Manga Mavericks

On this episode of Manga Mavericks, we’re joined by guest and manga letterer, Aidan Clarke, to discuss Princess Da Huang & Other Tales by Ohtori! Join us as we talk with Aidan about his work on this release, as well as our overall thoughts on all the various tales this anthology has to offer!Princess Da Huang is available digitally on the Manga Mavericks Book store and will be available in print on later this month!PODCAST BREAKDOWN:00:00  - Intro02:57 - Upcoming Manga Mavericks Books releases and con appearancesTie Me Up, Stare Me Down by Zawayuki Taki Brothers of Japan by Taiyo Matsumoto Manga Mavericks Books Panel at Anime Expo! 09:03 - Princess Da Huang discussion1:12:37 - Wrap-upEnjoy the show, and follow us on Twitter at @manga_mavericks, on Bluesky at @mangamavericks.bsky.social, on Instagram at @mangamavericks_official, and on Youtube! You can also follow the hosts at @sniperking323 and @lumranmayasha. If you’d like to help support the show financially you can pledge to our Patreon or our Substack and receive some awesome rewards like our exclusive Bonus pods! Don’t forget to also like and subscribe to us on Youtube and Apple Podcasts and leave us reviews to help us curate the show and create better content! If there are any topics, series or mangaka you would like to see us talk about on the show, drop us a line in the comments below, or email us at [email protected]! Thanks for listening!LINKS:⁠Check out Princess Da Huang and other wonderful manga over on the Manga Mavericks Books store!Find us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts!⁠Subscribe to our Manga Mavericks + Newsletter on Substack!Support us on Patreon!⁠Follow Aidan on Bluesky!

On this episode of Manga Mavericks, the Mavericks are joined by comics artist and graphic designer, Darren Vogt, to discuss Iwakuni Kogyo's Great Metal God! An incredible sci-fi, action spectacle about a colossal metal being that wreaks havoc and destruction upon the world until another equally giant being is summoned to step in and save the day! Join us as we discuss Kogyo-sensei's amazing artistic ability to convey a story of such epic proportions without the use of very little text, while Darren goes through his process of designing and creating a cover worthy of the Great Metal God themself! Enjoy!Be sure to take the latest Manga Mavericks survey before it ends on April 30th!!!PODCAST BREAKDOWN:00:00  - Intro02:16 - Take the Manga Mavericks survey TODAY!05:00 - Check out our newest Manga Mavericks Books releases!08:28 -  Our latest licensing announcements from Anime Boston!15:32 - Great Metal God discussion1:12:15 - Wrap-upEnjoy the show, and follow us on Twitter at @manga_mavericks, on Bluesky at @mangamavericks.bsky.social, on Instagram at @mangamavericks_official, and on Youtube! You can also follow the hosts at @sniperking323 and @lumranmayasha. If you’d like to help support the show financially you can pledge to our Patreon or our Substack and receive some awesome rewards like our exclusive Bonus pods! Don’t forget to also like and subscribe to us on Youtube and Apple Podcasts and leave us reviews to help us curate the show and create better content! If there are any topics, series or mangaka you would like to see us talk about on the show, drop us a line in the comments below, or email us at [email protected]! Thanks for listening!LINKS:⁠Take the Manga Mavericks 10th Anniversary Survey and enter our raffle to win a FREE manga!⁠Great Metal God is available for purchase on the Manga Mavericks Books store!Find us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts!⁠Subscribe to our Manga Mavericks + Newsletter on Substack!Support us on Patreon!⁠Follow Darren Vogt on Blusky!

