Well, with 2025 now behind us and a whole year of the podcast done, come and join us as we walk through the entirety of our favorites we've discovered this last year. First, we take some time to look over our top 5 of 2024 (from episode 1, no less) and then we dive deep into our large pile of honorable mentions.  Louie definitely doesn't get upset at Tom failing to include a series anywhere in his list here that was edited from a later section then re-edited out for other reasons, nope.   And then, we hit our favorites, the series we discovered this year that we still can't stop talking about, what makes them special, what makes them sit on our new favorites. Bonus, we guess what each other's #1 series will be with predictably bad attempts, and at the end, we go back to our well of final recommendations to follow up with our favorite special recommendation from the year we want to double super recommend. All that and more in this extra sized episode of the Mudai Manga Book Club Podcast!   Follow us on Bluesky at The Mudai Manga and Book Club Podcast   Video Episodes Available on Youtube at Mudai Manga and Book Club   Email us at: MudaiMangaBookClub at Gmail.com   Main Theme: Sunrise by Meizong & Yeeflex Music provided by Argofox:Meizong & Yeeflex - Sunriseyoutu.be/-GurRvqxg3I Additional Music: (in order) Phat Phrog Studio - Cyber Chill Phat Phrog Studio - Machines of the Night Ovani Sound - Marshmallow Ovani Sound - Umbrella Walk Dark Fantasy Studio - Together Ovani Sound - Business Ovani Sound - Water Phat Phrog Studio -  Echo Nexus

It's not enough to be ready for anything, it's not enough to drive yourself to do good for the world, you also need . . . to understand linear algebra! This week we look at the first two arcs of My Hero Academia by Kohei Horikoshi, which covers the entire first volume of the manga. A mix of Japanese high school shennanigans, superhero ridiculous action, and shonen optomism, we spend the entire episode gushing about how much we love this, and the opening is full of wonderful things. Beyond that, in What We've Read, Louie goes further into camping and gaming with more of Laid Back Camp and I Want a Gal Gamer to Praise Me (and some Frontier Lord while we're at it), while Tom returns to a series he's read before but never talked about, This is Screwed Up But I Was Reincarnated as a GIRL in Another World! . . . is very serious, thought provoking, yes.   Follow us on Bluesky at The Mudai Manga and Book Club Podcast   Video Episodes Available on Youtube at Mudai Manga and Book Club   Email us at: MudaiMangaBookClub at Gmail.com   Main Theme: Sunrise by Meizong & Yeeflex Music provided by Argofox:Meizong & Yeeflex - Sunriseyoutu.be/-GurRvqxg3I Additional Music: Phat Phrog Studio - Echo Nexus Ovani Sound - Chiptune - Marshmallow Phat Phrog Studio - Resistance  

Returning to one of Tom's favorite series, Angeline the swordsman has finally reunited with her father Belgrieve after five years apart, and so begins the story of headpats, piggyback rides, and village patrolling of the S-ranker in this second novel of the series. Watch in wonder as Belgrieve unintentionally wins against seemingly more powerful swordsmen. Be amazed as he deftly maneuvers around others expectations due to Angeline's endless boasting about his ability. Squeak in joy as he unknowingly becomes a semi-adoptive father of Angeline's party members. . . . Oh, and then there's the not silly part of the rest of the book, that's good too.   Beyond that, in What We've Read, Tom fumbles trying to explain the fun in Hero and the Sage, Reincarnated and Engaged volume 6 without spoiling things, and Louie explains the opening to Korean manhwa The Gamer, and also, GASP, we talk about something we're not super enthused about as Louie talks about One Punch Man's Season 3 anime. All that and more this week on the podcast!   Follow us on Bluesky at The Mudai Manga and Book Club Podcast   Video Episodes Available on Youtube at Mudai Manga and Book Club   Email us at: MudaiMangaBookClub at Gmail.com   Main Theme: Sunrise by Meizong & Yeeflex Music provided by Argofox:Meizong & Yeeflex - Sunriseyoutu.be/-GurRvqxg3I Additional Music: Phat Phrog Studio - Echo Nexus Ovani Sound - Lo-fi Water Dark Fantasy Studio - Together

