If you've spent years thinking that the work of Mitsuru Adachi isn't for you because you have no interest in baseball, pull up a chair! This week on Manga Tak, I talk to designer and illustrator Bastian Najdek, to discuss Short Game! A collection of 5 short stories from one of Japan's masters of romance, that proves that while the book is about baseball, it also REALLY isn't! Join us as we take the field to discuss Adachi's beautiful compositions and writing, spend a little time in the ...

Vikings have seen a resurgence recently thanks to shows like (ahem) Vikings, and games like Assassins Creed Valhalla and Valheim, but what if I told you the best piece of Viking fiction of the past 20 years was actually a manga? And more importantly, that it's story is based on real vikings! This week, Mat's not only joined by another passionate lover of comics, but a descendant of Thorfinn Karlsefni himself: author and translator, Árni Beck Gunnarsson! Join us as we really dive into Vi...

Takumi Fujiwara is a kid who doesn't really care about cars... Every morning he has to get up at the crack of dawn to make deliveries for his father's tofu shop. To him it's a hassle because of the strict requirements his father places on him... but those same requirements have also moulded him into the fastest racer on the Akina slope! This week, Mat is joined once again by Georgie (aka Mainly.Manga) to discuss Shuichi Shigeno's 1995 racing manga Initial D! With the volume being rolled out o...

After starting High School, Ruri Aoki thought that she was ready to deal with changes in her life... That was until she woke one day with a pair of horns growing out of her head, and her Mum told her it's because her Dad's actually a dragon! But this isn't a fantasy shonen title! In fact, it's actually a slice of life! Rather than battling mythical creatures with her newfound powers, Ruri is just trying to navigate the usual challenges of high school like meeting new people and fitting it... ...

Hiroto Ikuta is a carefree, and optimistic guy who's totally fine taking each day as it comes. While those around him worry he's approaching 30 with no real ambitions or love life, he's not worried at all! However, after the older woman he befriended passes away and he inherits her house in Tokyo, his life begins to change in unexpected ways! The most notable of which is his cousin, Natsumi, moving in! She's struggling to figure out who she wants to be and trying to adapt to her newfoun...

All you need to do to hire the service of the City Hunter is to write XYZ on the bulletin board of Shinjuku station and they’ll do the rest.... These Sweepers are guns for hire, with no case to big or small: anything goes... This week I'm joined once again by Tom to discuss the '80s cult classic City Hunter by Tsukasa Hojo! While the series debuted in Weekly Shonen Jump in 1985, it's living proof that manga and the magazine have changed a lot in that time, and this one's definitely more ...

Being an over 30's Toykoite is difficult: it's hard to find a man, you lose your passion for your work and your only way to let off steam is to goto the local Isakaya with your friends to let of some steam. But what if that's part of the problem? After being caught off guard by the announcement of the Tokyo Olympics, Rinko vows to get married before 2020! But being single is the least of her worries as things around her begin to fall apart thanks to a handsome but brash model named Key... Can...

Eita Ichiyoshi is a young man being driven slowly mad by the mundanity of his job at a confectionary factory. That is until while walking home alone on Christmas Eve, he catches a mysterious bouncy ball that he decides to take home. After throwing it to relieve his frustrations, he can’t believe his luck when it turns into a beautiful, naked woman with perfect lips! But all it took was a kiss for Ichi to regret his actions! The girl suddenly begins to shoot more balls into the room that trans...

The bike's charged, the skies are blue and the open road is calling.... there's one issue: there's seemingly only two women left to burn rubber and explore it! After leaving their bunker, Youko and Airi set out to retrace Yuoko's sister's footsteps by following her old social media... Why were they in a bunker? What happened to everyone else? Why are penguins so adorable? These are questions we hope to answer as we read Touring After the Apocalypse by Sakae Saito! This week, Mat is joined onc...

Jiro Azuma isn’t your run of the mill Ninja though, oh no - he also has the unique ability to talk to animals. It’s this special skill that leads him to nurse a dying cat back to health… but this isn’t just any cat: it’s Rago, the Black Star of Doom: a Mononoke of incredible power. Before he knows it, Jiro has fused with this vengeful spirit in the middle of a fight to the death and is immediately taken into custody by the Bureau of Espionage… But seemingly with the fate of the world at stake...

