Manga Machinations

Seamus has started reading A Bride's Story(Oyomegatari) again, darfox talks about the Yowamushi Pedal movie, and dakazu is moved by the biography manga about Cambodian Deminer Aki Ra in Mitsurin Shounen Jungle Boy. Then, secrets are revealed as we wrap up the 'Mr Grimmer arc' in Naoki Urasawa's Monster!!!(covers chapters 87-104)

This week darfox8 checks out Tsutomu Nihei's take on Western comics in Wolverine: Snikt! and dakazu returns to incompetent child soldier stereotypes of Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam. Our retrospective of Monster continues as we wrap up the Mr Schuwalt arc and are introduced to new characters of Mr Grimmer and Agent Suk!!!(covers chapters 69-86)

On this episode Darfox gives Yu Yu Hakusho some anime love, dakazu checks out the Satoshi Kon & Katsuhiro Otomo joint project World Apartment Horror and also learns about quirky routines of everyday people in Sono "Okodawari", Ore ni mo Kure Yo!!. Then we continue our Monster retrospective as Tenma and Johan close in on each other!!!(covers chapters 51-68)

Seamus starts us off this week with pop culture references to The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift in Time Prisoners(Space-Time Prisoner). Then dakazu can't believe a mangaka's real account of living in the woods in Disappearance Diary while discovering Rensuke Oshikiri range in his works Misu Misou, Dero Dero, and Dohii! Obake ga Boku wo Penpen Naguru!(Gosh! The Ghost Keeps Slapping Me!). We close out with our Monster retrospective as we delve deeper into the characters of Eva Heinemann and Inspector Lunge!!!(covers chapters 33-50)

On this episode Seamus takes a break from manga to talk about the Vertigo comics, we discuss Robert Rodriquez directing Alita: Battle Angel, darfox revisits the Prison School chapter from last week that has been re-edited, and dakazu finds a manga from his youth that was released from Dark Horse as single issue comics called Grey. Then it's time for more Monster! Now that the prelude is over, we get into the dramatic thriller storyline of Dr Tenma pursing Johan!!!(covers chapters 17-32)

On this episode Seamus catches up on March comes in like a lion(3-angatsu no Lion), darfox gets into translating slander in Prison School, and dakazu reads a horror version of Mushishi in Tsubaki and salary negotiations of professional baseball in Gurazeni: Money Pitch! Then we begin our newest retrospective of Monster, the work that made Naoki Urasawa what he is today! Listen as we discuss the story, characters and have dramatic read-throughs of the select scenes in what we're calling Monster-piece Theater!!!(covers chapters 1-16)

On this week's mega sized episode Seamus tries reading Happiness, dakazu forces himself to read the gore porn Elfen Lied and lite novel fluff Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? but rejoices in the return of Hunter x Hunter and Beet the Vandel Buster! Special guest and resident anime expert Kenzo talks about Gintama, Bleach, Boku Girl, and Tomo-chan is a Girl!(Tomo-chan wa Onnanoko!). Then we run through the new shows of the Spring 2016 season, discuss some news about upcoming anime adaptations, and rant about shows that just wrapped up like Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans and Mr. Osomatsu(Osomatsu-san)! Finally we discuss the anime movie Miss Hokusai!!!

On this episode Seamus is still reading Golden Kamuy, darfox is over classical monsters, dakazu found another manga about Jobs and Wozniak in Steves, and laughs about the real model photo-shopped manga Gun Dragon Sigma. Then we compare two sports manga in our Side by Side segment! This time we look at the polar opposites The Prince of Tennis and Baby Steps!!!

Wrestlemania weekend won't stop us from bringing you a new episode! Seamus talks about the newest arc of Vinland Saga, darfox is enjoying One Punch Man, dakazu loves the hilarious behind-the-scenes stories in Anime Prison School wo Tsukutta Otoko-tachi(The Men who made the Prison School Anime) and looks at Shuzo Oshimi's earlier work Avant-Garde Yumeko. Then we jump into Tokyo Ghoul, Trigun, and Shuumatsu no Laughter for our latest Triple Dip!!!

This week darfox talks about the weekly wait for new chapters, dakazu talks about the popularity of battle royale style mangas in Weekly Shonen Magazine, and we explain what Mahjong is. Then it's time for our new segment Side by Side!!! We'll be looking at 2 different manga that cover the same sport and compare them! In our 1st episode we'll be examining basketball manga Kuroko's Basketball(Kuroko no Basket) and Ahiru no Sora!!!

