Manga Tak

Born a slave, young Sitara has learned that anything that could improve her life also improves her potential value: not in terms of self worth, but the price her owners can own. So when given the chance at an education, she rebels and plays dumb... until the words of a boy called Muhammad change her mind: an education wouldn't be a cause of suffering, but potentially her salvation. Sitara grows older and wiser under the care of her new owners and is even treated as family. But life is cruel. The city of Tus is sacked by The Mongols, everyone she knows is slain and Sitara is forced to march from Persia to The Great Steppe. TThe journey is harrowing but on the trip she sees both her chance for advancement and revenge. Maybe Muhammad is wrong: maybe an education can be both a blessing and a curse...On this week's episode, Mat is joined by Ramzee to talk about A Witch's Life in Mongol by Tomato Soup! Join us as we travel back in time to 13th century Persia with this historical fantasy! Did it's setting and characters work for us? Did it's message of the value of an education land and more importantly, did it make us want to read on?---Show Notes---The Delicious Adventures of Dampier By Tomato SoupDisloyal Retainer Smbat By Tomato SoupOrb: On The Movements of the Earth by UotoA Bride's Story by Kaoru MoriRG Veda by CLAMPBuddha by Osamu TezukaVinland Saga by Makoto YukimuraThanks to Juliano Zucareli for our theme music!Find us on:X: Manga Tak PodBluesky: Manga Tak PodInstagram: Manga Tak Pod

Tanzaburo Tojima has devoted his life to one goal: becoming Kamen Rider. Sure, he knows that becoming a Tokusatsu hero is unlikely considering it's a TV show, but he's spent his life training just in case! However when he turns 40, he finally  decides maybe his dream isn't going to work out.... That is until others inspired by the show begin trying to hold up convenience stores in the name of Kamen Rider's villainous organisation, Shocker, and other like minded people like Yuriko Shibata appear to save the day too! Maybe this dream's not so strange after all!On this week's episode, Mat is joined by Grimsabr to discuss Tojima Wants To Be A Kamen Rider by Yokusaru Shibata! Join us as we discuss how the book provided a safe onramp for us as Tokusatsu-curious readers, how the comedy landed a one-two punch with the action, and how it's unique art style works to amplify the laughs! Thanks again to Titan Manga for providing advanced reading copies of the book!---Show Notes---A link to the Kamen Rider history video mentioned in the episode by ACRIMONY Toku---Air Master by Yokusaru Shibata81 Diver by Yokusaru ShibataGo! Go! Loser Ranger! by Negi HarubaCITY by Keiichi ArawiMob Psycho 100 by ONEThe Climber by Shin'ichi Sakamoto---Thanks to Juliano Zucareli for our theme music!Find us on:X: Manga Tak PodBluesky: Manga Tak PodInstagram: Manga Tak Pod

After years of playing trash games, Rakuro Hizutome finds himself switching gears to play Shangri-la Frontier: a massively popular, full dive VR game that is anything but trash! Naming his character Sunraku and starting out with a duel wielding swordsman with a bird mask, Rakuro soon learns to love the game... It isn't until a chance encounter leads him to cross paths with a unique monster, Lycagon, that he sees the game's true potential and vows to become one of SLF's greatest players!On this week's episode, Mat is joined once again by tattoo artist Bar to discuss Shangri-la Frontier by Katarine and Ryosuke Fuji. Join us as we get into what we think this mmo-based-manga gets right on the gaming side of things, before broaching more weighty topics like what it's fair to expect of a shonen manga and how sometimes you find meaning in completely unexpected places!---Show Notes---Jujutsu Kaisen by Gege AkatamiOne Piece by Eiichiro OdaMashle by Hajime KōmotoThe King's Avatar by Hu DielanOverlord by Kugane Maruyama and So-binLog Horizon by Mamare Touno and Kazuhiro HaraSword Art Online by Reki KawaharaSolo Leveling by Chugong and DuBuHaikyu!! by Haruichi FurudateKuroko's Basketball by Tadatoshi FujimakiDr. Stone by Riichiro Inagaki and BoichiBlue Lock by Muneyuki Kaneshiro and Yusuke NomuraMy Hero Academia by Kōhei HorikoshiNaruto by Masashi KishimotoDragon Ball by Akira ToriyamaBleach by Tite KuboThanks to Juliano Zucareli for our theme music!Find us on:X: Manga Tak PodBluesky: Manga Tak PodInstagram: Manga Tak Pod

