Manga Machinations

This week Seamus likes the secondary couple in the yuri manga Kiss and White Lily for My Dearest Girl, the other shoe finally drops in Chi no Wadachi, darfox and dakazu compare their reading styles, darfox shares his thoughts on the newest arc of Happiness, dakazu comes across the most bizarre and blatant health scam in X-POWER~4th Dimensional Body Enhancement~, and he takes a look at the new Tsutomu Nihei series APOSIMZ(Ningyou no Kuni). Then for our Triple Dip, we discuss BEASTARS, Moteki, and Ichi the Killer!!!

On this episode we answer an email and talk about Junji Ito manga, while dakazu checks out the end of Naruto Shippuden, (unfortunately)revisits Bunny Drop, and rants about Rin Okamoto's new manga Parallel Paradise! Then for our One Shot section we discuss Ghost in the Shell!!! We compare the characters in the manga to their anime counterparts, cringe at Masamune Shirow's love of fan service, and breakdown all plot points that were taken for the various anime adaptations!

This week Seamus makes predictions for what happens next in Vinland Saga and Chi no Wadachi, darfox digs the love triangle in Prison School and is enjoying ATOM: THE BEGINNING, dakazu pulls a Seamus and spoils himself on Furenaba Ochin, and we talk about upcoming live action movie adaptations of manga, such as Gintama, Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, and Blade of the Immortal. Finally, we look at the super popular anime movie Your Name. and give our opinions about it!!!

On this episode we answer an email, discuss the new chapters of Chi no Wadachi, dakazu compares must-read manga vs. top-of-their-genre manga, Seamus is disappointed about how Himegoto - Juukyuusai no Seifuku ends, and the manga 10 Dance is everything dakazu wanted Yuri!!! on Ice to be! Then we wrap up on the final volume of Phoenix, share our opinions on the series as a whole, and weigh in on our favorite arcs!!!(covers volume 12-Early Works)

This week we thank Leann Hill for our awesome new avatars! Then we run down the new anime of the season, including The Eccentric Family 2, Sakura Quest, The Laughing Salesman(Warau Salesman), Berserk, My Hero Academia, Attack on Titan, Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, Rage of Bahamut: Virgin Soul, and ATOM: THE BEGINNING! Also dakazu is excited for Kouji Mori's new manga Sousei no Taiga! Finally, we finish the Sun arc of Phoenix!!!(covers volume 11-Sun part 2)

On this episode we read an email, Seamus describes the unique manga in AX Volume 1, dakazu can't help but compare 7 Billion Needles to Parasyte, darfox praises the characterizations in BEASTARS, and he reports back from seeing the new Ghost in the Shell movie! Finally, we check out the next volume of Osamu Tezuka's Phoenix for our retrospective!!!(covers volume 10-Sun part 1)

This week we read emails, we give manga suggestions, Seamus has mixed feelings about Himegoto - Juukyuusai no Seifuku, darfox might drop Dr. Stone, and dakazu talks about the cut-throat business of weekly manga. Then we get to our main topic of Patlabor 2: The Movie! We compare it to the previous Patlabor movie, look for more Mamoru Oshii-isms, and break down our favorite scenes!!!

On this episode we discuss the upcoming live-action Ghost in the Shell, Seamus finishes March comes in like a lion and now hates Momo, we love looking behind the scenes of creating manga in Naoki Urasawa's Manben, dakazu is touched by Akiko Higashimura's loving tribute to her art teacher in Blank Canvas: My So-Called Artist's Journey(Kakukaku Shikajika), and we weigh in on the Netflix version of Death Note! Then we dive into a lengthy analysis of Patlabor: The Movie and compare it to Mamoru Oshii's other movies!!!

This week Dawn "Usamimi" from the Anime Nostalgia Podcast is back to talk about one of her favorite series, Sailor Moon! We examine everything from the differences of the manga vs. the anime to the recently aired Sailor Moon Crystal! Also on this episode, Dawn's been reading Goodnight Punpun and recommends Naoki Urasawa's Manben for a look behind the scenes of creating manga, darfox checks out Reiraku and likes the unique art of BEASTARS, we celebrate the English release of My Brother's Husband and Ichi-F, we discuss the difficulty of translating and the slippery slope of fan-translations, and we're hyped for devilman crybaby by Masaaki Yuasa but not so much for Eureka Seven Hi-Evolution!!!