It's the 10th anniversary of Manga Mavericks!! On this special episode of the podcast, Colton & Lum are joined by both Sakaki and Vlord to celebrate 10 years of discussing manga as both a medium and as an industry. Join the usual Mavericks crew as they reminisce about their time doing the podcast, press, and now publishing, and how Manga Mavericks has changed their lives!Big thanks to everyone who has ever supported us throughout our journey, whether they be a fan or a past guest. Thank you for the past 10 years of Manga Mavericks, and as always, enjoy the show!Help celebrate with us even further by taking our Manga Mavericks 10th anniversary survey! As thanks for your input, survey takers will be entered into a raffle to win a free Manga Mavericks Books manga! The survey will be open from now through April 30th, so please let us know what you've enjoyed most about the past 10 years of Manga Mavericks and what you'd like to see in the next 10!You can also share your thoughts with us at⁠ Anime Boston⁠! We'll be in the dealer's hall at Anime Boston this weekend at ⁠Booth C-120⁠, right next to Discotek's booth! We'll have a bunch of our books available for purchase, including the hit animator BL manga sensation I'll See You at Ebisu Studios volume 1! Plus we'll have free goodies, including bookmarks and posters! Stop by and say hi, and pick up some great books!We've also got TWO panels at Anime Boston on Saturday, April 4th in panel room 202; our ⁠behind-the-scenes panel at 10:30am⁠, and our ⁠industry panel at 3pm⁠, where we'll be announcing some amazing new manga licenses! So come see MMB at AB, and if you won't be there, keep your eyes peeled on our socials for some big announcements from us this Saturday!And now, enjoy listening to us thank you for listening to us, as we reflect on ten years of being Manga Mavericks!PODCAST BREAKDOWN:00:00  - Intro13:59 - Info on the newest Manga Mavericks Books & Podcast survey21:52 - Check out our newest Manga Mavericks Books releases! 30:00 -  Celebrating 10 years of Manga Mavericks!3:18:20 - Wrap-upEnjoy the show, and follow us on Twitter at @manga_mavericks, on Bluesky at @mangamavericks.bsky.social, on Instagram at @mangamavericks_official, and on Youtube! You can also follow the hosts at @sniperking323 and @lumranmayasha. If you’d like to help support the show financially you can pledge to our Patreon or our Substack and receive some awesome rewards like our exclusive Bonus pods! Don’t forget to also like and subscribe to us on Youtube and Apple Podcasts and leave us reviews to help us curate the show and create better content! If there are any topics, series or mangaka you would like to see us talk about on the show, drop us a line in the comments below, or email us at [email protected]! Thanks for listening!LINKS:Take the Manga Mavericks 10th Anniversary Survey and enter our raffle to win a FREE manga! Check out the Manga Mavericks Books booth and our panels at Anime Boston 2026! Order Manga Mavericks Books titles on our online store⁠!Find us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts!⁠Subscribe to our Manga Mavericks + Newsletter on Substack!Support us on Patreon!⁠Follow Strict Algorithm on Twitter or Blusky!

Been a while, hasn’t it? On this episode of Manga Mavericks, Colton, Lum and Maxy all get together after two years to finally talk about Weekly Shonen Jump once again! This time, however, they decide to go about it a little differently, as they focus more on the new debuts from 2025 that are still going (or at least were still going in the case of a couple of them at the time this was recorded). In general though, there’s still plenty of discussion to be had about some of the magazine’s more current popular titles in the lineup, as well as some of the other series that unfortunately fell down into the cancellation pit along the way. How does Maxy currently feel about the state of the magazine? How does Colton feel after spending a lot of time away from Jump over the past two years? Listen and find out!Click here to donate and help Minnesota residents affected by ICE!!PODCAST BREAKDOWN:00:00  - How you can help Minnesota residents affected by ICE07:25 - Intro23:15 - Weekly Shonen Jump Retrospective (Our hosts' feelings on the magazine currently)47:47 -  The series that started in but didn't make it past 20251:06:10 - Otr of the Flame1:29:17 - Harukaze Mound1:43:08 - Someone Hertz1:54:33 - Gonron Egg2:09:27 - The Mage Next Door2:22:50 - Hero Girl and Demon Lord Call it Quits2:37:39 - Jujutsu Kaisen Modulo3:18:43 - Wrap-up (plus Patreon Shout Out)Enjoy the show, and follow us on Twitter at @manga_mavericks, on Bluesky at @mangamavericks.bsky.social, on Instagram at @mangamavericks_official, and on Youtube! You can also follow the hosts at @sniperking323 and @lumranmayasha. If you’d like to help support the show financially you can pledge to our Patreon or our Substack and receive some awesome rewards like our exclusive Bonus pods! Don’t forget to also like and subscribe to us on Youtube and Apple Podcasts and leave us reviews to help us curate the show and create better content! If there are any topics, series or mangaka you would like to see us talk about on the show, drop us a line in the comments below, or email us at [email protected]! Thanks for listening!LINKS:Order Manga Mavericks Books titles on our online store⁠!Find us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts!⁠Subscribe to our Manga Mavericks + Newsletter on Substack!Support us on Patreon!⁠Follow Maxy B on Bluesky!Listen to Shonen Flop!