Arise now, ye tarnished! The call of long-lost grace speaks to us all, including those who do not wear pants! This week, we cover the first twelve chapters (volume 1 and about a third of volume 2) of Elden Ring: The Road to the Erdtree by Nikiichi Tobita, the manga retelling of the series that truly gets into the details of the already classic game by FromSoftware, like the true history of the Ranni fanclub and the powers of soap to improve your dodge rolls. What I mean is it's very silly and worth reading on every page. In addition to that, during our What We've Read, Louie talks the difference between dragon maids and cosplay nerds, while Tom explores shark-goblins and not-spoilers in the densest city on the planet. All that and more on today's episode of the Mudai Manga Book Club Podcast! Follow us on Bluesky at The Mudai Manga and Book Club Podcast   Video Episodes Available on Youtube at Mudai Manga and Book Club   Email us at: MudaiMangaBookClub at Gmail.com   Main Theme: Sunrise by Meizong & Yeeflex Music provided by Argofox:Meizong & Yeeflex - Sunriseyoutu.be/-GurRvqxg3I Additional Music: Phat Phrog Studio - Echo Nexus Phat Phrog Studio -Machines of the Night Ovani Sound - Business  

When your job requires that you are physically immune to all forms of radiation, you know you're in for a tough time. And that's the very job Ibara, Taeko, and Aoi are in for as we look at the first ten chapters (the first half of Part 1, or volumes 1 and the first third of volume 2) of the manga series COPPELION by Tomonori Inoue, following Medical Team as they search an irradiated Tokyo for survivors. We're also a bit lighter on what we've read this week, though Louie has a few minutes to talk about Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree 5, while Tom takes a moment to talk about the slightly fantastical Kagurabachi volume 5, and then goes into the more grounded and realistic In Another World with my Smartphone novel 31. Follow us on Bluesky at The Mudai Manga and Book Club Podcast   Video Episodes Available on Youtube at Mudai Manga and Book Club   Email us at: MudaiMangaBookClub at Gmail.com   Main Theme: Sunrise by Meizong & Yeeflex Music provided by Argofox:Meizong & Yeeflex - Sunriseyoutu.be/-GurRvqxg3I Additional Music: Phat Phrog Studio - Echo Nexus Phat Phrog Studio -  Machines of the Night Ovani Sound - Lo-Fi Water

After a few . . . lets say delays, we're back with more of frontier living with hornhead and axe man -- I mean, Alna the Onikin and Dias the war hero. Today we cover the second light novel or the third and fourth manga volumes, from farms to dogs to small invasions by hostile military powers! Beyond that, Louie goes light on info about having now finished Tokyo Ghoul: Re as well as more of My Dress Up Darling, while Tom effuses praise about the final volume of Don't Toy With Me Miss Nagatoro and the newest novel of Alya Sometimes Hides her Feelings in Russian. All that and more on today's episode.   Follow us on Bluesky at The Mudai Manga and Book Club Podcast   Video Episodes Available on Youtube at Mudai Manga and Book Club   Email us at: MudaiMangaBookClub at Gmail.com   Main Theme: Sunrise by Meizong & Yeeflex Music provided by Argofox:Meizong & Yeeflex - Sunriseyoutu.be/-GurRvqxg3I Additional Music: Phat Phrog Studio - Echo Nexus Phat Phrog Studio -  Cyber Chill Dark Fantasy Studio - Together