This week Seamus is looking into the history of post-World War 2 Japan with Shigeru Mizuki's Showa and Yoshihiro Tatsumi's Abandon the Old in Tokyo and Good-Bye, we discuss the representations of racial stereotypes in Japanese culture, darfox is enjoys the use of back lighting in Chi no Wadachi, and dakazu ponders if Inio Asano's new series Reiraku, about a depressed manga-author, is autobiographical! Then our deliberations over the upcoming stage-version of Inuyasha and adaptations of manga into other media leads us to our Saikyo Selection on Patlabor! We explain it's origins as a media mix project and get into what we like about the series!!!(covers volumes 1-2)

On this episode we read an email about using curse words in translations, Seamus is confused about what's going on in To Your Eternity, darfox ponders the fates of the new Shonen Jump manga Dr. Stone and Marie the Hungry, dakazu discovers the prequel to Astro Boy Atom:The Beginning, and he loves the relatable quirks of eating food in Medamayaki no Kimi Itsu Tsubusu?! We end by discussing the next volume of Phoenix for our continuing retrospective!!!(covers volume 9-Strange Beings/Life)

On this episode Seamus enjoys the relationship of a lesbian couple in Collectors, dakazu is creeped out by the incestuous undertones of Shuzo Oshimi's new title Chi no Wadachi, the manga of Dragon Ball Super reveals interesting things about Goku and Chi-Chi's relationship, developments in Boruto are super cliche, and darfox finds out Minami Kamakura High School Girls Cycling Club(Minami Kamakura Koukou Joshi Jitensha-Bu) isn't just a female version of Yowamushi Pedal! Finally, we finish off the Civil War story line in Osamu Tezuka's Phoenix and share our thoughts!!!(covers volume 8-Civil War part 2)

This week we explain Valentine's Day customs in Japan, Seamus watches more March comes in like a lion anime, darfox finishes Nana to Kaoru but wasn't sure what to expect of the new Shonen Jump series We Never Learn!, and dakazu checks out Spider-Man: The Manga! Then, we return to our retrospective of Osamu Tezuka's Phoenix by jumping into the Genpei War era of Japan!!!(covers volume 7-Civil War part 1)

On this episode darfox finally gets some feedback from a translator, Seamus orders the Indie manga magazine AX Volume 1, dakazu checks out the popular rugby manga/anime All-Out!!, we look at the rivalry between Inio Asano and Shuzo Oshimi, and dakazu shares the awesome blog Brain Vs. Book! Then dakazu introduces a bunch of manga he's been reading recently: COPPERS, Hibi Rock, and Fuichin Tsaichen!!! Finally, we examine another popular series, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, for Saikyo Selections! Be prepared for an almost chaotic discussion of both the first handful of chapters for part 7 Steel Ball Run(covers chapters 1-12) and everything that makes JoJo popular!!!

After we explain the American Football, this week darfox and Seamus catch up on new chapters of Hi Score Girl and A Bride's Story(Oyomegatari)! Also, dakazu loves the Zootopia like setting of BEASTARS and is touched by the story of a boy who loves people in Machida-kun no Sekai! Then we jump into another anime movie review with The Boy and the Beast! We share out thoughts and compare it to director Mamoru Hosoda's other works!!!

On this episode Seamus explores dreamlike stories in A Single Match, darfox uncovers Social Justice themes in ole Green Lantern/Green Arrow comics, dakazu confesses he's watching Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid and enjoying the tale of a magic cat in E no Shima Waikiki Shokudou, and we discuss Hideaki Anno teaching animation to kids! Then we get into a darker Triple Dip by checking out the beginning of Freesia, Front Mission Dog Life & Dog Style, and Welcome to the Ballroom!

