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…

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 ga…

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 ge…

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…

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 sp…

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…

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 B…

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 f…

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 …

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 actuall…

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…

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 d…

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 Adventur…

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…

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 …

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 West…

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, w…

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 …

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 st…

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 K…

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 mak…

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 cy…

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…

On this episode of Manga Tak, Mat is joined (for real this time!) by Zane of the Undisputed Anime Podcast to chew the fat about Delicious in Dungeon by Ryōko Kui! Originally published in Enterbrain’s Harta magazine from 2014 to 2023, Delicious in Dungeon by Ryoko Kui is a manga that undoubtedly became the smash hit of the Spring 2024 anime season. …

On this episode of Manga Tak, Mat is joined once again by Tom to discuss the under rated single volume story by Akira Toriyama, Sand Land! Originally serialised in Shonen Jump between May and August of the year 2000, Akira Toriyama’s Sandland is a 14 chapter, single volume work set on a barren Earth where Demons and Humans co-exist. In this world, …

On this episode of Manga Tak, Mat is joined by the Tsu Tsu Dae, co-host of the Undisputed Anime Podcast to discuss our first Shōjo title, Orange! Launched in Shueshia’s Bessatsu Margaret magazine in March 2012, Orange is a manga by writer / artist Ichigo Takano. It's a story of teen angst, time travel and a the challenges of mental health. While th…

On this episode of Manga Tak, Mat is joined by the AC MacDonald, creator of Twistwood Tales, to discuss the excellent Akane Banashi! Started in Shonen Jump back in February 2022, it's the story of a teenager who wants to become a Rakugo performer (aka a Rukugo-Ka) to prove the worth of her father's art after his explosion from the Arakawa school. J…

On this episode of Manga Tak, Mat is joined once again by Tom to talk about one of our favourites: Fullmetal Alchemist. Launched in 2001 in Square Enix’s Monthly Shonen Gangan, Fullmetal Alchemist is a corner stone of early 2000’s shonen manga. It’s the story of Edward and Alphonse Elric, two brothers with a gift for alchemy, on a quest to find the…

On this episode of Manga Tak, Mat is joined by Alex (aka snesdrunk) to talk about the wonderful Frieren: Beyond Journey's End by Kanehito Yamada and Tsukasa Abe As the title suggest, the manga is the story of Frieren, the titular Elven mage, who at the beginning of the story has defeated the Demon King with her fellow adventures and brought peace t…

On this episode of Manga Tak, Mat is joined by Ian Sta. Maria (takbotikbalang) to talk about the excellent Battle Angel Alita by Yukito Kishiro! Originally published in Shueisha’s Business Jump from 1990 to 1995, Gunmu, or Battle Angel Alita as we know it in the West, is a Cyber Punk epic about an amnesiac female cyborg called Alita. Who after bein…

On this pilot episode of Manga Tak, Mat is joined by Zane from Undisputed Anime to talk in depth about Gege Akutami's Jujutsu Kaisen Zero. The story follows Yuta, who is a high school student haunted by his childhood sweetheart, Rika. After a tragic accident, Rika is turned into special grade, vengeful curse that forces Yuta to keep his distance fr…

Join us we set sail on a new podcasting adventure called Manga Tak! On this first episode, Mat talks with his long time podcasting partner Tom to discuss Eiichiro Oda's classic: One Piece! One Piece is the story of Monkey D. Luffy, a young man who embarks on a quest to seek out Gold Roger's ultimate treasure, the One Piece, and fulfil his dream to …

On this episode of Manga Tak, Mat is joined by AC (aka ProdTally) to talk in depth about Rumiko Takahashi's Urusei Yatsura. It’s the story of Ataru Moroboshi, an extremely unlucky and lecherous guy who is randomly selected by a computer to face off against an alien race, known as the Oni, in a game of tag to prevent them taking over the world. His …