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After agreeing to marry a mysterious, beautiful girl after a near death experience, Nasa Yuzaki has his world turned upside down on his 18th birthday when she suddenly appears on his doorstep with a marriage form in hand! Who is this woman and why does she remind him so much of the fabled moon princess Kaguya? This week on Manga Tak, Mat is joined once more by AC Yoshimura (aka prodtally) to discuss T̶o̶n̶i̶k̶a̶k̶u̶ ̶K̶a̶w̶a̶i̶i̶ Fly Me To The Moon by Kenjiro Hata! Join us as we discuss the dangers of 2am Don Quixote visits, how the manga compares to the anime, and watch in real time as Mat does a complete 180 turn on reading on based solely on the mention of one of his favourite movies... --- Show Notes --- Manga --- Urusei Yatsura by Rumiko Takahashi Ranma 1/2 by Rumiko Takahashi Love Hina by Ken Akamatsu Trigun by Yasuhiro Nightow Revolutionary Girl Utena by Chiho Saito / Be-Papas Neon Genesis Evangelion by Yoshiyuki Sadamoto Wash It All Away by Mitsuru Hattori --- Other --- Highlander  Mamoru Oshii Seikima-II  Japan's Culture Council Thanks to Juliano Zucareli for our theme music! Find us on: X: Manga Tak Pod Bluesky: Manga Tak Pod Instagram: Manga Tak Pod

In the world of competitive ballroom dancing, there are two competing styles: standard and latin, but in order to be the best in the world, two Japanese 'kings of ballroom' will have to come together in order to rise to the challenge of 10Dance: a glittering triathlon that would see them compete in both styles!  This week, Mat is joined once again by Ida to discuss 10Dance by Inouesatoh. It's the first BL on the show, so after taking some time to discuss what the genra is and isn't, we get into what's so appealing about the book! It's tension, the romance and at times, the artwork!  Along the way, we talk BL tropes, the Netflix live action adaptation of the manga, as well as give some recommendations for other books that contain other queer stories that will leave you smiling at the end! Show Notes: --- J-Pop Con Info! --- BL Descriptors! --- Shonen-ai / BL / Yaoi Bara  Fujoshi  Yuri / GL --- Manga --- Our Not So Lonely Planet Travel Guide by Mone Sorei What Did You Eat Yesterday? by Fumi Yoshinaga Blue Flag by Kaito Boy Meets Maria by PEYO I'm Kinda Chubby and I'm Your Hero by Nore Witch Hat Atelier by Kamome Shirahama Gorgeous Carat by You Higuri Love Hina by Ken Akamatsu Gravitation by Maki Murakami Excel Saga by Koshi Rikudo She Loves To Cook, She Loves to Eat by Sakaomi Yuzaki (podcast episode!) Even Though We're Adults by Takako Shimura --- Movies --- 10Dance Live Action on Netlfix Thanks to Juliano Zucareli for our theme music! Find us on: X: Manga Tak Pod Bluesky: Manga Tak Pod Instagram: Manga Tak Pod

Just a quick message from me to ask with your help picking the manga and guest for the 100th episode of the show!  Get your vote in now using this link - https://forms.gle/oiXmaX24ry6sHvEf9 Voting will close on February 20th, so be sure to get your vote in ASAP! Thank you in advance! Mat Thanks to Juliano Zucareli for our theme music! Find us on: X: Manga Tak Pod Bluesky: Manga Tak Pod Instagram: Manga Tak Pod