When a bumbling ex-Yakuza heads straight for the Yose after gettting out of prison, he doesn't know the man he's determined to apprentice for, Yakumo Yuurakutei, is a Rakugoka who not only refuses to take on apprentices but has vowed to commit Rakugo Shinju: a double suicide with his artform in which he aims to take his art to the grave with him! But somehow this unlikely ex-con finds himself in Yakumo's car and being called Yotaro? Maybe there is such a thing as a second chance after all?!On this week's episode, Mat is joined by illustrator Jessica Lai to discuss Haruko Kumota's excellent Descending Stories! Join us as sit down to talk about the book's incredible storytelling and memorable characters, our mutual love of Rakugo, and take the time to compare the manga to the anime and live action adaptations! ---Show Notes---A link to the post on Jess' Workshop in Decemeber! Through The Painting's Translation of Tokyo Media Lab's 2013 interview with Haruko Kumota.Wave Motion Cannon's translation of the Haruko Kumota interview in the April 2017 issue of Febri magazine.Link to the English Rakugo Association's website!---Akane-Banashi by Yuki Suenaga & Takamasa MoueGoodbye, Eri by Tatsuki Fujimoto River's Edge by Kyoko OkazakiRistorante Paradiso by Natsume OnoThanks to Juliano Zucareli for our theme music!Find us on:X: Manga Tak PodBluesky: Manga Tak PodInstagram: Manga Tak Pod

A school trip to the Tokyo Tower sees three high school girls transported to a strange world called Cephiro! Hikaru, Umi and Fuu soon learn that they've been summoned to help save Princess Emeraude and that they are the legendary Magic Knights fated to rise in this very moment... On this week's episode, Mat is joined by Tsutsudae from Undisputed Anime to discuss Magic Knight Rayearth by CLAMP! We get into our feelings about the all female manga collective, how nostalgic we felt reading this JRPG inspired story and our hopes for the upcoming Rayearth anime!---Show Notes---Here's a link to the excellent CLAMP Cast In Wonderland Podcast!And here's that Tsubasa / xxxHolic list from redditor u/BlackCell69---X by CLAMPRG Veda by CLAMPTokyo Babylon by CLAMPTsubasa: Reservoir Chronicles by CLAMPxxxHolic by CLAMPCardcaptor Sakura by CLAMPSailor Moon by Naoko Takeuchi---Thanks to Juliano Zucareli for our theme music!Find us on:X: Manga Tak PodBluesky: Manga Tak PodInstagram: Manga Tak Pod

It is an age of Desperados.... but the greatest outlaw of them all, M.Godspeed is dead. Killed by his own son, Jimmu, the boy shows up with his father's corpse in a steal, cross-shaped coffin not to claim the bounty, but to hand him in as proof of his convictions. Jimmu Godspeed is not his father. In fact, Jimmu Godspeed wants to be the Marshall that will put an end to the age of Desperados once and for alll! But upon enrolling in the prestigious US Marshall Training Institute, his classmates can't help but wonder: is there more to Jimmu than meets the eye?On this week's episode, Mat is joined once again by his podcasting partner in crime, Tom to discuss The Marshal King by Boichi: a book that almost feels like a smoothie made of every book we've ever discussed on the podcast together!Join us as we discuss Boichi rising to the challenge of aiming to create a manga conceived for the global stage, get into the book's love for the capital C 'COOL' moments of every major manga of the last 40 years, before facing the toughest question of all: how do you pick an MVP in a book that's literally full of them!---Show Notes---Dr. Stone by Riichiro Inagaki & BoichiSun-Ken Rock by BoichiOrigin by BoichiOne Piece: Ace's Story by Ryo Ishiyama & BoichiOne Piece by Eiichiro OdaTrigun by Yasuhiro NightowBlood Blockade Battlefront by Yasuhiro NightowFist of The North Star by Buronson and Tetsuo HaraCity Hunter by Tsukasa HojoJojo's Bizarre Adventure Part 2: Battle Tendency by Hirohiko ArakiFull Metal Allchemist by Hiromu ArakawaThe Vision of Escaflowne---Thanks to Juliano Zucareli for our theme music!Find us on:X: Manga Tak PodBluesky: Manga Tak PodInstagram: Manga Tak Pod

Is there anything more terrifying than a curse spread by a simple touch? Those who bare such a tragic fate turn into monsters and are simply known as Outsides, while those who remain human get to live inside the castle walls. But when such an Outsider finds a little girl, named Shiva, who despite supposedly being touched by a curse being exhibits none of the usual signs, Teacher as she begins to call him, decides to look after her... but fate has other ideas!On this week's episode, Mat is joined once again by designer and artist, Allie Oldfield, to discuss The Girl From The Other Side: Siúil, a Rún by Nagabe! Join as Mat wrestles with the fact he somehow never picked up the 2nd volume, Allie's insightful observations on the book's artistic tone, and get your Type nerd hats on as we talk about Lys Blakeslee's lettering choices!---Show Notes---Love on the Other Side by NagabeWitch Hat Atelier by Kamome ShirahamaThe Moomins by Tove JanssonJon KlassenTasha TudorThanks to Juliano Zucareli for our theme music!Find us on:X: Manga Tak PodBluesky: Manga Tak PodInstagram: Manga Tak Pod

