What manga are you reading now?

[Spark_Heal]

Tower Dungeon Volume 1 - 3: A sudden new favourite. I’ve tried other manga by Tsutomu Nihei but Tower Dungeon is the first to ever truly strike a chord with me. I loved reading these and Volume 3 provides a nice stopping point for the time being.

Heart Gear Volume 2 -5: Glad I re-read some earlier volumes before moving on because it helped me to appreciate the art more than before. There’s a lot of little flourishes that really bring this together. Volume 5 is probably the best the series has ever been so I’m excited for more.

Choujin X Volume 3: This series is a lot more legible in retrospect when you understand what is actually going on in the setting. It’s got a real sense of teenagers facing the adult world and being crushed by how small they really are.

 

[RonJB]

An Archdemon's Dilemma: How to Love Your Elf Bride v2-v3: The too terrified to admit their feelings super-powerful couple is getting a little wearing, but the rest of the cast makes up for it .... mostly. Even I'm not that dense about relationships (looking back, yes I am).

The Countess Is a Coward No More! This Reincarnated Witch Just Wants a Break v1: I enjoyed this story of a witch reincatnated into a future where magic appears to have been suppressed by the church.

Ascendance of a Bookworm part 1 vol 1-2: It's been ages since I watched the anime, but I don't remember it being quite this dark and bleak. Started v3 and we're less than a year into Myne's adventure. Another one of those stories it's hard to put down, and as my tablet in full screen doesn't tell me how late it is,,,

 

[Gemsy-chan]

Lord of Mysteries: The Clown Part II

 

[Aion]

Images of manga, huh? Shadow Cat, you have started meeeeee, so I offer no apologies for doing the same. Alas, 2D Lesbians are not my passion~


Adabana(na): Vol 1-2 ​

The first volume suggested it'd be no more than a soap opera aimed squarely at males. And by that, I mean instead of a girl agonising over her reverse harem of potential suitors, 'tis a thriller involving rape, murder and occasional arse/tit/muff fan service; such as a few pgs in, a from behind shot of the heroine in the shower--purely for ar(se)tiste merit, of course.
I am partial to despair porn, and it was something akin to Boys Abyss in ze sense it hit on heavy themes, mostly surface level. Despite the realistic/sexy art with stark blacks, twists/choices no compute: 'twas forced drama. Dirty Uncle in particular may as well be in a hentai. Deleting evidence without any prior recordings in mind was ret... err, not smart, and the heroine revealed all to an ex-bf stalker of her friend, seemingly falling for him, because of course: DRAMA!

Drama aside, my first impression of v1 was that it going to be similar-ish to 'The World of Kanako' (a JP film by the director of 'Confessions'), if that had followed the girl's pov instead of hunting for her and being sucked into her abyssu. Or, put another way, the descent into a school girl becoming a sociopath.

...but then, we get to the second, more chunkier volume; which the image is from (and whilst it doesn't exactly sell the art, I found my eyes glued to the text overlayed). Turns out the ol' unreliable narrator card was clumsily used v1, as v2 starts 6months prior, following the pov of the heroine's bff friend. Whilst some iffiness remains, this reframes the whole narrative. Google AI confirmed my suspiss that, despite the art not being shoujo at all, the author is a woman. And seinen authoresses tend to offer some keen insights/reactions. In Adabana, I get impression the author is leaning on some bad past experience, as a handsome/smooth guy turns out to be controlling, and not so nice. It came across a lot more relatable and believable... if ignore hentai uncle-san (though the decision with the recording makes slightly more sense, now. Maybe?...)

Volume 3 not out until June, and that the last. Still not 100% where going but most likely court-room drama, as the heroine is still sticking to her story atm from v1 and the backstory from v2 not finished. Could be good, could be re******. Only Allah/the internet knows~​

Rintaro: My Life in 24 Frames Per Second
A quote best sums zis up: "Film is the interplay of shadow and light."​

'Tis similar to two other books I own: 'A Drifting Life' by Yoshihiro Tatsumi, which is the life story of one of the most prominent artists behind the 'gekiga' movement that first created manga targeted at adults via realistic - and somewhat nihilistic - short stories. And 'The Men Who Created Gundam', which was a more comedic and less personal overview of the history of Gundam and the trials that came with introducing the world to less cartoony mecha/merchandising toys etc.