A young Fujino publishes a weekly comic strip in her school paper to the fanfare of all her classmates, dreaming to become a Mangaka when she grows up... However, after another student named Kyomoto is published in the same paper, the way Fujino and her classmates see her work changes forever. It's the start of an unlikely friendship and a tragic story: one that echoes it's creator's feelings and real life incidents. But is it worth reading? This week, Mat is once again joined by writer and illustrator, A.C. MacDonald, to discuss Look Back by Tatsuki Fujimoto. In this spoiler filled episode, we look at Look Back in relation to Fujimoto's other works, discuss how the creator reflects his own thoughts and feelings through the story, as well as asking each other questions on the nature of art and why we both feel the need to create things! Join us for perhaps one of the most introspective episodes of the podcast ever, but we hope you'll agree: it's likely the kind of conversation someone like Fujimoto would want us to have about this book! --- Show Notes --- Twistwood Tales by A.C. MacDonald --- Other Works of Fujimoto: Fire Punch Chainsaw Man Goodbye, Eri Before Chainsaw Man Look Back (the anime) --- Manga Blame! by Tsutomo Nihei Tower Dungeon by Tsutomu Nihei Thanks to Juliano Zucareli for our theme music! Find us on: X: Manga Tak Pod Bluesky: Manga Tak Pod Instagram: Manga Tak Pod

Looks can be deceiving. Kaoru Suzuki is a towering boy who strikes fear into the hearts of his classmates with his intimidating looks... If they just got to know him, they're realise he's a kind, gentle boy but unfortunately nobody takes the time!  That is until one day on the train to his new high school, he’s saved by a delicate but tough boy called Arata Haruna. The two boys hit it off immediately and slowly Suzuki begins to come out his shell to his new classmates, by revealing his unexpected passions for baking and gardening! This week, I'm joined by once again by Marg (aka MargReadsManga) to discuss Suzuki-Kun's Mindfull Life by Yuhki Fujimoto. Can this Shojo slice of life win us over? What does this book about challenging gender rolls have to say? And more importantly, how do we feel about the prospect of an age gap romance... --- Show Notes --- Manga --- The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity by Saka Mikami Wash It All Away by Mitsuru Hattori After The Rain by Jun Mayuzuki Bunny Drop by Yum Unita My Love Story!! by Kazune Kawahara & Aruko Honey So Sweet by Amu Meguro --- TV Shows (and Podcasts) --- Pluribus (and the podcast!) --- Yuhki Fujimoto Interview (Japanese) Thanks to Juliano Zucareli for our theme music! Find us on: X: Manga Tak Pod Bluesky: Manga Tak Pod Instagram: Manga Tak Pod

Duranki is book with two tales to tell... On one hand, it's the story of an androgynous child named Usumgal, born of the gods, but who is neither god nor human, neither male nor female. On the other, it's an experiment by Kentaro Miura to see if his manga studio, Studio Gaga, would be able to produce a work that could reach the high bar set by his masterpiece, Berserk.  Unfortunately, with Miura's untimely passing in  2021, neither of these stories will see an ending. Like the ancient myths on which Duranki is based, we're only left with a fragment of those stories...And just like scholars do with those tales of old, Mat and Tom will speculate widely on what IS there! Join us as we dig into Duranki: exploring the stories' 6 chapters, contrast it development concept also included in the volume on which it was based, before finally asking the question: should a creator's work continue after they're gone? And perhaps more fitting for a podcast that mainly recommends manga, is Duranki a good starting point for the Berserk-curious reader? --- Show Notes --- Berserk by Kentaro Miura Giganto Maxia by Kentaro Mirua Dragon Ball Super by Akira Toriyama and Toyotarou --- Production Interview on Duranki with Mirua (in Japanese) --- Thanks to Juliano Zucareli for our theme music! Find us on: X: Manga Tak Pod Bluesky: Manga Tak Pod Instagram: Manga Tak Pod

If you've spent years thinking that the work of Mitsuru Adachi isn't for you because you have no interest in baseball, pull up a chair!  This week on Manga Tak, I talk to designer and illustrator Bastian Najdek, to discuss Short Game! A collection of 5 short stories from one of Japan's masters of romance, that proves that while the book is about baseball, it also REALLY isn't! Join us as we take the field to discuss Adachi's beautiful compositions and writing, spend a little time in the outfield discussing badly dubbed Polish anime, before swinging for the fences and picking our favourite stories in the collection! --- Show Notes --- Mangaka Akira Toriyama Rumiko Takahashi --- Manga Touch by Mitsuru Adachi H2 by Mitsuru Adachi Cross Game by Mitsuru Adachi Short Program by Mitsuru Adachi Ranma 1/2 by Rumiko Takahashi Dragon Ball by Akira Toriyama H̶e̶l̶l̶o̶ What's Michael? by Makoto Kobayashi Thanks to Juliano Zucareli for our theme music! Find us on: X: Manga Tak Pod Bluesky: Manga Tak Pod Instagram: Manga Tak Pod

