Full MANGA Alchemists

Send us Fan Mail What’s in a name? If you’re a parasyte, not much. Tamiya Ryoko/Tamura Reiko/Tamara Rockford doesn’t care, she just sticks with “T.R.” initials. While Uda’s parasyte now has a name, it’s more for Uda’s benefit than the parasyte’s. The P.I. still wants to investigate Shinichi, even though he’s been told to stop — and you’ve gotta be attentive to catch his name in this manga. Tim and...

Send us Fan Mail Should Shinichi be as concerned as Migi is about the detective seeing their secret? Meanwhile, he encounters a Satomi who’s distraught over his seeming emotionlessness. But at least he’s able to touch base with an old friend. Tim and Patrick continue comparing translations and finding some that are pretty off-base and/or hilarious, and read more fan letters translated in the Del R...

Send us Fan Mail After our review of the first live action Fullmetal Alchemist movie a few months back, this time we take on the second film with some trepidation. But wait — FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST: THE REVENGE OF SCAR is… not horrible!  For one thing, there’s more of the humor we expect from Hiromu Arakawa’s classic manga. Once again we cross over with the Comic Book Movie Oblivion podcast to discus...

Send us Fan Mail Following Kana’s death, Shinichi seems unmoved, which people find disturbing — especially Satomi. Can Shinichi do anything about this lack of emotion? Meanwhile, is Migi becoming *more* emotional? Is Tamura Reiko’s P.I. going to blow open Shinichi’s secret? Also, since when is Tokyo Pop’s translation of PARASYTE better than Del Ray’s? All this and — we FINALLY have a slogan for th...

Send us Fan Mail Apparently, if a character changes their name, they get ANOTHER chapter named after them? What's Ryoko/Reiko up to now? She's having Shinichi followed. Meanwhile, Shinichi is still dealing with the fallout from Kana's death. Also: seating at a meeting of parasytes, how translators deal with the lack of gender info on Reiko's baby, and more.

Send us Fan Mail Yes, that title means what you think it means. Why did this have to happen? What decisions will Shinichi make due to this tragedy? How does Shinichi deal with his inability to cry? Tim and Patrick discuss PARASYTE chapter 31 and read the original letters columns as reproduced in the paperbacks.

Send us Fan Mail In PARASYTE chapter 30, Shinichi is trying to convince Kana that her ability to sense Parasytes is putting her in danger, but she still thinks the real problem is that Shinichi doesn’t want to date her. The Shinichi - Satomi - Kana love triangle prompts us to wonder: Is PARASYTE a Y.A. book?

Send us Fan Mail The Parasytes seem to be gathering in the town next to Shinichi’s — Kana’s town. Shinichi is worried that Kana’s Parasyte perception power is going to get her in trouble, but if he tells Kana about the Parasytes, Migi won’t be pleased. What to do? Tim and Patrick discuss PARASYTE chapter 29!

Send us Fan Mail After the previous chapter’s massacre (of which our main characters know nothing so far), we get a break with this aptly-titled chapter. While Shinichi has certainly changed, his relationship with Satomi is now making up lost ground — and gets to some new, romantic territory (oooooh!) in this chapter. But wait — the parasytes are entering politics? What the — — Tim and Patrick dis...

Send us Fan Mail We’ve seen some bloody chapters of PARASYTE, but chapter 27 is the bloodiest so far. How bloody? Let’s just say that “Making a Splash” might have been a good title for it. But why is this parasite killing mobsters? Something new is starting, and Tim and Patrick doubt it’ll be good news for Shinichi and Lefty.

Send us Fan Mail In chapter 26 of Hitoshi Iwaaki’s PARASYTE, we look at Kana’s attraction to Shinichi, and what her sixth sense has told her about him. But why does her romantic dream look like it was drawn by Kentaro Miura (BERSERK)? What happens when Kana talks with Satomi? Tim and Patrick talk about the chapter, but continue to come up empty when brainstorming a podcast slogan!

Send us Fan Mail The first FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST live action movie is rumored to be terrible, but that didn’t stop us from reviewing it! We’re joined this time by Kumar and Jordan of the Comic Book Movie Oblivion podcast in a crossover episode to review Fumihiko Sori’s 2017 film. How does it compare to the comic? Does FULLMETAL even work in a movie format? Is this film even comprehensible to FULLMET...