Ok, you know that trope where the rivals from a series have their final battle to the death, and then they both cry and say, "Imagine if we had been on the same side, we could have been . . . friends?" That is the entire premise for The Hero and The Sage, Reincarnated and Engaged, a series with characters so overpowered punching a dragon in the face with their bare hands and knocking it over is them struggling. In addition, Louie has finished Tokyo Ghoul and started into Tokyo Ghoul: Re and gives his initial thoughts, Tom gets back into Banished from the Hero's Party, I Decided To Live A Quiet Life in the Countryside and definitely remembered that title in full, and both gush, once again, about Otr and the Flame and The Creepy and Freaky.   Follow us on Bluesky at The Mudai Manga and Book Club Podcast   Video Episodes Available on Youtube at Mudai Manga and Book Club   Email us at: MudaiMangaBookClub at Gmail.com   Main Theme: Sunrise by Meizong & Yeeflex Music provided by Argofox:Meizong & Yeeflex - Sunriseyoutu.be/-GurRvqxg3I Additional Music: Phat Phrog Studio - Echo Nexus Ovani Sound - Business Dark Fantasy Studio - Together

And now, as Halloween comes in, we're back with a special Halloween recommendation with our returning special guest Renata! Each of us (Yes, even spooky-disliker Tom) have a series to recommend to you for your horror-enjoyment. Tom starts us off with the manga version of The Ring, Louie brings the well known classic Uzumaki, and Renata brings the newest one with Korean manhua Sweet Home.    Check out Renata's other projects and writing as thanks for coming on again here: Tumblr: Suzu-kun22 Ao3: luna_moon22 Mercari: suzu-kun22   Follow us on Bluesky at The Mudai Manga and Book Club Podcast   Video Episodes Available on Youtube at Mudai Manga and Book Club   Email us at: MudaiMangaBookClub at Gmail.com   Main Theme: Sunrise by Meizong & Yeeflex Music provided by Argofox:Meizong & Yeeflex - Sunriseyoutu.be/-GurRvqxg3I Additional Music: Phat Phrog Studio - Echo Nexus Phat Phrog Studio - Resistance Phat Phrog Studio - Machines of the Night Ovani Sound - Lo-Fi Water  

And so, the meandering trio of Frieren the Mage, Fern the apprentice mage, and Stark the cowardly warrior (or, cowarrior, if you will), enter into the next city to engage in a spot of brutal combat to the death with a trio of demons acting as a peace envoy and their leader, this arc's titular Aura the Guillotine. Covering chapters 14 to 23 (or middle-ish book 2 to middle-ish book 3), the story takes a different tack as we see what makes Frieren the mage of the Hero's party that slew the Demon Lord. Meanwhile, Louie has started down the path of Tokyo Ghoul, Tom revises some of his thoughts from the previous episode's review of Realist Hero's first book, and they both somehow manage to spoiler free "review" the end of Eden's Zero and it's final volume.    Follow us on Bluesky at The Mudai Manga and Book Club Podcast   Video Episodes Available on Youtube at Mudai Manga and Book Club   Email us at: MudaiMangaBookClub at Gmail.com   Main Theme: Sunrise by Meizong & Yeeflex Music provided by Argofox:Meizong & Yeeflex - Sunriseyoutu.be/-GurRvqxg3I Additional Music: Phat Phrog Studio - Echo Nexus Phat Phrog Studio - Experiment Ovani Sound - Umbrella Walk  

Get ready for your state sponsored census, as we dive into the first volume of How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom light novels (or, alternatively, the first two volumes of the manga). Literally, as Tom walks through the extremely large cast of the first book and the differences and omissions of the manga. In addition, Louie has finally finished Mushoku Tensei and gives his first thoughts on the final novels of that series, while they both take a few moments to talk about the (now slightly out of date) new chapters of Otr and the Flame and The Creepy and Freaky.   Follow us on Bluesky at The Mudai Manga and Book Club Podcast   Video Episodes Available on Youtube at Mudai Manga and Book Club   Email us at: MudaiMangaBookClub at Gmail.com   Main Theme: Sunrise by Meizong & Yeeflex Music provided by Argofox:Meizong & Yeeflex - Sunriseyoutu.be/-GurRvqxg3I Additional Music: Phat Phrog Studio - Echo Nexus Phat Phrog Studio -  Cyber Chill Ovani Sound - Lo-fi Water  