Vikings have seen a resurgence recently thanks to shows like (ahem) Vikings, and games like Assassins Creed Valhalla and Valheim, but what if I told you the best piece of Viking fiction of the past 20 years was actually a manga? And more importantly, that it's story is based on real vikings! This week, Mat's not only joined by another passionate lover of comics, but a descendant of Thorfinn Karlsefni himself: author and translator, Árni Beck Gunnarsson!  Join us as we really dive into Vinland Saga by Makoto Yukimura! We not only explore the book's story and themes, but actually talk at the length about viking history and the Icelandic sagas! It's an episode not to missed!  --- Show Notes: ---- Podcasts: The excellent Mangasplaining episode on Vinland Saga Árni's podcast, Tegneseriesnak  --- Manga: Planetes by Makoto Yukimura Dragon Ball by Akira Toriyama Akira by Katsuhiro Otomo My Hero Academia by Kohei Horikoshi Farewell My Odin by Chihiro Yoshioka --- Danish Viking Comics: Valhalla  Tall Tales of Midgard by Bjørk Matias Friis --- TV Shows / Movies Vikings Norsemen Akira Kurosawa --- Thanks to Juliano Zucareli for our theme music! Find us on: X: Manga Tak Pod Bluesky: Manga Tak Pod Instagram: Manga Tak Pod

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 - --- Interview with Shuichi Shigeno --- Manga Mentioned MF Ghost MARS Thanks to Juliano Zucareli for our theme music! Find us on: X: Manga Tak Pod Bluesky: Manga Tak Pod Instagram: Manga Tak Pod

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? --- Show Notes --- Manga Kingdom by Yasuhisa Hara MAD by Yusuke Otori CITY by Keiichi Arawi RuriDragon Vol 2. Cover --- Movies Weapons Thanks to Juliano Zucareli for our theme music! Find us on: X: Manga Tak Pod Bluesky: Manga Tak Pod Instagram: Manga Tak Pod

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! --- Show Notes Mangaka: Taiyō Matsumoto Naoki Urasawa Iou Karuda Inio Asano Tatsuki Fujimoto --- 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 --- Interviews  Matsumoto x Asano x Keigō --- Other Illustrators SanLemo Lucie Byron Thanks to Juliano Zucareli for our theme music! Find us on: X: Manga Tak Pod Bluesky: Manga Tak Pod Instagram: Manga Tak Pod

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. --- 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! Find us on: X: Manga Tak Pod Bluesky: Manga Tak Pod Instagram: Manga Tak Pod

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! --- Show Notes --- Previous Episodes we discuss: Honey Lemon Soda Blank Canvas You Can't Live All on Your Own --- Other Manga Princess Jellyfish by Akiko Higashimura Paradise Kiss by Ai Yazawa Thanks to Juliano Zucareli for our theme music! Find us on: X: Manga Tak Pod Bluesky: Manga Tak Pod Instagram: Manga Tak Pod

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! --- Show Notes ---- Manga: Jagaaaaaan Blue Lock Prison School Raw Hero Great Teacher Onizuka --- Films: The Substance Jeepers Creepers Society Troma Entertainment Full Moon Features Thanks to Juliano Zucareli for our theme music! Find us on: X: Manga Tak Pod Bluesky: Manga Tak Pod Instagram: Manga Tak Pod

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? --- === 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! Find us on: X: Manga Tak Pod Bluesky: Manga Tak Pod Instagram: Manga Tak Pod