Manga Tak

On this week's episode, Mat is joined once again by his podcasting partner in. crime Tom , to talk about one of our favourite manga, Trigun by Yasuhiro Nightow, recently re-published in english by Dark Horse Comics and getting the deluxe treatment it deserves! Join us as we discuss the various forms Trigun has taken over the years since it's debut in Monthly Shonen Captain almost 30 year...

On this week's episode, Mat is joined one again by  Zane Taichou from Undisputed Anime , to talk about the latest title from Weekly Shonen Jump to receive an anime: Sakamoto Days by Yuto Suzuki Join us as we discuss how Hitmen never really get to retire, if we think the mash-up of Gag Manga and Action really work for us, and how sometimes the best works need to grow into their potential!  Tha...

On this episode of Manga Tak, Mat is joined once again by LumRanmaYasha to discuss THE GREEN YURI aka The Guy She Was Interested In Wasn't A Guy At All by Sumiko Arai Join us as we discuss the how the book blends together romance and music, how it's signature neon green is used for more than just branding, and find out exactly what it feels like to see yourself as 'the old man'...

On this episode of Manga Tak, Mat is joined once again by AC MacDonald , creator of Twistwood Tales , to discuss the wonderful, comedy manga CITY by Keiichi Arawi of Nichijou fame. Join us as we figure out our plans to relocate to a CITY where comedic characters live increasingly funny lives, dine at it's finest restaurants on a diet of tapas-like gags, before getting our serious faces on to...

This week, Mat is joined by comic book creator and publisher Mitch Proctor (aka Bon Idle )  to talk about the second of 'The Big Three' to grace the podcast: Bleach by Tite Kubo ! Join us as we get into why we love the book, and the series, in general! We even get slightly off topic once or twice to discuss some other Shonen titles, demographics in general and even discover a perfectly B...

This week, Mat is joined by Ida from Denmark's biggest Anime, Manga and Cosplaying convention, J-Popcon to talk about Adachitoka's Shonen smash hit Noragami: Stray God. Join us as we delve into a world of lost souls, Gods for hire and the things living in the spaces in-between! We also talk through our slightly conflicted feelings on the manga: how it managed to hook us without using con...

Mat is joined once again by AC (aka @ProdTally ) to talk about another great work from Rumiko Takahashi: this time it's her short horror series, Mermaid Saga! Join us as we talk through the what makes a great 'immortal' story, how the book fairs compared to other classics of the genre in other mediums and why we won't be sharing any of the colour spreads on Instagram...  Find t...

On this week's episode, Mat is joined once again by 'The Lord of Shojo' Georgie , to discuss the excellent Josei (?) skateboarding manga ' Sketchy ' by Makihirochi , published in English by Kodansha . Join us as we discuss the best Melancholy Moments, how this book proves we need more MCs in their 30's, and why it's a book you can absolutely judge by it's co...

On this week's episode, Mat is joined by Budjette Tan , writer of horror/crime komik Trese , to talk about 'The Summer Hikaru Died' by Mokumokuren. Join us as we discuss why we're both suckers for an intriguing book title, the wonders of being surprised by the unexpected and why we love a good use of sound effects to build tension! Find Budjette on BlueSky and Instagram here! T...

On this week's episode, Mat is joined one again by the one and only Zane Taichou from Undisputed Anime , to talk about the next big thing in Weekly Shonen Jump: Kagurabachi by Takeru Hokazono, published in English by Viz Media! Join us as we discuss how Hokazono blends his love of Western Cinema and modern manga together, the buzz around this book from day 0, and whether or not the hype of it...

On this week's episode, Mat is joined by Maria Salgado to talk about the closest thing we'll likely ever get to an 'indie manga' in English: An Invitation From a Crab by Panpanya, published by Denpa ! Join us as we talk about Panpanya's focus on vibes over story, how they create breath taking comics with mixed medium, and more importantly, how they create comics that are f...

Stop us if you've heard this one before, but this week Mat is joined once again Tom to talk about another classic manga: The Birth of Kitaro by Shigeru Mizuki, published in english by Drawn and Quarterly. Join us as we talk about the Mizuki's incredible art style, his unique way of assembling a story and how in a book all about Kitaro, it's actually a rat-man who managed to steal ou...

A historical manga on Heliocentrism? Really? Well don't be alarmed dear listener, because there's more to this manga than meets the eye! This week, Mat is joined by storyteller / cartoonist Ramzee , to talk about the manga by Uoto that is the basis for the NHK/Netflix anime of the same name. Join us as we discuss this manga's seemingly unusual theme, how it uses science both as the...