We're back, again, with another set of small topics; Louie starts us off with a new guessing game, and Tom definitely . . . answers? Sometimes? Can you name the series from the side characters? Then, Tom leads a discussion of the shonen action battle genre, and the way we think that genre works and the different kinds of series that have pulled that together.   Follow us on Bluesky at The Mudai Manga and Book Club Podcast   Video Episodes Available on Youtube at Mudai Manga and Book Club   Email us at: MudaiMangaBookClub at Gmail.com   Main Theme: Sunrise by Meizong & Yeeflex Music provided by Argofox:Meizong & Yeeflex - Sunriseyoutu.be/-GurRvqxg3I Additional Music: Phat Phrog Studio - Echo Nexus Dark Fantasy Studio - Together Ovani Sound - Business

In our never ending quest to bring you unique and original and unknown stories, we decide to go the complete opposite and talk about one of the biggest series of recent years and ever: Demon Slayer, specifically the first two arcs or the first 13 chapters (including all of volume 1 and part of volume 2). While Tom originally wasn't sold on the series, both our hosts now think of the series as an amazing shonen action series worth your time, full of adventure, gorgeous art, and an endearing but darker than normal tone. Meanwhile, Louie has his thoughts on the tenth volume of Frontier Lord Begins with Zero Subjects (the manga) and the second volume of Dungeon Builder: The Demon King's Labyrinth is a Modern City!, while Tom has thoughts about completely separate series Frontier Lord Begins with Zero Subjects volume 10 (the light novel) and the second to eleventh volume of Dungeon Builder: The Demon King's Labyrinth is a Modern City!   Follow us on Bluesky at The Mudai Manga and Book Club Podcast   Video Episodes Available on Youtube at Mudai Manga and Book Club   Email us at: MudaiMangaBookClub at Gmail.com   Main Theme: Sunrise by Meizong & Yeeflex Music provided by Argofox:Meizong & Yeeflex - Sunriseyoutu.be/-GurRvqxg3I Additional Music: Phat Phrog Studio - Echo Nexus Phat Phrog Studio - Cyber Chill Dark Fantasy Studio - Together

Our small topic episode returns with two of our old segments; Tom returns to the hotseat with the Name That Isekai game, and it goes every which way you could expect. We also have the return of our list series, "7 Amazing Things" this time covering some of our favorite rivalries throughout the world of Japanese pop culture. In addition, between what we've read, Louie continues to complete the later novels in Mushoku Tensei while Tom revisits one of his old favorites, reads a little known series called Demon Slayer, and more, in this episode of the Mudai Manga Book Club podcast.   Follow us on Bluesky at The Mudai Manga and Book Club Podcast   Video Episodes Available on Youtube at Mudai Manga and Book Club   Email us at: MudaiMangaBookClub at Gmail.com   Main Theme: Sunrise by Meizong & Yeeflex Music provided by Argofox:Meizong & Yeeflex - Sunriseyoutu.be/-GurRvqxg3I Additional Music: Phat Phrog Studio - Echo Nexus Ovani Sound - Water Phat Phrog Studio - Machines of the Night Ovani Sound - Business

And so, born on opposite sides of the equinox, in a specific village in the mountains of Japan, Yuru and his sister Asa get to have one of the most powerful abilities: Isekai time travel . . . oh, wait, no, that's not what happens. This week, we cover the secretive world of Daemons of the Shadow Realm by Hiromu Arakawa in it's first two volumes. There will be battles. There will be danger. There will be a multi page mini story of Yuru showing he understands how to use a modern bathroom.  In addition, Louie introduces us to two new series he's picked up in Dungeon Builder: The Demon King's Labyrinth is a Modern City! and A Cave King's Road to Paradise: Climbing to the Top With My Almighty Mining Skills, who's titles alone take up this entire sentence but are also actually interesting. Tom, meanwhile, made a small mistake and read the entire series of Campfire Cooking in Another World With My Absurd Skill (novels 4-15) in a week, which, while good, may have ruined his ability to have coherent thoughts. All this, and more, on this episode of the Mudai Manga & Book Club Podcast.   Follow us on Bluesky at The Mudai Manga and Book Club Podcast   Video Episodes Available on Youtube at Mudai Manga and Book Club   Email us at: MudaiMangaBookClub at Gmail.com   Main Theme: Sunrise by Meizong & Yeeflex Music provided by Argofox:Meizong & Yeeflex - Sunriseyoutu.be/-GurRvqxg3I Additional Music: Phat Phrog Studio - Echo Nexus Phat Phrog Studio - Resistance Ovani Sound - Umbrella Walk  

