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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On this episode of Manga Tak, Mat is joined by Ian Sta. Maria (takbotikbalang) to talk about the excellent Battle Angel Alita by Yukito Kishiro!

Originally published in Shueisha’s Business Jump from 1990 to 1995, Gunmu, or Battle Angel Alita as we know it in the West, is a Cyber Punk epic about an amnesiac female cyborg called Alita. Who after being revived by cyber doctor Daisuke Ido, sets off on a quest to uncover her forgotten past on the streets of Iron City.

Join us as we chat about what makes the book so strong, the challenges of localisation and why you should never take the word of a teenage tastemaker at 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 AC (aka ProdTally) to talk in depth about Rumiko Takahashi's Urusei Yatsura.

It’s the story of Ataru Moroboshi, an extremely unlucky and lecherous guy who is randomly selected by a computer to face off against an alien race, known as the Oni, in a game of tag to prevent them taking over the world. His opponent? The daughter of their leader, the vivacious Lum. And that’s only the start of it! 

Join us as we chat about what we love about Lum and Takahashi's work in general, what made AC start #DailyLum and much more besides!

Thanks to Juliano Zucareli for our theme music!

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Join us we set sail on a new podcasting adventure called Manga Tak! On this first episode, Mat talks with his long time podcasting partner Tom to discuss Eiichiro Oda's classic: One Piece!

One Piece is the story of Monkey D. Luffy, a young man who embarks on a quest to seek out Gold Roger's ultimate treasure, the One Piece, and fulfil his dream to become the King of Pirates! 

Join us as we talk about one of our favourite Manga series' of all time and why we think that even if you're intimidated by it's 100+ volumes, One Piece is something that should be on your manga reading list!

Thanks to Juliano Zucareli for our theme music!

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On this pilot episode of Manga Tak, Mat is joined by Zane from Undisputed Anime to talk in depth about Gege Akutami's Jujutsu Kaisen Zero. 

The story follows Yuta, who is a high school student haunted by his childhood sweetheart, Rika. After a tragic accident, Rika is turned into special grade, vengeful curse that forces Yuta to keep his distance from everyone for fear of what she’ll do to them. After an incident at his old school, Yuta is taken in by Satoru Gojo and enrolled in Tokyo Jujutsu Technical High: a training school for Jujutsu sorcerers, in order for him to learn to use his powers.

Join us for a very in-depth chat that ended up informing the format of the show going forward, but be warned: there will be spoilers!

Thanks to Juliano Zucareli for our theme music!

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