Manga Tak

Takumi Fujiwara is a kid who doesn't really care about cars... Every morning he has to get up at the crack of dawn to make deliveries for his father's tofu shop. To him it's a hassle because of the strict requirements his father places on him... but those same requirements have also moulded him into the fastest racer on the Akina slope!

This week, Mat is joined once again by Georgie (aka Mainly.Manga) to discuss Shuichi Shigeno's 1995 racing manga Initial D! With the volume being rolled out once more in sleek new omnibus editions (on which Mat and Georgie have wildly different opinions), is it time to take this classic out for a spin?

Join as as we talk in length not only about it's presentation, including what's changed from the original English translations put out by Tokyo Pop, but it's contents! From art to story, we get behind the wheel and discuss what makes our motor's hum, as well as the potential potholes you might might experience in reading the book for the first time!

Listeners, start your engines! 

Show Notes -

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Interview with Shuichi Shigeno

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Manga Mentioned

MF Ghost

MARS

Thanks to Juliano Zucareli for our theme music!

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After starting High School, Ruri Aoki thought that she was ready to deal with changes in her life... That was until she woke one day with a pair of horns growing out of her head, and her Mum told her it's because her Dad's actually a dragon!

But this isn't a fantasy shonen title! In fact, it's actually a slice of life! Rather than battling mythical creatures with her newfound powers, Ruri is just trying to navigate the usual challenges of high school like meeting new people and fitting it... which isn't the easiest thing when your dragon powers decide to manifest in the middle of class!

This week, I'm joined by SonMangaKing to discuss RuriDragon by Masaoki Shindo, a shonen title with a history of hiatuses and a ton of heart. We get into the book's interesting journey from One Shot, to Shonen Jump, to Jump Plus, how the fantasy elements mesh with the otherwise grounded tone of the book, and more importantly: is there enough good stuff here to make us keep reading?

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Show Notes

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Manga

Kingdom by Yasuhisa Hara

MAD by Yusuke Otori

CITY by Keiichi Arawi

RuriDragon Vol 2. Cover

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Movies

Weapons

Thanks to Juliano Zucareli for our theme music!

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Hiroto Ikuta is a carefree, and optimistic guy who's totally fine taking each day as it comes. While those around him worry he's approaching 30 with no real ambitions or love life, he's not worried at all! However, after the older woman he befriended passes away and he inherits her house in Tokyo, his life begins to change in unexpected ways! 

The most notable of which is his cousin, Natsumi, moving in! She's struggling to figure out who she wants to be and trying to adapt to her newfound independence, but won't open up about it to Hiro! Can these two once close cousins reconnect now they share a roof? Will Hiro go back to acting? And just who is the mysterious girl he met at work?

This week on Manga Tak, I sit down with Nick Westwood of RetroBreak to discuss Hirayasumi by Keigo Shinzō! We talk about it's unique approach to slice of life storytelling, gush a little about the book's art and scratch a little deeper into how the book generates stakes and drama with a content MC!

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Show Notes

Mangaka:

Taiyō Matsumoto

Naoki Urasawa

Iou Karuda

Inio Asano

Tatsuki Fujimoto

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Manga

Go Go Monster by Taiyō Matsumoto

Tokyo Alien Bros. by Keigo Shinzō

Holiday Junction by Keigo Shinzō

Solanin by Inio Asano

Sketchy by Makihirochi

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Interviews 

Matsumoto x Asano x Keigō

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Other Illustrators

SanLemo

Lucie Byron

Thanks to Juliano Zucareli for our theme music!

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All you need to do to hire the service of the City Hunter is to write XYZ on the bulletin board of Shinjuku station and they’ll do the rest.... These Sweepers are guns for hire, with no case to big or small: anything goes...

This week I'm joined once again by Tom to discuss the '80s cult classic City Hunter by Tsukasa Hojo! While the series debuted in Weekly Shonen Jump in 1985, it's living proof that manga and the magazine have changed a lot in that time, and this one's definitely more of a seinen title!

After really rolling up our sleeves and getting into the aspects that really haven't aged well with the book (see Ryo's pervy side), we get into discussing the nostalgic action movie feel the book offers and gush about how incredible Hojo's art is.

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Show Notes:

Other Manga:

Akira (and the podcast episode)

Trigun Maximum (and the podcast episode)

Fist of the North Star (and the podcast epiosde)

Gun Smith Cats

Cat's Eye

Movies / TV:

City Hunter 1993 (with Jackie Chan)

City Hunter 2024 (modern Nexflix Reboot)

Lethal Weapon

Dirty Harry

Miami Vice

Thanks to Juliano Zucareli for our theme music!

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Being an over 30's Toykoite is difficult: it's hard to find a man, you lose your passion for your work and your only way to let off steam is to goto the local Isakaya with your friends to let of some steam. But what if that's part of the problem?

After being caught off guard by the announcement of the Tokyo Olympics, Rinko vows to get married before 2020! But being single is the least of her worries as things around her begin to fall apart thanks to a handsome but brash model named Key... Can Rinko get it together to thrive in her 30's? Or will she succumb to the temptation of spending the rest of her life as a 'what-if woman?'

This week, Mat is joined once again by Tsutsudae from Undisputed Anime to talk about another Akiko Higashimura book: Tokyo Tarareba Girls. Join us as we unpack what we like and dislike about the book, figure out that it might well be the 'Peep Show' of manga and as per usual, gush over Higashimura's excellent dialogue and expressive art style!