This week Seamus gives A Bride's Story(Otoyomegatari) another chance, we examine character archetypes from Gundam and Neon Genesis Evangelion, dakazu is surprised by the success of Mr. Osomatsu(Osomatsu-san) and applauds the end of Assassination Classroom, and we discuss how Italy loves Lupin III: Part IV. We then compare The Life of Gusko Budori against our last Manga in Motion, Night on the Galactic Railroad and see if the same creative team made another hit!!!

On this episode we have a lengthy discussion about Zack Davisson's article Confessions of a Manga Translator involving what the role of a translator should be and the difference between translating manga compared to other mediums. Then we look at the super popular One Piece for Saikyo Selections! We examine the Arlong Park arc(covers chapters 69-95) to examine the major themes in Eiichiro Oda's blockbuster mega-hit manga!!!

Welcome to our new segment Saikyo Selections where we'll be looking at a single story-arc from a long running popular manga and analyze it's major themes! The first series we'll be covering is Naruto and the search for the 5th Hokage arc!(covers chapters 150-171) We also talk about March comes in like a lion(3-gatsu no Lion), Hyakushou Kizoku, and Billy Bat!!!

On this episode Seamus is reading about androgynous Richard III in Requiem of the Rose King(Baraou no Souretsu), dakazu likes the simple shoujo manga Mustard Chocolate, and we find out who's involved in the Black Bat religion in Billy Bat! Then it's the return of our Triple Dip section! We check out the beginning of Assassination Classroom author's prior series Majin Tantei Nougami Neuro, the magical fantasy world of The Ancient Magnus' Bride, and examine Warring States Japan through glazed pottery in Hyouge Mono!!!

Itadakimasu! This week Seamus sees the connections of Ainu to Princess Mononoke from new Golden Kamuy chapters while dakazu loves more childhood tales of Hi Score Girl author Rensuke Oshikiri in Pico-Pico Shounen. Darfox is concerned about LGBT representation in Jisatsutou(Suicide Island) but dakazu appreciates how My Brother's Husband handles the issues and we look at the newest chapters of Billy Bat. Finally, we discuss the 1985 adaptation of Kenji Miyazawa's classic fantasy novel Night on the Galactic Railroad!!!

Welcome to our last Goodnight Punpun retrospective! We'll be covering the final chapters and discussing what happens, talk about our favorite moments from the series, and ponder if the ending leaves Punpun happy or in hell!! GOOD VIBRATIONS!!!(covers chapters 122-147)

After taking a sidetrack talking about wrestling, dakazu loves the Dragon Quest 5 fanfic web comic Katachikubi dashita ossan no ato tsuketara tenkuu no tsurugi wo mitsuketa(How I stalked some dude with an exposed nipple and stumbled upon the Zenithian Sword) and the touching recollection of a mangaka's recovery from the ICU, Shinde Ikikaerimashita Repo(I died and came back to Life: The Report). Then we dive into Goodnight Punpun and the dark choices that awakens Punpun to whom he always was!!!(covers chapters 100-121)

We kick off this episode with more Billy Bat! Then dakazu learns the true powers of licensed Disney songs in Sexy Joyuu-chan - Girigiri Mosaic while Seamus learns about the final twist in Orange. After that we explore more Goodnight Punpun and discuss Sachi and Punpun's somewhat healthy relationship.(covers chapters 79-99)

Welcome to part 3 of our continued retrospective of Goodnight Punpun! We'll be discussing the truth behind God and the eccentric Pegasus ensemble!!(covers chapters 57-78) Also, Seamus gets to the twist of Orange, we look into the science of 'shipping' characters, and we breakdown the next chapter of Billy Bat!!!

On this episode dakazu is in love with a Edo period Japanese astronomer in Tenchi Meisatsu, Billy Bat starts its final arc, we lament the 3D animated BLAME! movie coming out this year, and spend lots of time getting into dark topics for our continuing retrospective of Goodnight Punpun!!!(covers chapters 35-56)

This week we discuss the holiday break for manga magazines, darfox8 explains why he didn't start Fairy Tail at the beginning, and dakazu talks about popular manga getting bloated. Then darfox8 revisits A Silent Voice, Hajime no Ippo, and Berserk from Triple Dip 9. Finally, we begin our retrospective read-through of Inio Asano's Goodnight Punpun and discuss everything from the dark plot to the crazy side characters.(covers chapters 1-34)

Happy New Year! Darfox8 is back and it's time to get caught up on manga! This episode Seamus reads a new shoujo manga Horimiya, dakazu learns about the Japanese prison system in Keimusho no Naka(Doing Time), we have a quick update on new Billy Bat chapters, and we triple dip into Vagabond, Dragon Head, and Saint Young Men(Saint Oniisan)!!!