Launched on the weekend of New York Comic Con 2025, the One Piece x Mercer Labs immersive exhibition transported visitors into the world of the series through 11 rooms featuring a variety of digital and physical installations themed around the Wano arc. LumRanmaYasha sat down for two interviews with Nasir Dean, the Manager of Special Projects at Mercer Labs and driving force behind the immersive One Piece exhibition. We discussed Nasir’s history with One Piece and anime, his pathway to collaborating with Toei on the exhibition, curating the exhibition around the Wano arc, the themes of the different installations, what makes One Piece such a natural fit for an immersive experience, and how the installation encapsulates the series’s messages of freedom that’ve resonated and inspired people worldwide. PODCAST BREAKDOWN:00:00 - Manga Mavericks Books Promo00:44 - Intro06:42 - Nasir Dean Interview at the Mercer Labs, 10/12 38:07 - Nasir Dean Interview over Zoom, 10/291:09:21 - Wrap-Up Enjoy the show, and follow us on Twitter at @manga_mavericks, on Bluesky at @mangamavericks.bsky.social, on Instagram at @mangamavericks_official, and on Youtube! You can also follow the hosts on Twitter at @VLordGTZ and @lumranmayasha. If you’d like to help support the show financially you can pledge to our Patreon or our Substack and receive some awesome rewards like our exclusive Bonus pods! Don’t forget to also like and subscribe to us on Youtube and Apple Podcasts and leave us reviews to help us curate the show and create better content! If there are any topics, series or mangaka you would like to see us talk about on the show, drop us a line in the comments below, or email us at [email protected]! Thanks for listening!LINKS:Visit the Mercer Labs!Check out our report on the ONE PIECE x MERCER LABS experience Order Manga Mavericks Books titles on our online store! Order Mutsumi Natsuo’s Butch Yuri manga Boyish² and My Date is a Total Ike Woman now on our online store! Find us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts!⁠Subscribe to our Manga Mavericks + Newsletter on Substack! ⁠Support us on Patreon!⁠Wanna Leave Us a Tip? LumRanmaYasha also has a Ko-fi!