Only revisited Dagger of Kamui a month or two ago, so this came at the right time to interest meeee... and there was all of one page on Kamui. Luckily however the book still proved to be a compelling manga/biography regardless: covering Rintaro from his earliest memory as a child, at the end of WW2, and continuing on to cover his childhood in post-war Japan for half the book. His somewhat strained relationship with his father, and how his dad's simple yet striking description of film by him after taking him to the cinema provided good insight into what drove him.
Rintaro's story in the anime industry runs parallel to the birth of anime as we know it today; from working on the first TV anime Astro Boy, to the first colour anime, to the first big screen anime hit in Galaxy Express. He actually knew and worked with Tezuka, with his final anime film Metropolis being something of both a tribute and farewell to end his anime movie career as high as he could take it.

The quote from his dad that inspired Rintaro actually explained why Dagger of Kamui started as it did, despite the fact the book itself skipped over it: Kamui begins in total blackness, with the only light being footsteps in overly bright water. The basic emptiness of the image left a bad first impression but those words made sense of it. That aside, the book did a great job of covering Rintaro's adolescence, only to then skip over much of his adult personal life; barely mentioning his wife/kids. Still, 'twas an entertaining look through the life of a man that lived through the history of anime.

Ordered a steelbook of Metropolis to revisit it (apparently I watched it at some point), and will give Galaxy 999 a re-watch. Much of the history of anime films resides in them, as it turns out. Maybe context will motivate meeee. Probably not tbh.​

A few quickie extras:

The Long Summer of of August 31: Vol 1-2.5​

A time-loop rom-com. The male lead is meant to be one of my socially ret... awkward kindred, tho naturally since a woman drew it he's roughly 7ft - without body hair in sight - and also happens to have long fingers. If he wasn't such a deadpan mood killer, he'd be attractive. It's the way in fiction: either geniuses Allah Death Note or... Ryan Gosling in Drive. 'Tis cruel. But I digress: it amused me because I imagine mein friend read v1, saw the lead, saw the title has my bday a month annnnnnnd...

The series is quite good given the strong female input that sells the rom-comedy... when it doesn't go off on mini-arc tangents that feel a tad filler-ish. There's not much mileage one can get out of the premise: a loop on the 31st of August, which only two are aware of, lead sure losing his virginity will let escape, girl initially creeped out before abruptly deciding she into amidst ill-timed comments/actions and very female logic; inc men must be ones to confess even if rejected. Her assessment of what's gross/noooo and the author's knack of comical typing - oft with repeated panels that leaves stupidity hanging before the react - make it a fun read. I'm just not sure how the premise can be extended to 10+ vols without filler hell. By v2 the heroine is very much into the lead, with much sexual tension and only 'ghosts' cockblocking, soooo....​

Mushishi: Vol 1
Been a long time since watched the anime/S1. Its episodic stories left an imprint; such as one involving a loop of reincarnation in a village by the sea. So far none of the stories have immersed me in that way, perhaps not helped by the art depicting Ginko being a tad shoujo-ish. The last chapter iirc involved the guardian of some mountain, and the mushi lore rather went over my head. Will cont when own more. A +1 is the books are the ideal hard-back size: Gundamu Origins v1-12 sized so can fit on shelf and still have collectible quality. Win-wins.

Yoshiharu Tsuge: Oba Electroplating Factory
The 4th collection of Tsuge's shorts in English. I keep mixing him up with Tatsumi, given they share the same first name and worked during the same era on the earliest versions of what became seinen. Unlike Tatsumi, Tsuge's oft revolve around his real life--he was the first to do such manga content so he's famous for that aspect. This can be a plus/minus 'cause there were 3 or so chapters dedicated to Tsuge going around inns, hoping to find inspiration for his work. The most memorable chapter tho was one I assume more fictional: a boy with no home/family, working at a rundown electroplating place with no other employees, only to be abandoned as the woman running the place runs off with some fella to escape debt. Such is/was lief~​

 

[Type_VII]

Finally got round to starting volume 5 of the Initial D omnibus. A good reminder of why I love this series so much and, whilst I'm enjoying the MF Ghost anime, it pales in comparison to Initial D.

Will be starting volume 3 of the Ashita no Joe omnibus soon too, that series is one I've been wanting to read for 20+ years and it isn't disappointing.

 

[Dragon Slayer]

Fairy Tail: 100 Years Quest ch 203 - 205

How Not to Summon a Demon Lord ch 132 - 133

In Another World With My Smartphone ch 109 - 110

Slave Harem in the Labyrinth of the Other World ch 104

That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime ch 138 - 139