Delightful and delectable as the food concocted in the series itself, Delicious in Dungeon is the introduction to fantasy we need in this current world of bleak media. As the series’ fifth volume receives its English release this May, the growing collection of titles featuring accessible, fantastical worlds to welcome new readers and participants alike…
I Am a Hero Omnibus 6: An Indictment of the “Troubled Young Man”
I Am a Hero, Omnibus 6 Kengo Hanazawa (Art and Story), Kumar Sivasubramanian (Translation), Philip R. Simon (English adaptation), Steve Dutro (Lettering) Dark Horse Manga 17 May 2018 In I am a Hero, Omnibus 6, Kengo Hanazawa takes a break from the somewhat unreliable, yet, ultimately decent Hideo, a 35-year-old manga assistant plagued by indecision,…
Dragon Ball’s Timelessness Shows in Britney Spears’ Kids
A period of universal joy tends to descend upon the Internet collective when celebrities are discovered to be into the same nerdy things we are. Drake streaming that one time he played Fortnite. Michael B. Jordan defending his love of anime. And more recently (though it’s been ongoing), Britney Spears’ unwavering pride showing off her…
Women of Mangaka: Yuu Watase
During the 1990s, a time of relatively few shojo manga series (or manga series in general, really) being translated to English, one of the cornerstones that everyone at least knew of was Fushigi Yuugi, an anime based on the manga by Yuu Watase. For lots of girls of that age, the protagonist, high school girl…
Journey Across the Seven Seas: New Year, New Releases
How did Seven Seas begin the year? With fresh releases, fresh series, and lots of cute to go around! In this go around, we have middle school crushes cute, chibi art style cute, 4koma comedy cute, cross-species kid friendships cute, prettyboys’ backstory angst cute… What do you mean, that last one’s not cute? It totally…
Manga on Stage: Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui / Bunkamura Theatre Cocoon’s Pluto
We sit on a single row of seats, backs against a wall, hands on a railing before a drop. Beneath us is the main audience, and ahead of that is a curtained stage littered along the front with scrap metal. At first glance that’s all it appears to be, but there are a few distinguishable…
The Countryside is no Picnic in Uncomfortably Happily
Uncomfortably Happily Yeon-Sik Hong Drawn & Quarterly June 13, 2017 A graphic memoir by Korean artist Yeon-Sik Hong, Uncomfortably Happily is the tale of an artist-couple who moves from the hustle and bustle of Seoul to the relative peace and quiet of the countryside. Or so they think. Those of us who live in big cities often dream…
Women of Mangaka: Rumiko Takahashi
It’s Women’s History Month, so let’s talk a bit about a woman who’s made some, and may finally get recognized for it. Through March 16, voters for the Will Eisner Comics Hall of Fame will be deciding on whether the fourth nomination for Rumiko Takahashi is the charm. Takahashi already has an impressive awards shelf,…
Blade of the Immortal: Brutally Beautiful
Blade of the Immortal Omnibus V Hiroaki Samura (Art and Story), Dana Lewis & Toren Smith (Translation and English adaptation), Tomoko Saito (Lettering and Retouch) Dark Horse Manga 27 March 2018 Blade of the Immortal began its manga run in 1993, finally finishing in 2012. During this nearly 20 year run, it spawned one anime…
Quickstep, Tango, Foxtrot: Let’s Dance a Waltz
Let’s Dance a Waltz, Volumes 1-3 Natsumi Ando (story and art) Kodansha April/June/August 2015 There’s a romance inherent in the flowing dresses, crisp tuxedos, intricate footwork, sweeping turns, and bright-eyed smiles of ballroom dance. This makes it a perfect partner for a love story, even (especially?) when the dancers are teenagers, and Let’s Dance a…
Hipster Manga: Imawa no Kuni no Alice
Imawa no Kuni no Alice Haro Aso (writer and illustrator) Shogakukan 2010–2016 [Content warnings for this one include: suicide, (foiled) sexual assault, people dying, people being grievously injured or dismembered.] In today’s media, the book Alice in Wonderland is as much a motif as it is a piece of media on its own, inspiring works…
Journey Across the Seven Seas: Manga in the Hold
What is Seven Seas? No, it’s not the company releasing Sinbad’s Adventure (at least, not yet). Founded in 2004, Seven Seas releases about 20 new volumes a month. If the name flew under your radar like it did mine, you may not even realize how many titles they get out until you start checking your…