On this episode of Manga Mavericks, Colton, Lum and Sakaki continue to read through and discuss the back half of Kodansha's Young Magazine USA! Starting off with the baffling post apocalyptic, sci-fi epic, Protocol Ryugu from Daisaku Tsuru, and then bookended with another equally as baffling horror adventure with Into The Dark by Anri Morikuma! Get ready for even more scares than last time as we finish off the magazine and head to the polls to vote for which series will get to continue! Enjoy!⁠Be sure to read and vote for your favorite series on Young Magazine USA's official website!PODCAST BREAKDOWN:00:00  - IntroYoung Magazine Discussion13:47 -  Protocol Ryugu41:09 - The Graveyard Shift57:50 - Pregnant1:14:35 - Project Metallia1:25:30 - Godmother1:39:05 - Fasciation1:51:54 - Into the Dark2:07:06 - Final Thoughts2:30:30 - Wrap-upEnjoy the show, and follow us on Twitter at @manga_mavericks, on Bluesky at @mangamavericks.bsky.social, on Instagram at @mangamavericks_official, and on Youtube! You can also follow the hosts at @sniperking323 and @lumranmayasha. If you’d like to help support the show financially you can pledge to our Patreon or our Substack and receive some awesome rewards like our exclusive Bonus pods! Don’t forget to also like and subscribe to us on Youtube and Apple Podcasts and leave us reviews to help us curate the show and create better content! If there are any topics, series or mangaka you would like to see us talk about on the show, drop us a line in the comments below, or email us at [email protected]! Thanks for listening!LINKS:Order Manga Mavericks Books titles on our online store⁠!Attend our Manga Mavericks Books panel at Twin Cities Con! Find us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts!⁠Subscribe to our Manga Mavericks + Newsletter on Substack!Support us on Patreon!⁠Read the entirety of Young Magazine USA on platforms like Azuki, Bookwalker Global, or KManga!

On this episode of Manga Mavericks, Colton, Lum and Sakaki all get together to take a look at the special US edition of Kodansha's Young Magazine and attempt to spotlight and discuss every first chapter featured! Though as you can clearly see, we had definitely bit off more than we can chew! So much so, that we have to split this up into TWO PARTS! Seriously! There was NO WAY we'd be able to get through all 16 series (plus two one shots) in one go! Especially not when you throw in an official sequel to Mavericks favorite, Boys Run The Riot, which we definitely had A LOT to say about! Even so, be proud that we still cover a little more than half the lineup. So stay tuned next time as we finish off the rest of the magazine! Enjoy!Be sure to read and vote for your favorite series on Young Magazine USA's official website!PODCAST BREAKDOWN:00:00  - Intro12:31 -  Young Magazine Discussion20:25 - The Last Terran39:04 - Boys Run the Riot -In Transition-1:06:28 - To Dusk and Twilight1:18:18 - GOUMA1:30:26 - Is My Love Strange?1:50:02 - Me and Bob Dylan (and My Father)1:57:16 - The Journey of a Dark Elf with Fading Powers2:12:01 - The Silent Forest2:20:04 - The Knight of Blasphemy2:33:40 - Kikikaikai2:45:22 Still You2:55:27 - Wrap-upEnjoy the show, and follow us on Twitter at @manga_mavericks, on Bluesky at @mangamavericks.bsky.social, on Instagram at @mangamavericks_official, and on Youtube! You can also follow the hosts at @sniperking323 and @lumranmayasha. If you’d like to help support the show financially you can pledge to our Patreon or our Substack and receive some awesome rewards like our exclusive Bonus pods! Don’t forget to also like and subscribe to us on Youtube and Apple Podcasts and leave us reviews to help us curate the show and create better content! If there are any topics, series or mangaka you would like to see us talk about on the show, drop us a line in the comments below, or email us at [email protected]! Thanks for listening!LINKS:Order Manga Mavericks Books titles on our online store⁠!Attend our Manga Mavericks Books panel at Twin Cities Con! Find us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts!⁠Subscribe to our Manga Mavericks + Newsletter on Substack!Support us on Patreon!⁠Revisit our original podcasts on Boys Run the Riot! Read the entirety of Young Magazine USA on platforms like Azuki, Bookwalker Global, or KManga!