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Show Notes

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Previous Episodes we discuss:

Honey Lemon Soda

Blank Canvas

You Can't Live All on Your Own

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Other Manga

Princess Jellyfish by Akiko Higashimura

Paradise Kiss by Ai Yazawa

Thanks to Juliano Zucareli for our theme music!

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Eita Ichiyoshi is a young man being driven slowly mad by the mundanity of his job at a confectionary factory. That is until while walking home alone on Christmas Eve, he catches a mysterious bouncy ball that he decides to take home. After throwing it to relieve his frustrations, he can’t believe his luck when it turns into a beautiful, naked woman with perfect lips!

But all it took was a kiss for Ichi to regret his actions! The girl suddenly begins to shoot more balls into the room that transform into more women! These monstrously strong women initially scare Ichi, before he vows to try and look after them… But as this book clearly sets out to be as horrific as it is a harem, Will he live to tell the tale?

This week, Mat is joined once again by Georgie (aka mainly.manga) to talk Super Ball Girls by Muneyuki Kaneshiro and Akira Hiramoto! What will these two distinguished gentlemen think of this shrink wrapped, ecchi, harem horror manga? Did it leave them jumping for joy? Or trying to bounce their copies into the nearest recycling bin? Listen in to find out!

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Show Notes

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Manga:

Jagaaaaaan

Blue Lock

Prison School

Raw Hero

Great Teacher Onizuka

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Films:

The Substance

Jeepers Creepers

Society

Troma Entertainment

Full Moon Features

Thanks to Juliano Zucareli for our theme music!

Find us on:
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The bike's charged, the skies are blue and the open road is calling.... there's one issue: there's seemingly only two women left to burn rubber and explore it! After leaving their bunker, Youko and Airi set out to retrace Yuoko's sister's footsteps by following her old social media... Why were they in a bunker? What happened to everyone else? Why are penguins so adorable? These are questions we hope to answer as we read Touring After the Apocalypse by Sakae Saito!

This week, Mat is joined once again by Tom to cancel the apocalypse by reading a manga that's got enough going for it to make us gush over the art, but also enough uncertainty for us to dance around saying anything truly negative. 

With the release of the Manga's recent anime adaptation, we thought now was the right time for us to hit the open road and read the first volume! But the questions as always is, will we like what we see enough to carry on the journey?

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=== Show Notes ===

Similar Manga:

Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou by Hitoshi Ashinano 

Girl’s Last Tour by Tsukumizu

Video Games:

Nier Automata (I'm not linking The Sims...)

Locations:

Tokyo Big Sight's Big Escalators!

Hakone's Pirate Ship Cruise over the lake!

The Monorail the girl's use as a bridge!

The Life-sized Gundam in Odaiba 

Thanks to Juliano Zucareli for our theme music!

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Jiro Azuma isn’t your run of the mill Ninja though, oh no - he also has the unique ability to talk to animals. It’s this special skill that leads him to nurse a dying cat back to health… but this isn’t just any cat: it’s Rago, the Black Star of Doom: a Mononoke of incredible power. Before he knows it, Jiro has fused with this vengeful spirit in the middle of a fight to the death and is immediately taken into custody by the Bureau of Espionage… But seemingly with the fate of the world at stake, can the Bureau afford to not use Jiro’s skills to save it?

This week, Mat is joined by once again by one half of the Undisputed Anime podcast, Zane Taichou!  Join us as we compare the book to it's clear inspirations, have differing opinions on the book's action and geek out about the cooler, capital S 'Shonen Moments' of the book!

Thanks to Juliano Zucareli for our theme music!

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Rintaro Tsumugi attends Chidori High. It's a boy’s school that only takes the dregs of society, which just happens to stand next door to the prestigious Kikyo Girls’ High! While the girls from this elite school never dream of socialising with anyone from Chidori, Kaoruko just happens to have a sweet tooth and when she notices Rintaro behind the counter of his family’s Cake Shop, suddenly pastries aren’t the only thing she’s got her eye on! Can these 'star crossed lovers' from two different schools make it work?

On this week's episode of Manga Tak, I sat down with MargReadsManga to discuss the excellent The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity by Saki Mikami! Join us as we discuss how Maki manages to successfully tell a Shonen romance with Shojo elements, compare the manga to the new anime from CloverWorks and give some manga recommendations on what to read next! 

Thanks to Juliano Zucareli for our theme music!

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CONTENT WARNING: This episode deals with some pretty heavy themes including suicide and physical abuse, so skip this one if you're not comfortable with those topics!

After a small, octopus looking alien from the Planet Happy arrives on Earth, determined to spread happiness to everyone he meets, he runs into a morose young girl called Shizuka who isn’t impressed with his happy gadgets... In fact, maybe it'd be better for everyone if he didn't get involved at all...

This week, Mat is joined by RAMZEE for one of the most difficult books we've discussed so far on the podcast, Takopi's Original Sin by Taizan 5. Join us as we talk about how the book deals with difficult topics, the genius of it's open but hopeful ending and just how great the design of our foolish little octopus friend is!

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Show Notes -

Manga - Good Night Punpun by Inio Asano 

RAMZZE past appearances - Orb - Asadora! - Hunter x Hunter 

Thanks to Juliano Zucareli for our theme music!

Find us on:
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