This week Seamus notices the occasional food chapter in Golden Kamuy and March comes in like a lion while dakazu finally understands to origins of 3 yakuza minions who are transformed into teen idols in Back Street Girls! Then it's time to continue our Phoenix retrospective where we discuss everything from edited versions to our thoughts on Osamu Tezuka as a mangaka!!!(covers volume 6-Nostalgia)

On this episode dakazu checks out real life taxi driver confessions in Yoake no Taxi Driver, darfox is upset with Yowamushi Pedal: New Generation changing his favorite girl, we discuss Amazon Prime's new exclusive anime channel, and talk about Junji Ito's influence in the West with a new horror game called World of Horror! Then we dive into more Phoenix with some interesting nonlinear narrative!!!(covers volume 5-Resurrection)

On this episode Seamus finally finishes Revolutionary Girl Utena and Mob Psycho 100, darfox starts Showa: A History of Japan, and dakazu watches Yuri!!! on Ice with his wife while checking out CANDY SAMURAI WARS! and Becchin to Mandara! Then we finally get back to our retrospective review of Osamu Tezuka's Phoenix by discussing his most critically acclaimed volume!!!(covers volume 4-Karma)

Happy 2017! We celebrate the new year with an extensive discussion about Yuri!!! on Ice to try and break down what the show represent within themes of LGBT. Then dakazu introduces a manga about the actor who brought Zatoichi to life in Japan, Katsushin - Samishigariya no Tensai. Finally, we check out 3 new manga for our Triple Dip section: Angel Densetsu, Reincarnation no Kaben, and Fire Punch!!!

Happy Holidays! This week dakazu checks out another female relationship compilation called mon*mon and he kinda digs the mashup of famous historical figures with generic battles in Reincarnation no Kaben! Then we list off the top manga and anime that we enjoyed(and hated) since our last review and recap our favorites from this past year!!!

This week dakazu checks out the sequel series to Sanzoku Diary called Sanzoku Diary SS, apprehensively checks out a collection of relationships stories by Bunny Drop manga artist Yumi Unita called Toridori Renka, and Seamus likes Yuri!!! on Ice a lot! Then we discuss Mamoru Hosoda's 2009 anime movie Summer Wars!!!

Seamus and darfox are out again so it's up to dakazu to tell you all about more manga he's reading! This week, he'll be running down manga from Kodansha's seinen magazines: Morning, Afternoon, Evening, and Young Magazine!!!

On this episode dakazu talks about one of the earliest video game manga with everything from Satan to Swastikas, Game Center Arashi! He also loves the new bleak and violent post-apocalyptic revenge tale of a man on fire(literally), Fire Punch! Then we jump into another volume of Osamu Tezuka's Phoenix and talk about one of our favorite tales of the immortal bird!!!(covers volume 3-Yamato/Space)

This week dakazu loves tales of bizarre foods in "Kiritani-san cho, sore Kuunsuka!?", darfox gets to read the Dune-like "Imuri", Seamus is working to catch up on "3-gatsu no Lion", we discuss Takashi Miike manga to movie adaptation like "Blade of the Immortal", and rant about "Terra Formars". Then, things get serious during our retrospective of "Phoenix" as we share some personal feelings about the subject matter of death.(covers volume 2-Future)

Toby from The Comic Conspiracy podcast joins us to talk about his history with manga/anime this week! We discuss his favorites like Saint Saiya, Captain Future, Slam Dunk, City Hunter, and more! Also, darfox explains Yuri!!! on Ice to Toby, Seamus updates us on Mizuki Sigeru's Showa, and dakazu gets into Boku no Shoukibo na Seikatsu where mangaka Shigeyuki Fukumitsu 's favorite subject is his wife. Finally, we unknowingly start a new retrospective series with Osamu Tezuka's magnum opus, Phoenix!!!(covers volume 1-Dawn)

Special guest Dawn "Usamimi" from the Anime Nostalgia Podcast joins us this week! She tells us about how she got started in anime/manga fandom and we check out one of her favorite childhood anime movies The Fantastic Adventures of Unico for Manga in Motion! We also discuss A Silent Voice mangaka Yoshitoki Oima's new series To Your Eternity, dakazu likes a new josei transgender clothing series Boy☆Skirt and the comedic intricacies of a real life husband in Shougi no Watanabe-kun!

This week Seamus check's out Satoshi Kon's manga Tropic of The Sea, darfox catches up on Yuri!!! on Ice and March comes in like a Lion, and dakazu shares the Seinfield-esque tales of Utsu Gohan and praises the non-linear storytelling in the fantasy action series Ryuuma no Gagou! We then discuss Seamus's recommendation the gods lie. for our short series retrospective section, One Shot!!!

