Mangasplaining

This week the gang reads Kaoru Mori's beloved historical fiction manga A Bride's Story. Deb picks and hosts, wanting to give a little gift of great manga to Chip. But will he accept it? Listen on to find out! Follow the show notes for images and insights at mangasplaining.com.

It’s a very big week for the Mangasplaining crew, as we tackle our first AND second “official” shojo manga releases... And they couldn’t be more different! Get ready for the teen fantasy adventure series Yona of the Dawn and the dangerous and sexy adult romance of Yakuza Lover on this episode! #sponsored

A manga... about making MANGA? Will this recursive bit of shoujo comedy delight or dismay Chip Zdarsky and the Mangasplaining gang? Only one way to find out...! Plus the team gives their picks for the manga gems that they wish would come back into print!

Mangasplainer Chip Zdarsky wanted to read something aimed at a grown-up audience this week, after a few weeks of reading about teens and their problems. So this episode we jump into Takako Shimura's down-to-earth, complex, and beautifully illustrated LGBTQ romance story 'Even Though We're Adults!' Will it be just what the doctor ordered? Spoilers: Yes. It's very good.

This episode marks a very strange week indeed, as the Mangasplainers dive into the nonsensical erotic grotesquery of Edogawa Rampo and Suehiro Maruo's The Strange Tale of Panorama Island! It's a doozy of a manga, based on a wild 1920s Japanese novella, and the show notes are jam packed with art and explanations! However, as exciting as it is, this episode (and show notes!) are recommended for listeners 18+ only.

The Mangasplaining Crew take on "The World's Most Popular Manga", er, of the 2000s anyway, with Masashi Kishimoto's NARUTO VOL 1! Is Naruto better comics than The Spider-Man? The Bat-Man? Listen and find out! Plus, in a special segment about kids manga, we welcome our very first guest! So get ready to find out all about Boruto's dad and so much more in this very big episode!

Fashion. Glamour. Sex. Highschool? Manga-ka Ai Yazawa takes on turn-of-the-millennium fashion culture in PARADISE KISS, recently re-released in a spiffy all-in-one edition! The Mangasplaining crew digs into this beloved series and comes out with some very, very strong opinions. “The first duty in life is to assume a pose. What the second duty is, no one has yet found out.” Get ready!

The hit anime series BEASTARS sprung from the pages of this manga, and the similarities and differences are substantial! The Mangasplaining team are divided on this unique manga, but will reading multiple volumes change our perspective... OR YOURS?

Three months in and Chip Zdarsky is starting to ask the big questions! What is a Japanese novel? What even is manga, anyway? Luckily we balance out the serious stuff with a big helping of delicious food chatter as we discuss the king of all food manga, Oishinbo! Then we work off those calories with a deep dive into sports manga, too! Grab a snack and settle in to this feast of an episode. 

The international smash-sensation FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST is the subject this week on Mangasplaining? How can a universally beloved series be anything but universally beloved? Well you're about to find out...