A manga about intelligent machines replacing humans in the work force sounds like something brand new to reflect today's headlines: but what if I told you that My Name is Shingo was originally published in 1982? This week, Mat is joined by the Lord of Shojo, Georgie (aka @Mainly. Manga ) to talk about a classic manga from Kazuo Umezu. Join us as we discuss how this book played with our expect...

On this week's episode, we're dusting off another classic! Mat is joined by one again by Tom to talk about a seminal text of action / battle genre, Fist of the North Star. Written by Buronson and illustrated by Tetsuo Hara. Join us as we talk about the book's impact on Manga as a whole, including it's influence on works like Jojo's Bizarre Adventure and Berserk!, how hyper...

On this week's episode, Mat is joined by LumRanmaYasha to talk about a triple header of firsts for the podcast: Yuri, Food and Josei, with She Loves to Cook, and She Loves to Eat by Sakaomi Yuzaki. Join us as we talk through the books representation of identity, how food is the perfect engine for emotional storytelling, not to mention how joyful it can be to see two people just chow down!   (...

Want to hear all about the Manga behind the hottest new Anime of the Fall 2024 line up? Well, look no further! Mat is joined by the hosts of The Undisputed Anime Podcast , ZaneTaichou AND TsuTsuDae to talk about one of our favourite current Manga titles, Dan Da Dan! Join us as we talk about the book's impact, how it blends incredible art and humour to tackle difficult subjects, not to mention...

Just in time for the launch of the new anime reboot from Mappa, Mat is joined once again by AC (aka @ProdTally ) to talk about another of Rumiko Takahashi's works: this time it's the undisputed classic, Ranma 1/2! Join us as we talk through Ranma's cultural context and history, both in Japan and as one the trail blazing first manga to crack the Western market, how it differs from Ur...

On this week's episode, Mat is joined by Christophe Galati to discuss Hayao Miyazaki's epic Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. Originally published in the pages of Japan’s premier otaku magazine, Animage, Nausicaa is Miyazaki’s Manga Magnum opus.  Like his movie of the same name, Nausicaa is the story of the titular princess from a small kingdom, who finds herself thrown into a war foug...

On this week's episode, Mat is joined by Bar (aka InkByBar ) to discuss Kodansha's epic football / soccer manga, Blue Lock. First published in Kodansha’s Weekly Shonen Magazine back in 2018, Blue Lock, written by Muneyuki Kaneshiro and drawn by Yusuke Nomura, is a Football Battle Royale mange in which to craft the world’s best striker, 300 Japanese high schoolers are asked to join the Bl...

On this episode of Manga Tak, Mat is joined by Nick (aka RetroBreak ) to discuss Insomniacs After School by Makoto Ojiro. First published by Shogakukan's Weekly Big Comic Spirit, Insomniacs After School is a seinen manga by Makoto Ojiro. It's the story of Ganta Makami, an insomniac high school student who struggles socially thanks to his constant state of tiredness.  His life changes one...

On this episode of Manga Tak, Mat is joined once again by Tom to discuss the classic Go Nagai horror manga, Devilman! After Toei Animation requested a lighter version of his manga, Demon Lord Dante, that could be turned into an anime, Go Nagai created Devilman. Given specific direction to make the manga darker, Nagai launched a more adult work in Kodansha’ Weekly Shōnen Magazine in 1972, just a mo...

On this week's episode, I'm joined by my good friend, illustrator and graphic designer, Crystal to discuss Kaiju No. 8 by Naoya Matsumoto.   First published digitally on Shueisha’s Shonen Jump+ app, Kaiju No. 8 is a series written and illustrated by Naoya Matsumoto. It’s the story of Kafka Hibino, a kaiju-corpse cleanup guy who still dreams about making it into the Japan Defence Force, a...

On this week's episode, I'm joined by Graphic Designer / Comic artist Jibé to discuss the classic manga The Ghost in The Shell by Masamune Shirow. Originally published from April 1989 to November 1990 in Kodansha’s Young Magazine, The Ghost in the Shell is considered a seminal work not only in the manga sphere, but as a foundational piece of the cyber punk genre.  It is the tale of cybor...

On this week's episode, I'm joined by Lea from Faraos Cigarer in Copenhagen to discuss the excellent God Bless the Mistaken by Nakatani Nio ! Originally published in ASCII Mediawork’s Dengeki Daioh magazine in Japan, God Bless the Mistaken is the 2021 follow up to Nakatani Nio’s incredibly popular Bloom Into You . Rather than Yuri romance though, God Bless the Mistaken is a sci-fi slice...