On this episode dakazu loves the dramatic reenactments of the Steve Jobs/Bill Gates feud in Steves, darfox checks out the Blood Blockade Battlefront(Kekkai Sensen) OVA, and Seamus finally gets into the March Comes in like a Lion anime! Then we start another triple dip! We discuss the theme of music in manga with Blue Giant, praise the character focused chapters in Musume no Iede(I'm a Runaway Girl), and argue where the line between creativity and titillation are with Joshi Kouhei!!!

This week Seamus is back from his Chicago vacation, dakazu gushes over the current series by Wandering Son manga artist called Musume no Iede(I'm a Runaway Girl) for interweaving various character relationships, and we continue our thoughts of the March Comes in like a Lion and Yuri!!! on Ice anime! Then we jump into another Manga in Motion pick with Redline! We try to dissect this chaotic mess of a movie and breakdown all the references to other anime it crams into it's 102 minute running time!!!

Seamus is absent this week but we use this opportunity to get Darfox caught up on some manga he missed while he was out! We revisit Golden Kamuy, Vinland Saga, and My Brother's Husband to get darfox's thoughts on these series! Also dakazu reads a cute series documenting a mangaka's husband becoming a ramen chef in Danna ga Kyou Kara Ramenya, but isn't sure how to feel about the fashion manga Fuku wo Kiru Nara Konna Fuu ni(Do it this way if you wear the clothes)! We also discuss the newly translated My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness!!!

This week we're joined by listener Miki's Stopwatch! He talks about his origins in anime and manga and then helps us dive into a huge discussion of recent anime we've all been watching. We'll discuss Orange, The Rose of Versailles, Patlabor, Gakuen Handsome, Keijo!!!!!!!!, Drifters, March Comes in like a Lion, Yuri!!! on Ice, Mob Psycho 100, and much, much more!!!

On this episode Darfox rates Mob Psycho 100 higher than One Punch Man while dakazu finishes My Love Story!! and Inside Mari(Boku wa Mari no Naka) while checking out a remake of Takao Saito's Survival and a manga adaptation of The Garden of Words that we covered on Manga in Motion 4(episode 64). Then we check out the starting chapters of Yu Yu Hakusho, Historie and WOMBS for our Triple Dip section!!!

This week darfox kicks things off by taking a look at Mizuki Shigeru's most famous series Gegege no Kitarou, we discuss the lack of mainstream American non-fiction comics, and dakazu considers checking out a "manga" exhibition at the local art museum. Then we conclude our A Silent Voice retrospective by covering the final chapters and sharing our final thoughts on this phenomenal series!!!(covers chapters 43-62)

On this episode we debate the value of sequel manga akin to Boruto, dakazu takes a look at Rensuke Oshikiri's generic horror manga Sayuri, we discuss the 40th anniversary/finale of Shonen Jump's longest running series Kochikame, and talk about the new anime seasons of The Eccentric Family and Yowamushi Pedal! Afterwords, we continue with our A Silent Voice retrospective! We delve into some new characters and the continuing drama of this touching series!!!(covers chapters 24-42)

In this episode Seamus looks at another Shigeru Mizuki work, Nonnonba,and dakazu is satisfied with the conclusion of Jisatsutou(Suicide Island). Then we jump into our newest retrospective, A Silent Voice! We explain the significance of the Japanese title, praise the detailed artwork, and examine the great cast of characters and the realism behind their relationships and motivations!!!(covers chapters 1-23)

This week we start off by thanking a listener, we examine characteristics of ONE's protagonists from One Punch Man & Mob Psycho 100, and Seamus breaks down the levity of lighter chapters in Golden Kamuy! Then we go over the final chapters of Billy Bat before breaking down the series, solving all the mysteries, and giving our overall thoughts on the series as a whole!!!(covers chapters 163-165)

On this episode we reveal our plans for next week, Seamus drops The Highschool Life of a Fudanshi(Fudanshi Koukou Seikatsu) but picks up Houkago Edge, dakazu talks about Nana to Kaoru and Jisatsutou(Suicide Island) ending, we examine the Orange anime and live action adaptations of Yowamushi Pedal and Bleach, and Darfox gets into the popularity of variety shows in Japan! In our Side by Side segment we compare 2 very different baseball manga, Ace of Diamond and H2, but Seamus may be sick of all these sports manga!

