Manga Machinations

This week Seamus likes the secondary couple in the yuri manga Kiss and White Lily for My Dearest Girl, the other shoe finally drops in Chi no Wadachi, darfox and dakazu compare their reading styles, darfox shares his thoughts on the newest arc of Happiness, dakazu comes across the most bizarre and blatant health scam in X-POWER~4th Dimensional Body Enhancement~, and he takes a look at the new Tsutomu Nihei series APOSIMZ(Ningyou no Kuni). Then for our Triple Dip, we discuss BEASTARS, Moteki, and Ichi the Killer!!!

On this episode we answer an email and talk about Junji Ito manga, while dakazu checks out the end of Naruto Shippuden, (unfortunately)revisits Bunny Drop, and rants about Rin Okamoto’s new manga Parallel Paradise! Then for our One Shot section we discuss Ghost in the Shell!!! We compare the characters in the manga to their anime counterparts, cringe at Masamune Shirow’s love of fan service, and breakdown all plot points that were taken for the various anime adaptations!

This week Seamus makes predictions for what happens next in Vinland Saga and Chi no Wadachi, darfox digs the love triangle in Prison School and is enjoying ATOM: THE BEGINNING, dakazu pulls a Seamus and spoils himself on Furenaba Ochin, and we talk about upcoming live action movie adaptations of manga, such as Gintama, Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, and Blade of the Immortal. Finally, we look at the super popular anime movie Your Name. and give our opinions about it!!!

On this episode we answer an email, discuss the new chapters of Chi no Wadachi, dakazu compares must-read manga vs. top-of-their-genre manga, Seamus is disappointed about how Himegoto - Juukyuusai no Seifuku ends, and the manga 10 Dance is everything dakazu wanted Yuri!!! on Ice to be! Then we wrap up on the final volume of Phoenix, share our opinions on the series as a whole, and weigh in on our favorite arcs!!!(covers volume 12-Early Works)

This week we thank Leann Hill for our awesome new avatars! Then we run down the new anime of the season, including The Eccentric Family 2, Sakura Quest, The Laughing Salesman(Warau Salesman), Berserk, My Hero Academia, Attack on Titan,  Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, Rage of Bahamut: Virgin Soul, and ATOM: THE BEGINNING! Also dakazu is excited for Kouji Mori’s new manga Sousei no Taiga! Finally, we finish the Sun arc of Phoenix!!!(covers volume 11-Sun part 2)

On this episode we read an email, Seamus describes the unique manga in AX Volume 1, dakazu can’t help but compare 7 Billion Needles to Parasyte, darfox praises the characterizations in BEASTARS, and he reports back from seeing the new Ghost in the Shell movie! Finally, we check out the next volume of Osamu Tezuka’s Phoenix for our retrospective!!!(covers volume 10-Sun part 1)

This week we read emails, we give manga suggestions, Seamus has mixed feelings about Himegoto - Juukyuusai no Seifuku, darfox might drop Dr. Stone, and dakazu talks about the cut-throat business of weekly manga. Then we get to our main topic of Patlabor 2: The Movie! We compare it to the previous Patlabor movie, look for more Mamoru Oshii-isms, and break down our favorite scenes!!!

On this episode we discuss the upcoming live-action Ghost in the Shell, Seamus finishes March comes in like a lion and now hates Momo, we love looking behind the scenes of creating manga in Naoki Urasawa’s Manben, dakazu is touched by Akiko Higashimura’s loving tribute to her art teacher in Blank Canvas: My So-Called Artist’s Journey(Kakukaku Shikajika), and we weigh in on the Netflix version of Death Note! Then we dive into a lengthy analysis of Patlabor: The Movie and compare it to Mamoru Oshii’s other movies!!!

This week Dawn “Usamimi” from the Anime Nostalgia Podcast is back to talk about one of her favorite series, Sailor Moon! We examine everything from the differences of the manga vs. the anime to the recently aired Sailor Moon Crystal! Also on this episode, Dawn’s been reading Goodnight Punpun and recommends Naoki Urasawa's Manben for a look behind the scenes of creating manga, darfox checks out Reiraku and likes the unique art of BEASTARS, we celebrate the English release of My Brother’s Husband and Ichi-F, we discuss the difficulty of translating and the slippery slope of fan-translations, and we’re hyped for devilman crybaby by Masaaki Yuasa but not so much for Eureka Seven Hi-Evolution!!!