No, really, lock in, bro. (Unfortunately the part of the recording where we made this joke for five straight minutes got lost). Renata joins us again for another episode, and we take a wide angled view at the beginning of Kagurabachi, the story of a son wanting revenge on his father's murderers in Japan, but using a katana. How original. But also fun! Renata also talks through a couple of her other favorite reads from recent memory, including Marriage Toxin and The Summer Hikaru Died.   Also, apologies, there was a serious audio issue with a large portion of the episode, so that part of the recording was lost and the conversation ends somewhat in the middle of things.   Follow us on Bluesky at The Mudai Manga and Book Club Podcast   Video Episodes Available on Youtube at Mudai Manga and Book Club   Email us at: MudaiMangaBookClub at Gmail.com   Main Theme: Sunrise by Meizong & Yeeflex Music provided by Argofox:Meizong & Yeeflex - Sunriseyoutu.be/-GurRvqxg3I Additional Music: Phat Phrog Studio - Echo Nexus Ovani Sound - Lofi Water Phat Phrog Studio - Machines of the Night

Let's be fair, if you were reincarnated as an infant with perfect memory of your previous life, your first few years would be equally awkward as they are for Rudeus; I believe there's a reason we don't have consistent memories until we are two or three years old as humans. But that's besides the point as today we talk about the first volume of Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation (the light novel), one of the early examples of the isekai genre. Beyond that, Louie also goes over his thoughts on the first volume of the Clockwork Planet manga, and Tom gets to figure out how to talk about the newest Mission: Yozakura Family without spoiling the action spy in the midst of one of it's biggest reveals so far. All that and more on this episode of the Mudai Manga and Book Club Podcast!   Follow us on Bluesky at The Mudai Manga and Book Club Podcast   Video Episodes Available on Youtube at Mudai Manga and Book Club   Email us at: MudaiMangaBookClub at Gmail.com   Main Theme: Sunrise by Meizong & Yeeflex Music provided by Argofox:Meizong & Yeeflex - Sunriseyoutu.be/-GurRvqxg3I Additional Music: Phat Phrog Studio - Echo Nexus Phat Phrog Studio - Resistance Ovani Sound - Rythmic Vol 3: Business

Life is not a straight line, and today we look at a lighter take on that with My Daughter Left the Nest and Returned an S Rank Adventurer by MOJIKAKIYA, volumes 1 of the light novels or volumes 1 and 2 of the manga. Having read both between us, though, we do get pretty far into the weeds on the differences between the two versions, and cover the range of normal seeming weirdos that inhabit the adventurers guild and the small village of Orphen. (Don't take this description too seriously, we make dumb jokes too). In our what we read, we also cover a whole, massive range of stories, such as more silly-seriousness with the Elden Ring manga and another few quick summaries of the Mushoku Tensei novels from Louie and a whole smattering of things from Tom such as Soara and the House of Monsters, Survival in Another World with my Mistress manga because reading the whole story once wasn't enough apparently, the insane hilarity that is Life With An Ordinary Guy Reincarnated as a Total Fantasy Knockout volume 7, and even (gasp) something not Japanese with James Baldwin's The Fire Next Time which Tom is eminently unqualified to speak on but muddles though the best he can because it is so good. All that and more in this episode of the Mudai Manga and Book Club Podcast!   Follow us on Bluesky at The Mudai Manga and Book Club Podcast   Video Episodes Available on Youtube at Mudai Manga and Book Club   Email us at: MudaiMangaBookClub at Gmail.com   Main Theme: Sunrise by Meizong & Yeeflex Music provided by Argofox:Meizong & Yeeflex - Sunriseyoutu.be/-GurRvqxg3I Additional Music: Phat Phrog Studios - Echo Nexus Dark Fantasy Studio - Together Ovani Sound - Lo-Fi - Water