Welcome to our 100th episode and 2 year anniversary!!! We're joined by special guest Ryan Higgins from the Comic Conspiracy podcast to talk about the history of manga published in America, our secret origins for manga, the end of Bleach, Gundam anime, and Hayao Miyazaki's take on Lupin the 3rd in The Castle of Cagliostro!!!

On this episode Seamus explains the relevance of certain characters related to Norse Mythology in Vinland Saga, dakazu loves the Gambling Apocalypse Kaiji comedy spin-off about evil organization middle management in Mr. Tonegawa: Middle Management Blues(Chuukan Kanriroku Tonegawa), and we catch up on another chapter of Billy Bat! Then for our One Shot retrospective, we look at Rensuke Oshikiri's tragic tale of murderous middle schoolers in Misu Misou!!!

Welcome to another solo-cast with dakazu! He'll be talking about the other weekly shonen magazines and the manga series he reads in them, including Shonen Magazine, Shonen Sunday, and Shonen Champion!!!

This week we discuss the trailers for the Blame! and A Silent Voice movie trailers, dakazu is excited about the re-serialization of Hi Score Girl, and we have a discussion about various manga that cover geek culture, such as Genshiken, Knights of the Dinner Table and Record of Lodoss War! Then we check out 3 new manga for another edition of Triple Dip! This time we look at Shamo, Detroit Metal City, and Delicious in Dungeon(Dungeon Meshi)!!!

We kick off this week's episode with an emergency Billy Bat update and discuss the megaton reveal from the newest chapters! Then it's time for another Saikyo Selections! We check out various cases(covers chapters 40-44, 62-67, 92-98) from the most popular shonen mystery series Case Closed(Detective Conan) while trying to break down the series and the genre!!!

On this episode dakazu laments over terrible manga but loves twisted relationships in the autobiographical Nikkan Yandere Fuufu Manga(Yandere Married Couple), Seamus checks out a cute Korean web comic Spirit Fingers, and darfox digs the distinct art style of the Mob Psycho 100 anime! Then we compare and contrast the 2 cycling manga Yowamushi Pedal and Over Drive for another Side by Side!!!

On this episode Seamus finishes A Drifting Life while dakazu talks about boys who love yaoi in The Highschool Life of a Fudanshi(Fudanshi Koukou Seikatsu) and an autobiographical manga about overcoming anxiety and connecting with others in My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness! We also start a new section called One Shot where we'll be doing single episode retrospectives on a shorter manga. Listen as we discuss Shojo Fight manga artist Yoko Nihonbashi's previous work G Senjou Heaven's Door!!

After taking a quick wrestling tangent, Seamus continues with Yoshihiro Tatsumi in A Drifting Life, dakazu talks about the new 3D Berserk anime, and darfox explains the wackiness of Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ! Then, for Triple Dip, we revisit some newly translated manga dakazu has talked about! We discuss the beginning of Chimamure Sukeban Chainsaw, Mustard Chocolate, and Shojo Fight!!!

This week Seamus dives into Yoshihiro Tatsumi's autobiography manga A Drifting Life while dakazu and darfox hash out all things grim dark with Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam and it's polar opposite sequel, the upbeat Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ. Then darfox leads us our discussion of our Manga in Motion selection Trigun: Badlands Rumble! Love & Peace!!!

Welcome to the final episode of our retrospective on Naoki Urasawa's Monster!!! We finish covering the final chapters, examine the controversial ending, and give our final thoughts on the series as a whole!(covers chapter 142-162)

On our penultimate retrospective of Monster we move on from Martin's arc, learn about the twins' origins, and prepare for the finale by having Seamus predict who will live and who will die!!!(covers chapters 123-141) Also, dakazu has been re-reading Hunter x Hunter, Seamus finds more political elements in A Bride's Story(Oyomegatari), and we take a quick tangent with soccer and comic strips!

This week dakazu checks out Junji Ito's take on a political thriller in Yuukokuno no Rasputin, darfox examines Naruto expanded fiction Boruto, Seamus likes the post-war supernatural investigators in Ubume no Natsu, and we dive into the prison break arc of Monster!!!(covers chapters 105-122)