Send us Fan Mail The bloody incident at the school is over, but now the secret is out: there are Parasytes among us! How do the authorities handle it? Or the general population? Is Shinichi ready to reveal his own secret? Surprisingly, PARASYTE chapter 25 turns out to be kinda humorous! Tim and Patrick discuss.

Send us Fan Mail How can Shinichi end the carnage caused by Shimada? If he approaches Shimada, he’s likely to be killed himself. Tim and Patrick recount PARASYTE chapter 24, the conclusion of the school massacre, while also stopping to wonder: What was that sound that the Bionic Woman’s hearing power made?

Send us Fan Mail Yup, that title pretty much sums it up. While the death of Shinichi's mother was shocking, this is by far the goriest chapter we've encountered in Hitoshi Iwaaki's PARASYTE, as a monster rampages through the school. And where is Satomi?? Aging, memory-challenged hosts Tim and Patrick don't remember if she makes it or not... Can Shinichi save the day?

Send us Fan Mail As Yuko contemplates confronting Shimada with her suspicion that he's an alien, Shinichi again alienates Satomi. Tim and Patrick's discussion of PARASYTE chapter 22 touches on how Japan and the US have different perceptions of Xes, Os, and check marks; Japanese school uniforms; and an underappreciated guitarist.

Send us Fan Mail Shinichi has to step it to prevent Hideo Shimada from making a meal — literally — out of Mitsuo (a.k.a. “Mitch”) and his friends. Can he get there in time? A friend of Satomi’s sees something she wasn’t supposed to see. How much danger is she in now? Tim and Patrick discuss chapter 21 of Hitoshi Iwaaki’s “Parasyte”!

Send us Fan Mail In the 20th chapter of Hitoshi Iwaaki’s PARASYTE, as Shinichi’s dad tackles his grief, we learn that the parasites’ effect on the wider world has been. Meanwhile, Shimada Hideo threatens to blow the lid off everything Shinichi and Migi have been hiding. Tim and Patrick discuss as they get distracted by translation differences, pomade, stiff shoulders, and the fattening American di...

Send us Fan Mail Shimada Hideo, the Parasyte who has entered Shinichi’s school, wants us to believe that he’s just there to look for a way to coexist with humans. He also says he doesn’t eat humans anymore, but that turns out not to be true. What ELSE is he lying about? Tim and Patrick discuss PARASYTE chapter 19, “Shimada Hideo”!

Send us Fan Mail While Shinichi’s name comes up among parasites in the shadows, our protagonist continues to deal with the fallout from Migi saving his life. Will it end his relationship with Satomi? And who is this parasite at Shinichi’s school? Does he pose a danger? Tim and Patrick discuss chapter 18 of Hitoshi Iwaaki’s PARASYTE!

Send us Fan Mail Sometimes fiction authors create stories that become unintentional analogies to other things. Case in point: the Dwarf in the Flask of FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST can be seen as representing A.I. and its potential for going out of control. BROTHERHOOD anime viewer Richard posted this interpretation on Reddit , and it interested us enough to have him on the show to explain the similarities...

Send us Fan Mail How much has Shinichi changed since Migi spread throughout his body? In PARASYTE chapter 17, his fellow high school students are noticing the difference.

Send us Fan Mail Tim and Patrick discuss the final showdown with the Mamacyte! Can Shinichi survive? What about Uda-san?

Send us Fan Mail Shinichi makes a friend, he and Migi both make new discoveries about their bodies, and … the Mom-asyte is back. Tim and Patrick discuss chapter 15 of Parasyte by Hitoshi Iwaaki. Also, Patrick talks a bit about the anime series Parasyte: The Maxim and Tim talks about the October 1999 issue of Tokyo Pop!

Send us Fan Mail Shinichi’s mom has been killed by a parasite, and he stands guard to keep the monster from coming back for his hospitalized dad. Set the expectations and defy them - this turns out to be something of a comedy chapter! Tim and Patrick continue their look at PARASYTE by Hitoshi Iwaaki, both in the original Japanese and in the Del Ray and Mixx — er, Tokyo Pop translations of it.