What does exceptional magic, exceptional art, and the technical definition of "the brim of a hat" all have in common? This week's episode, where we take a look at the opening arcs of Witch Hat Atelier (chapters 1-7, or volumes 1 and the first chapters of volume 2) by Kamome Shirahama. To go with it, we have an exceptionally large collection of things we've read this week too, including Tom working through the entire light novel series of Survival in Another World With My Mistress and DanDaDan volume 14, while Louie finally gets into Don't Toy With Me Miss Nagatoro and completes another six novels of Mushoku Tensei, along with many others.    Follow us on Bluesky at The Mudai Manga and Book Club Podcast   Video Episodes Available on Youtube at Mudai Manga and Book Club   Email us at: MudaiMangaBookClub at Gmail.com   Main Theme: Sunrise by Meizong & Yeeflex Music provided by Argofox:Meizong & Yeeflex - Sunriseyoutu.be/-GurRvqxg3I Additional Music: Phat Phrog Studio - Echo Nexus Phat Phrog Studio - Resistance Dark Fantasy Studio - Together

Time to close the case as we return to the aquatic police comedy drama for the second half of Hard Boiled Cop and Dolphin by Ryuhei Tamura (specifically, the second half of volume 3, along with volumes 4 and 5). And this time, we get to the bottom of the mysterious sea cult, the history of Orpheus, the mysterious captain behind Japanese Police Force's Section 7, Chako's mysterious powers, the dolphin trainer with the new, mysterious leg, and about 37 other things in this jam packed second half. Besides that, we spend, well, a lot, because we read a lot and there's a lot to talk about: Tom finished all of Coppellion (all 26 volumes) and the middle third of Issak (6-13), while Louie bounced through a whole bunch of series, from the newest volume of Dai Dark (#8) to Soara and the House of Monsters (volume 1) to The Invincible Shovel (volume 1 as well). It's a massive episode this week, so grab your scuba gear and dive in.   Follow us on Bluesky at The Mudai Manga and Book Club Podcast   Video Episodes Available on Youtube at Mudai Manga and Book Club   Email us at: MudaiMangaBookClub at Gmail.com   Main Theme: Sunrise by Meizong & Yeeflex Music provided by Argofox:Meizong & Yeeflex - Sunriseyoutu.be/-GurRvqxg3I Additional Music: Phat Phrog Studio -  Resistance Phat Phrog Studio - Echo Nexus Phat Phrog Studio - Machines of the Night       Note: a small section of The Who's "Won't Get Fooled Again" is used during this episode as a joke, and is being used here under the guidelines of fair use, as it pertains to the song's original use in the US crime drama CSI Miami.  

Congratulations! You were sold at a black market auction for 5 million British Pounds to a being who has a poor understanding of humanity and has a dog skull for a head with large horns coming out of each side. . . . Look, I realize part of this is to make a funny joke and break the ice for the series we're about to talk about but that actually is a massive positive for main character Chise Hatori in the Ancient Magus' Bride, chapters 1-7 (or volume one and about half of volume two). Tom also takes some time to run down the entire second half of All Rounder Meguru, both talk about the fun of the recent Otr and the Flame chapters, and Louie gets into Battle Angel Alita and it's big-eyed Hollywood movie. Follow us on Bluesky at The Mudai Manga and Book Club Podcast   Video Episodes Available on Youtube at Mudai Manga and Book Club   Email us at: MudaiMangaBookClub at Gmail.com   Main Theme: Sunrise by Meizong & Yeeflex Music provided by Argofox:Meizong & Yeeflex - Sunriseyoutu.be/-GurRvqxg3I Additional Music: Phat Phrog Studio -  Machines of the Night Phat Phrog Studio - Cyber Chill Phat Phrog Studio - Echo Nexus