Mangaroos

If you've never read A Bride's Story before, then throw all your preconceptions about it out the window. Unless one of those preconceptions is about it being an absolute masterpiece—keep that one. We're talking perfectly paced action scenes. Impeccable, intricate line work that recreates the craftsmanship of a bygone age. Historical fiction on a recognizably human scale. The inherent badassery of goat horns. Kaoru Mori is a genius.

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We're back! This week we're discussing one of the so-called "Big Three" from the Shonen Jump boom of the early-2000s. Bleach is a rock and roll song in manga form. It's a battle manga with supernatural flair. It's a wildly incoherent blend of ideas and styles that somehow just works... For the most part!

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WE'RE BACK. Did you have a fun summer vacation? We did! And now we're back to discuss Kininatteru Hito ga Otoko ja Nakatta (The Guy She Liked Wasn't a Guy At All!) by Sumiko Arai, a Twitter sensation published in book form! (Twitter still existed when we recorded this episode.) This manga brings you the awkwardness of high school crushes, the importance of music to the teen psyche, and all of the lime green you can handle. Can its charm survive the transition from social media to the printed page?! 

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The war against AI is over, and humanity is attempting to rebuild, having suffered devastating defeat. And what's crazy is, that's also the plot of this manga! Erio is a naive young woman with unusual electric powers, in a world where electricity is outlawed! She's in love with a heartless murder robot who depends on Erio for said electricity! It's a 1950s screwball comedy that looks like steampunk Hayao Miyazaki. 

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A kindergarten for the children of the world's super-elite, where the staff are all ex-prisoner lethal assassins? What could possibly go wrong! Kindergarten Wars combines the unconventional work/life dynamics of Spy x Family with the over-the-top violence of Chainsaw Man, and throws in some shojo manga tropes for comedic effect. It's quite a combination, but how well does it work? Listen in to find out!

BONUS: Stick around to the end, when the Roos reveal their favorite manga read for the show so far. 

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What would YOU do if you were the only person left in society? Would you go looking for survivors with a weird little mouse creature as your companion? Eat super-spicy instant curry while driving around blasted-out cityscapes? Or just watch old movies on an endless loop? Come reflect on the fragility of existence and "a story of loneliness and beautiful ruins," and let's do some beautiful Rooin' of our own.

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Science fiction, romantic comedy, and slapstick cartoonery all co-exist in the same beautifully-drawn timeline, in Parallel Leap Syndrome by Nobuyuki Takahashi! What moment in your life would you return to, as many times as it took, just to get it right? Which tired old rom-com tropes need to be left in the past for good? Are you a Haruko or a Satoimo? Find out, alongside your favorite Mangaroo-yaros.

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Step into the spirit world with us as we take a look at a brand-new series, Tonari no Hyakkai Kenbunroku, by Yoshiko Watanuki. Points discussed: creepy peach girl, wallets stolen by ghosts, neighbors and whether or not you're entirely sure they exist, falling in love with an older man, and the difference between true romance and fujoshi bait (it exists!). 

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Drawing motorcycle action this well is such a flex. 

In what may or may not be the last episode in our "thrillers" arc (we're not sure), we discuss Ajin: Demi-Human. Presenting a vision of immortality that can best be described as "badass," Ajin is a story about a select group of humans who cannot be killed, but can project "black ghosts" who, uh, look like cool creepy mummies and fight with balletic grace. And some of them can scream real loud? Channel your inner 14-year-old disaffected boy, and get lost in the turbulence with us.

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Experience the kind of suspense that could only happen when a white collar, mystery-loving dad takes on the yakuza, in volume one of My Home Hero! What would you do if you found out your child was dating a violent criminal? How well would each Mangaroo deal with covering up a murder? And what's the deal with thought bubbles?

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Email: [email protected]
Everywhere else: @mangaroos