We recorded a podcast. A podcast just for us (and you, our listeners). This is that podcast. Once again, we’re opening up our heart-shaped boxes to give you our self-liner notes for one of our debut Manga Mavericks Books titles, Alternative[Self-Liner Note]! In this free-style jam session of a podcast that you can think of as the “B-Side” to our previous discussion on Alternative, we sat down with our Accounting & Sales Manager, Nicholas Hodges, to discuss the series from the perspective of someone who’s a musician and has worked in music journalism! Nick describes how he related to the book based on his background and experience with music, touching on the significance of many of the artists referenced by Yagura-sensei in their playlist of inspirations included in the book, in particular Number Girl and Nirvana. We reflect on how we relate to the series’ depiction of someone going through a quarter-life crisis in their late 20s and being uncertain whether they can continue to pursue their passion without getting anywhere, with Nick looking back at it with frustration from the standpoint of someone who’s grown past that point in their life. We explore how the series has a great message for younger readers about not conflating career success with creative fulfillment, and never losing sight of the joy in creating something that is meaningful to you and is for you and yours alone. Plus, we go on many digressions, such as about the best years of SNL, Robert Zemeckis’ filmography, Nick watching Perfect Blue for the first time when he was too young, and more! So listen up and listen good as we learn a lot (maybe too much) about our CFO, Nick, and discuss what makes Alternative’s story and message resonate no matter what career or passion you’re rocking! PODCAST BREAKDOWN:00:00  - Order Alternative[Self Liner Note] and more Manga Mavericks Books titles on our online store⁠!00:44 -  Intro11:00 - Alternative[self-liner note] B-Side w/Nicholas Hodges1:26:18 - Wrap-upEnjoy the show, and follow us on Twitter at @manga_mavericks, on Bluesky at @mangamavericks.bsky.social, on Instagram at @mangamavericks_official, and on Youtube! You can also follow the hosts on Twitter at @VLordGTZ and @lumranmayasha. If you’d like to help support the show financially you can pledge to our Patreon or our Substack and receive some awesome rewards like our exclusive Bonus pods! Don’t forget to also like and subscribe to us on Youtube and Apple Podcasts and leave us reviews to help us curate the show and create better content! If there are any topics, series or mangaka you would like to see us talk about on the show, drop us a line in the comments below, or email us at [email protected]! Thanks for listening!LINKS:Purchase First Time in Taiwan: A Delicious Adventure digitally on our online store! Attend our Manga Mavericks Books panel at Twin Cities Con! Check out our trailers for Alternative[Self Liner Note] and First Time in Taiwan! Find us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts!⁠Subscribe to our Manga Mavericks + Newsletter on Substack! ⁠Support us on Patreon!⁠Wanna Leave Us a Tip? LumRanmaYasha also has a Ko-fi!Listen to our first podcast on Alternative[Self Liner Note]! Listen to Gupta & Hodges at the Movies! Om Shanti OmMake a Girl⁠

On this episode of Manga Mavericks, we're spotlighting the third and final of our first round of Manga Mavericks Books licenses with 9banta's Zigoku's Foreman! A workplace comedy taking place in Hell about a demon named Mizuchi, who acts as the leader of a construction crew! Join our Mavericks crew as they discuss the specific HELLISH challenges that come with releasing a work such as this one, not just with it being a combination of both manga and light novel prose, but especially with our very own Vlord having his own challenges figuring out how to learn entirely new skills in order to print this book correctly and have it come out as good as possible!Zigoku's Foreman Vol 1 is now available for purchase on our store!PODCAST BREAKDOWN:00:00  - Intro13:36 -  Zigoku's Foreman Discussion1:12:18 - Wrap-upEnjoy the show, and follow us on Twitter at @manga_mavericks, on Bluesky at @mangamavericks.bsky.social, on Instagram at @mangamavericks_official, and on Youtube! You can also follow the hosts at @sniperking323 and @lumranmayasha. If you’d like to help support the show financially you can pledge to our Patreon or our Substack and receive some awesome rewards like our exclusive Bonus pods! Don’t forget to also like and subscribe to us on Youtube and Apple Podcasts and leave us reviews to help us curate the show and create better content! If there are any topics, series or mangaka you would like to see us talk about on the show, drop us a line in the comments below, or email us at [email protected]! Thanks for listening!LINKS:Find us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts!⁠Subscribe to our Manga Mavericks + Newsletter on Substack!⁠Support us on Patreon!⁠Listen to the latest Kanzenshuu podcast reviewing BONDS!