Humanity's last days draw near... 47 legendary heroes stand against the Demon Lord's army in a last ditch effort to save their race! However, when this last stand seemingly falls short, one fallen hero named Hallow learns from his brother Zaybi that there's another plan: summon heroes from another world! When they do though, they don't just summon one group of humans, but twelve! Problem solved right? Well, it turns out they're not the only version of humanity facing extinction... and for each new variety of human, there's also a new, powerful enemy to deal with!On this week's episode, Mat summons Zane from the Undisputed Anime podcast to help him talk about Versus by One, Kyōtarō Azuma and bose! Join us as we get into how we feel about this book's take on 'who would win?' discuss if it's really an Isekai, and more importantly, discuss whether we're willing to pick up the 2nd volume!---Show Notes---One-Punch Man by One and Yusuke MurataMob Psycho 100 by ONEBug Ego by ONE and Kiyoto ShitaraRecord of Ragnarock by Takumi Fukui and AzychikaClaymore by Norihiro Yagi---Comic Natalie Interview with the book's creative team (in Japanese)Thanks to Juliano Zucareli for our theme music!Find us on:X: Manga Tak PodBluesky: Manga Tak PodInstagram: Manga Tak Pod

After a portal opens above New York, erasing the city from the map, a new, more twisted city appears from the mist. It's name is Hellsalem's lot, and it's where a young boy named Leonardo Watch needs to go in order to find answers after a demon gave him the mysterious eyes of the Gods... Instead of answers, he finds Libra: a secret organisation dedicated to keeping the peace in the lawless city... but maybe this rag-tag bunch of misfits is more than Leo bargained for! On this week's episode, Mat is joined once again by Tom to discuss another Yasuhiro Nightow book! No, not Trigun Maximum but his current project: Blood Blockade Battlefront! As it's third season of anime draws to a close, we thought now was the right time to get into it! We discuss it's interesting publishing history, how it differs from Nightow's work on Trigun, and what our hopes are for the future of the series as we (spoilers) agree to read on!---Show Notes---Find the Interview between Nightow and Kawasaki Hiroshi here (machine translated)---Manga---Trigun by Yasuhiro NightowFullmetal Alchemist by Hiromu ArakawaGantz by Hiroya Oku Hellsing by Kouta HiranoDrifters by Kouta HiranoClaymore by Norihiro Yagi---Thanks to Juliano Zucareli for our theme music!Find us on:X: Manga Tak PodBluesky: Manga Tak PodInstagram: Manga Tak Pod

In a world ravaged by war, two mercenaries named Deunan and Briareos accept an offer to live in a mysterious metropolis known as Olympus. Once inside the city, the two end up joining the city police force, but can't seem to shake the feeling something isn't right about the supposed utopia... And just maybe, this life isn't better than the one they left behind scavenging beyond the city walls!On this week's episode, Mat is joined once again by writer and artist, Ian Sta. Maria to discuss Masamune Shirow's debut work, Appleseed! With the new omnibus editions from Dark Horse about to hit shelves, we thought now was the perfect time to crack out our old (flipped!) copies and talk about what makes the book so special. We get into Shirow's incredible creative vision, where his love of drawing ladies took his career, and how we feel about a story thats as hard sci-fi as you're likely to see on the pages of a manga!---Show Notes---First up! A correction - Mat says on the podcast that nobody knows Shirow's real name, but it is in fact Masanori Ota! ---Shirow Interviews:KABOOM! Explosive Animation from America & Japan" exhibition (listification)Masamune Shirow, Interviewed by Trish Ledoux (1993)Dark Horse interview with Masamune Shirow (1995)Toren Smith's Interview with Masamune Shirow (geocities)Link to Mat's reel of the Masamune Shirow Exhibit in Tokyo (2025)---Manga---Akira by Katsuhiro OtomoFive Star Stories by Mamoru NaganoMy Name Is Shingo by Kazuo UmezuGhost in the Shell by Masamune ShirowOrion by Masamune ShirowIntron Depot 1 by Masamune ShirowBlackmagic by Masamune ShirowDominion (aka Tank Police) by Masamune ShirowGunsmith Cats by Kenichi Sonoda (I can't believe I forgot his name! - Mat)Thanks to Juliano Zucareli for our theme music!Find us on:X: Manga Tak PodBluesky: Manga Tak PodInstagram: Manga Tak Pod