Happy Holidays! This week Seamus explains what St. Stephen's Day is, while dakazu talks about the journal manga My Darling is a Foreigner and Blue Giant; a new manga about Jazz from the author of Gaku! Then Seamus gets his shoujo manga fix with Orange and we talk about the technical achievements/shortcomings of our Manga in Motion title Steamboy; from AKIRA creator Katsuhiro Otomo!!!

On this episode dakazu examines post World War 2 Japan and Japanese occupied China in the sobering Areyo Hoshikuzu. Then we revisit recently translated Golden Kamuy and My Brother's Husband from dakazu's Whatcha-Been-Reading, along with listener suggested Sakuranbo Syndrome for our Triple Dip!!!

Seamus is back to talk about popular shoujo manga; including AKB49 - Renai Kinshi Jourei, Whispered Words(Sasameki Koto), Tenbin wa Hana to Asobu, and Kimi ga Suki!! Then dakazu explains the comedy of the long running Afro Tanaka series and we talk about teacher/student romances done right in The Garden of Words for Manga in Motion!!!

Seamus and darfox are both out this week so dakazu solo-casts this episode, talking about all the current series he reads(or doesn't) in Weekly Shonen Jump!!!

This week Seamus deals with cheesy storylines in Vinland Saga and dakazu can't stop praising the Sci-Fi epic Imuri! Then, it's time for more Triple Dip! We discuss gratuitous panty shots of Video Girl Ai, horror design in Ushio to Tora, and gush over male harems in feudal Japan from Ooku: The Inner Chambers!!!

On this episode Seamus finishes Planetes, dakazu talks about the JSDF in Rising Sun and kids playing golf in Rising Impact. Then we get into a lengthy discussion about manga spin-offs of other manga and look at Mamoru Oshii's anime art film Angel's Egg(Tenshi no Tamago)!!!

Kenzo joins us this week to tell us about dropping Bleach, lamenting the end of Gintama, and his guilty pleasures of My Girlfriend is a T-Rex(T-Rex na Kanojo) and Boku Girl! Then it's time for another Triple Dip! We look at the 1st volumes of Hajime no Ippo, Berserk, and A Silent Voice!!!

On this episode we welcome the return of the mangaka in Billy Bat, then we reach the ends of the Megastructure and Killy's journey as we finish our Blame! retrospective and we give our final thoughts on the series and the cyber dungeon.(covers chapters 51-65)

Get ready for tales of a 40 year old slacker dad in I'll Give It My All… Tomorrow, mysterious dream sequences in new chapters of Billy Bat, and the biggest appearance of characters with actual names in our penultimate discussion of Blame!!!!(covers chapters 38-50)

On this episode Seamus finds more teenage drama in orange, dakazu finds another cooking manga with single fathers in Papa to Oyaji to Uchi Gohan and then rants about the horror of Shiritsu Hakanai Gakuen(Hakanai Private High School; No Pants, No Problem). Then it's another epic discussion of Blame! as we wrap up the Toha Heavy Industries arc and discuss the possible connection between Killy and Seu!!!(covers chapters 25-37)

This week we start off with a Billy Bat update hour, Seamus continues with Planetes, darfox and dakazu discuss the ending of the Blood Blockade Battlefront(Kekkai Sensen) anime, we talk about the One Punch Man anime, and end with a long recap of the next set of Blame! chapters in our Retrospective!!!(covers chapters 12-24)

On this episode Seamus talks about the space garbage men of Planetes, darfox goes deep into Prison School, and dakazu follows teenage serial killers in Kamisama, Kisama wo Koroshitai.(God, I want to kill you)! Then we discuss the mystery and lore of the world of Blame! and determine that protagonist Killy is a wizard!!!(covers chapters 1-11)

It's all anime this week on Manga Machinations! We discuss the decline of bookstores, do a 2015 spring/summer anime wrap-up, and get deep into Katsuhiro Otomo's 1995 anime film Memories for our Manga in Motion section!!!