This week Seamus is looking into the history of post-World War 2 Japan with Shigeru Mizuki’s Showa and Yoshihiro Tatsumi’s Abandon the Old in Tokyo and Good-Bye, we discuss the representations of racial stereotypes in Japanese culture, darfox is enjoys the use of back lighting in Chi no Wadachi, and dakazu ponders if Inio Asano’s new series Reiraku, about a depressed manga-author, is autobiographical! Then our deliberations over the upcoming stage-version of Inuyasha and adaptations of manga into other media leads us to our Saikyo Selection on Patlabor! We explain it’s origins as a media mix project and get into what we like about the series!!!(covers volumes 1-2)

On this episode we read an email about using curse words in translations, Seamus is confused about what’s going on in To Your Eternity, darfox ponders the fates of the new Shonen Jump manga Dr. Stone and Marie the Hungry, dakazu discovers the prequel to Astro Boy Atom:The Beginning, and he loves the relatable quirks of eating food in Medamayaki no Kimi Itsu Tsubusu?! We end by discussing the next volume of Phoenix for our continuing retrospective!!!(covers volume 9-Strange Beings/Life)

On this episode Seamus enjoys the relationship of a lesbian couple in Collectors, dakazu is creeped out by the incestuous undertones of Shuzo Oshimi’s new title Chi no Wadachi, the manga of Dragon Ball Super reveals interesting things about Goku and Chi-Chi’s relationship, developments in Boruto are super cliche, and darfox finds out Minami Kamakura High School Girls Cycling Club(Minami Kamakura Koukou Joshi Jitensha-Bu) isn’t just a female version of Yowamushi Pedal! Finally, we finish off the Civil War story line in Osamu Tezuka’s Phoenix and share our thoughts!!!(covers volume 8-Civil War part 2)

This week we explain Valentine’s Day customs in Japan, Seamus watches more March comes in like a lion anime, darfox finishes Nana to Kaoru but wasn’t sure what to expect of the new Shonen Jump series We Never Learn!, and dakazu checks out Spider-Man: The Manga! Then, we return to our retrospective of Osamu Tezuka’s Phoenix by jumping into the Genpei War era of Japan!!!(covers volume 7-Civil War part 1)

On this episode darfox finally gets some feedback from a translator, Seamus orders the Indie manga magazine AX Volume 1, dakazu checks out the popular rugby manga/anime All-Out!!, we look at the rivalry between Inio Asano and Shuzo Oshimi, and dakazu shares the awesome blog Brain Vs. Book! Then dakazu introduces a bunch of manga he’s been reading recently: COPPERS, Hibi Rock, and Fuichin Tsaichen!!! Finally, we examine another popular series, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, for Saikyo Selections! Be prepared for an almost chaotic discussion of both the first handful of chapters for part 7 Steel Ball Run(covers chapters 1-12) and everything that makes JoJo popular!!!

 After we explain the American Football, this week darfox and Seamus catch up on new chapters of Hi Score Girl and A Bride's Story(Oyomegatari)! Also, dakazu loves the Zootopia like setting of BEASTARS and is touched by the story of a boy who loves people in Machida-kun no Sekai! Then we jump into another anime movie review with The Boy and the Beast! We share out thoughts and compare it to director Mamoru Hosoda’s other works!!!

On this episode Seamus explores dreamlike stories in A Single Match, darfox uncovers Social Justice themes in ole Green Lantern/Green Arrow comics, dakazu confesses he’s watching Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid and enjoying the tale of a magic cat in E no Shima Waikiki Shokudou, and we discuss Hideaki Anno teaching animation to kids! Then we get into a darker Triple Dip by checking out the beginning of Freesia, Front Mission Dog Life & Dog Style, and Welcome to the Ballroom!

This week Seamus notices the occasional food chapter in Golden Kamuy and March comes in like a lion while dakazu finally understands to origins of 3 yakuza minions who are transformed into teen idols in Back Street Girls! Then it’s time to continue our Phoenix retrospective where we discuss everything from edited versions to our thoughts on Osamu Tezuka as a mangaka!!!(covers volume 6-Nostalgia)

On this episode dakazu checks out real life taxi driver confessions in Yoake no Taxi Driver, darfox is upset with Yowamushi Pedal: New Generation changing his favorite girl, we discuss Amazon Prime’s new exclusive anime channel, and talk about Junji Ito’s influence in the West with a new horror game called World of Horror! Then we dive into more Phoenix with some interesting nonlinear narrative!!!(covers volume 5-Resurrection)

On this episode Seamus finally finishes Revolutionary Girl Utena and Mob Psycho 100, darfox starts Showa: A History of Japan, and dakazu watches Yuri!!! on Ice with his wife while checking out CANDY SAMURAI WARS! and Becchin to Mandara! Then we finally get back to our retrospective review of Osamu Tezuka’s Phoenix by discussing his most critically acclaimed volume!!!(covers volume 4-Karma)

Happy 2017! We celebrate the new year with an extensive discussion about Yuri!!! on Ice to try and break down what the show represent within themes of LGBT. Then dakazu introduces a manga about the actor who brought Zatoichi to life in Japan, Katsushin - Samishigariya no Tensai. Finally, we check out 3 new manga for our Triple Dip section: Angel Densetsu, Reincarnation no Kaben, and Fire Punch!!!