Christmas has come early for Manga Mavericks, as we’re celebrating our 250th episode with a special gift from Titan Manga, the first volume of Sanda, Paru Itagaki’s crazy dystopian manga about a kid who can transform into a buff, hot Santa Claus investigating the conspiracy behind the disappearance of his classmate! You know a manga by Paru Itagaki’s gotta be wild even without featuring horny-hungry anthropormophic animals, and we talk about everything that makes Sanda the gift that keeps on giving, from its insane bordering on psychotic characters, intriguing world building, and hilariously over-the-top interpretation and application of the Santa Claus mythos for battle manga powers. Sanda is everything that we love about manga and a wonderful way to ring in and commemorate our 250th episode! Thanks so much to Titan Manga for inviting us to participate in the blog tour for Sanda! Check out more coverage of Sanda at the outlets listed here! We also have another occasion to celebrate, because we’ll be exhibiting and hosting a panel for Manga Mavericks Books at New York Comic Con! It’s our first time hosting a table for Manga Mavericks Books at a convention, and we’re excited to be able to showcase our books and interact directly with fans at the show! Our booth number is 2242, and we’ll be sharing our booth with B!Juku, one of our digital manga distribution partners, and we’re located right to the left of the Viz Media booth in the small press section of the Exhibit Hall! We’ll have copies of Alternative, Bonds, and Zigoku’s Foreman volume 1 for sale at special discounted prices and free bookmarks for Alternative and Zigoku’s Foreman and a convention exclusive print for Zigoku’s Foreman, alongside other surprises and goodies available for sale and being given away at the booth! PODCAST BREAKDOWN:00:00  - In Memoriam: Matt Haasch GoFundMe for Matt’s FamilyLum and VLord’s Reflections on Matt 10:30 - Introducing Sanda13:45 - Celebrating Manga Mavericks’ 250th episode! 14:55 - We’re going to be Exhibiting and Hosting a Panel at New York Comic Con! 18:03 - Sanda Review 1:00:10 - Wrap-up1:03:56 - Shout-Outs: Manga Machinations’ 11th-Year Anniversary Episode Evan Minto’s In Memoriam for Matt HaaschMatt Haasch Memorial organized by Evan MintoKanzenshuu Podcast on Bonds! Lum's Guest Appearances on Manga TakSenpai no KohaiThe Guy She Was Interested Wasn’t a Guy At AllShe Loves to Cook, She Loves to Eat Demon Slayer Podcast episode on the Infinity Castle movie Lum's Guest Appearances on the Toonami Faithful Podcast:Anime ExpoSan Diego Comic Con Colleen Manga Recs’ Video on Anime NYC ANN on the The Legal and Soft Censorship of Manga panel at Anime NYCVLord presenting the Best New Edition of Classic Manga Award at the American Manga Awards 2025 Check out recent Interviews posted on the site!  Check out our manga trailers for:AlternativeBonds Enjoy the show, and follow us on Twitter at @manga_mavericks, on Bluesky at @mangamavericks.bsky.social, on Instagram at @mangamavericks_official, and on Youtube. You can also follow the hosts on Twitter at @VLordGTZ and @lumranmayasha. If you’d like to help support the show financially you can pledge to our Patreon or our Substack and receive some awesome rewards like our exclusive Bonus pods. Don’t forget to also like and subscribe to us on Youtube and Apple Podcasts and leave us reviews to help us curate the show and create better content. If there are any topics, series or mangaka you would like to see us talk about on the show, drop us a line in the comments below, or email us at [email protected]. Thanks for listening. LINKS:⁠Pre-Order our Manga Mavericks Books titles on our online store⁠!Find us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts!⁠Subscribe to our Manga Mavericks + Newsletter on Substack! ⁠Support us on Patreon!⁠Wanna Leave Us a Tip? LumRanmaYasha also has a Ko-fi!Read more of Lum’s reviews on the Manga Mavericks website!