The week we start out new segment Manga in Motion, where we discuss anime films. Our first pick is Tokyo Godfathers by Satoshi Kon! Also, darfox talks about vampires in Happiness, Seamus catches up on Hi Score Girl, we discuss the struggle of manga artist Shuho Sato vs. his publishers, and we see if Boob Morning returns in volume 2 of I am a Hero!

This week we talk about new Vinland Saga chapters, the horror/comedy Chimamire Sukeban Chainsaw, and discuss the 1st volumes of Thermae Romae, Kingdom, and I am a Hero for Triple Dip!!!

Welcome to a special edition of Manga Machinations! We're celebrating our 1 year mark by discussing the newest Billy Bat chapters, the 1988 anime movie Akira, and our top 3 favorite manga of the past year! Thanks for listening and enjoy!!!

Get ready for a mega sized 50th episode! We have big discussions about new chapters of Billy Bat and the conclusion of the modern SF classic, Akira!!!(covers volume 6)

This week Seamus dives into some non-fiction with Showa: A History of Japan, dakazu gives love to the well designed main character from Tensai Yanagisawa Kyouju no Seikatsu(The Ingenious Life of Professor Yanagisawa), and we discuss the downfall of Tetsuo in our Akira retrospective!!!(covers volume 5)

On this episode dakazu talks about Gundam cosplay gone wrong with special guest star Wolverine in Iron Acguy before we dive into the post-apocalyptic section of Akira and try to explain it's meta-physical pseudo-science!!!(covers volume 4)

This week we talk about natto on rice, the end of What a Wonderful World!(Subarashii Sekkai) taking a dark turn, and how the anime of Monster Musume: Everyday Life with Monster Girls(Monster Musume no Iru Nichijou) is porn. Then we have an extra long, in-depth analysis on our current series Akira!!!(covers volume 3)

On this episode dakazu revisits O-Parts Hunter(666 Satan)(done by the younger twin brother of Naruto manga artist), darfox feels the forced Naru x Hina in The Last - Naruto the Movie, Seamus continues consuming more Inio Asano manga with What a Wonderful World!(Subarashii Sekai), we discuss anime adaptations of manga done right, and how Metal Gear Solid rips off Akira!!!.(covers volume 2)

This week we discuss American comics vs. Japanese manga, dakazu loves the 90's gag manga Sexy Commando: Sugoi yo!! Masaru-san and we catch up on a new Billy Bat chapter!! Then we start our retrospective on Katsuhiro Otomo's classic Akira and gush over the speedlines!!!(covers volume 1)

This week Seamus revisits the gender-fluid kids of Wandering Son(Hyourou Musuko) while dakazu admits that volume 10 of Blood Blockade Battlefront(Kekkai Sensen) is really good and also loves the main character's gaudy expressions in Heroine Shikkaku. Then it's some more Triple Dip with Nobunaga no Chef, BioMeat: Nectar, and Dorohedoro!!!

Time for another Triple Dip! This week we check out Goodnight Punpun(Oyasumi Punpun), Prison School, and BECK! Seamus also reads about A Drifting Life from a book on Drawn & Quarterly Publishers and dakazu loves the anime shorts of Wakakozake. Enjoy!!!

Tune into our final retrospective of Naoki Urasawa's Pluto!! We'll cover the final 2 volumes of the series and compare it with Osamu Tezuka's original storyline!(covers chapters 48-65) We also discuss Solanin, Naruto: The Seventh Hokage and the Scarlet Spring(Naruto Gaiden), and get ready for the summer anime season!

This week Seamus jumps young adult pursuing their band dreams in solanin while dakazu reads a manga by a famous erotic gay artist, My Brother's Husband. Then darfox and dakazu discuss the seedy world of Japanese scouting in Shinjuku Swan. Finally, we learn everything about Gesicht and marvel at Naoki Urasawa's mastery of the human drama in part 3 of our Pluto retrospective!!!(covers chapters 30-47)

This week Seamus has been reading Monster, dakazu can't hate the neet siblings of Hatarakanai Futari, and we get into a mini rant over Naruto: The Seventh Hokage and the Scarlet Spring(Naurto Gaiden). Then it's time to talk about stupidly named anti robot groups and real life amalgamations of the Iraq War in the next part of our Pluto retrospective!!!(covers chapters 16-31)

On this episode dakazu talks about historical figures having their final meal in Saigo no Restaurant before we jump into our Pluto retrospective where we can't figure out how to pronounce the main character's name!!!(covers chapters 1-15)