Rintaro Tsumugi attends Chidori High. It's a boy’s school that only takes the dregs of society, which just happens to stand next door to the prestigious Kikyo Girls’ High! While the girls from this elite school never dream of socialising with anyone from Chidori, Kaoruko just happens to have a sweet tooth and when she notices Rintaro behind the counter of his family’s Cake Shop, suddenly pastries aren’t the only thing she’s got her eye on! Can these 'star crossed lovers' from two different sc...

CONTENT WARNING: This episode deals with some pretty heavy themes including suicide and physical abuse, so skip this one if you're not comfortable with those topics! After a small, octopus looking alien from the Planet Happy arrives on Earth, determined to spread happiness to everyone he meets, he runs into a morose young girl called Shizuka who isn’t impressed with his happy gadgets... In fact, maybe it'd be better for everyone if he didn't get involved at all... This week, Mat is joined by ...

Ten hopeful candidates embark on a test to survive for 53 days aboard an abandoned space shuttle to earn themselves a place at the prestigious Cosmo Academy. However, once inside the airlock they realise something is amiss: they are now eleven. Can they put their suspicions aside in order to pass? Or will the threats they face cause them to give into despair and abandon the test, and with it, their chances of getting into the academy? On this week's episode, Mat's joined not only by Georgie (...

In a world populated by mechanical 'creatures' and humans, where the lines between man and man-made are blurred, a girl called Hyaku straddles the line between human and mechanical. Fuelled by rage, she is targeting the high profile krechs of the underworld to seek vengeance, and her stolen body parts! Will it ease her pain? And more importantly, in doing so, will she regain her humanity? On this week's episode, Mat's joined once again by Tom to discuss Search and Destroy by Atsushi Kaneko, p...

This is the story of Shuuko, Eika, Misaki and Shio: four best friends who share an apartment together in the heart of the city. While they might share a roof, they all face individual problems! For Shuuko, it's the societal pressure to get married, for Eika, it's how to climb the corporate ladder. Misaki's trying to figure out her situation-ship and Shio's in a panic about how to balance her work / life balance now she's become a freelancer. Is isn't easy being in your twenties, but at ...

After the failure of his last project, Mr. Shiozawa quits his job as a Manga editor after 30 years and ponders his next move. But try as he might, the medium he loved, the calling he devoted his professional life to, has a hold on him that he isn't quite ready let go. Suddenly he finds himself deciding to put together 'the perfect manga' and to do so, he's going to need a little help... This week on Manga Tak, Mat is joined by Dave 'Ziggy' Greene (of Jam) to discuss Taiyō Matsumoto's To...

On this Manga Tak-ked On (i.e. a Bonus Episode), Mat is joined one again by Georgie (aka Mainly.Manga) to talk more on Yan by Chang Sheng now that Volume 2 has dropped! Join us as we discuss how our fears over volume 1's huge setups were mislead, the book's ability to ramp up an already action packed first volume, and honestly just how much enjoyed the middle instalment of this trilogy! Thanks once again to Titan Manga for sending us advanced copies of this book, available now wher...

In the year 2080, Christmas a thing of the past: declining birthrates have meant fewer children, changes in climate have distorted the seasons and the disappearance of Santa has relegated 'The Most Wonderful Time of the Year' to an ancient tradition. But on December 25th, the conditions have been met to break the curse robbing the world of old Saint Nick, with the death of Kazushige Sanda revives Santa for a new era! Can this descendant of Santa help Fuyumura find their missing classmate Ichi...

In a world where everyone has a 'quirk' the gives them super human abilities, a young boy called Izuku Midoriya who is born without one may have to give up on his dreams of becoming a super hero. That is until one day after trying to rescue a classmate, he is given the opportunity of a lifetime by the world's Number 1 Hero, All Might: Will Midoriya accept his quirk, a mysterious ability called 'One for All' and with it, the mantle of hero? This week Mat's joined once again by Tom to discuss t...

Sometimes all it takes is a kiss to send you spiralling. Years after putting an unrequited college love behind her, Sayuri Terazono is a working professional at a prestigious company. Her life is forever changed one day when that girl from college, Risa Nakayama, shows up at Sayuri's office as a new hire in her team! And all it takes is one bold move from Risa makes Sayuri question everything: becayse while a kiss can send you spiralling, it can also be the key to open your heart. This week, ...