page to the anime OVA and somehow end up drawing comparisons between it and classical literature... 

Thanks to Juliano Zucareli for our theme music!

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On this week's episode, I'm joined by Lea from Faraos Cigarer in Copenhagen to discuss the excellent God Bless the Mistaken by Nakatani Nio!

Originally published in ASCII Mediawork’s Dengeki Daioh magazine in Japan, God Bless the Mistaken is the 2021 follow up to Nakatani Nio’s incredibly popular Bloom Into You. Rather than Yuri romance though, God Bless the Mistaken is a sci-fi slice of life story in which Kon Wataya becomes a research assistant of his landlord, Kasane Himesaki, the world’s leading expert on Exceptional Phenomena.

What are Exceptional Phenomena, while simply put, they’re bugs in reality that cause the world to alter in interesting and often inconvenient ways. In their ever changing world, there’s only one thing that’s certain, and that’s the most ordinary moments can sometimes be the most extraordinary of all!

Join us to hear our theories on the title, the dangers of working construction in a bug filled world and Lea's top 3 one shot recommendations!

Thanks to Juliano Zucareli for our theme music!

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On this episode of Manga Tak, Mat is joined (for real this time!) by Zane of the Undisputed Anime Podcast to chew the fat about Delicious in Dungeon by Ryōko Kui!

Originally published in Enterbrain’s Harta magazine from 2014 to 2023, Delicious in Dungeon by Ryoko Kui is a manga that undoubtedly became the smash hit of the Spring 2024 anime season. The story follows a party of young adventurers determined to fight their way back through a dungeon to save a fallen comrade. There’s just one problem: after their latest escape, they’ve lost all of their money and provisions! How can they survive in a dungeon without food?

But Laios, one of the young adventurers has a brilliant idea: ‘what if instead of buying food, we ate monsters in the dungeon instead?’ Picky eaters beware, because as the party soon learn: everything is Delicious in Dungeon.

Join us to hear how we both bought this book at the same time, how Ryōko Kui reinvented some classic monsters and why this book deserves a place on your shelf!

Thanks to Juliano Zucareli for our theme music!

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On this episode of Manga Tak, Mat is joined once again by Tom to discuss the under rated single volume story by Akira Toriyama, Sand Land!

Originally serialised in Shonen Jump between May and August of the year 2000, Akira Toriyama’s Sandland is a 14 chapter, single volume work set on a barren Earth where Demons and Humans co-exist. 

In this world, the only known water supply is controlled by a greedy king, so a sheriff called Rao enlists the help of Beelzebub and Thief to look for a long lost lake to challenge the status quo. Along the way, they get into tank battles, fight bandits and even face off against a dragon. It’s a very Akira Toriyama tail for sure!

Join us to hear why we both love this book, how we'd have loved more 'mature' works like this from Akira Toriyama and how one man's pain of drawing tanks can lead to such a great story!

Thanks to Juliano Zucareli for our theme music!

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On this episode of Manga Tak, Mat is joined by the Tsu Tsu Dae, co-host of the Undisputed Anime Podcast to discuss our first Shōjo title, Orange! 

Launched in Shueshia’s Bessatsu Margaret magazine in March 2012, Orange is a manga by writer / artist Ichigo Takano. It's a story of teen angst, time travel and a the challenges of mental health. While the latter aren't your typical Shōjo plot points, Orange is considered to be a modern classic of the genre.

Join us to hear why we both love this book, how it manages to delicately handle sensitive topics and why we need more Shōjo in the English language!

Thanks to Juliano Zucareli for our theme music!

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On this episode of Manga Tak, Mat is joined by the AC MacDonald, creator of Twistwood Tales, to discuss the excellent Akane Banashi!

Started in Shonen Jump back in February 2022, it's the story of a teenager who wants to become a Rakugo performer (aka a Rukugo-Ka) to prove the worth of her father's art after his explosion from the Arakawa school.

Join us as we discuss why we both adore this manga, the joys of stories about stories and how the manga inspired Mat to seek out a real Rakugo performance while on his last Tokyo trip!

Thanks to Juliano Zucareli for our theme music!

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On this episode of Manga Tak, Mat is joined once again by Tom to talk about one of our favourites: Fullmetal Alchemist.

Launched in 2001 in Square Enix’s Monthly Shonen Gangan, Fullmetal Alchemist is a corner stone of early 2000’s shonen manga. It’s the story of Edward and Alphonse Elric, two brothers with a gift for alchemy, on a quest to find the philosophers stone to right the wrongs of their youth and restore their bodies after a failed attempt to bring their mother back to life using their gift.

Join us as we about why this manga is still remembered so fondly almost 20 years after release, why it was big in the UK and how it balances humour and tragedy like nothing else on the shelves of your local comic book store!

Thanks to Juliano Zucareli for our theme music!

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On this episode of Manga Tak, Mat is joined by Alex (aka snesdrunk) to talk about the wonderful Frieren: Beyond Journey's End by Kanehito Yamada and Tsukasa Abe

As the title suggest, the manga is the story of Frieren, the titular Elven mage, who at the beginning of the story has defeated the Demon King with her fellow adventures and brought peace to the land. But Frieren, being an elf, will long outlive the rest of her former party. 

Decades after their victory, at the funeral of one of her party members, Frieren is forced to confront her near immortality and sets off to fulfil the last wishes of her old comrades and start a new adventure.

Join us as we chat about why it's the best 16-bit RPG never made, the wonders of stories like this and how it's a warm cup of tea in manga form!

For the avid newsletter readers amongst you, find and support Alex's substack here!

Thanks to Juliano Zucareli for our theme music!

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