Mastodawn

#MangaMonday 98 “Adabana” by NON

What’s a little dismemberment between friends?

Some mysteries are Whodunits, others are Howdunits, still others are Whydunits. This one… shifts. We know from the opening pages that Mizuki Aikawa dismembered her friend Mako Igarashi. She quickly confesses to her murder. Her lawyer senses that something isn’t adding up, but what exactly?

As you may have guessed, this is a dark #manga; there’s murder, sexual assault, and dismemberment. At its core, it’s a psychological mystery. Mizuki is the main character, but we don’t really get inside her head. This requires the visuals to do a lot of the work. Fortunately, NON’s detailed art is up to it.

Complete with two of three volumes released in English (Dark Horse.) The third is coming in June.

#Adabana

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ChurchHatesTucker ☑Mar 2

#MangaMonday 99 “The Isekai Doctor” by Hoko Tsuda (story) & Nobuhide Takishita (art)

You probably guessed from the title that this isn’t a typical “other world” story; our MC is an MD. We do get some fantasy-specific situations (How do you give a dragon an endoscopy? Walk in through its nose) but a core part of this is hardcore medical science. (Tsuda is a Professor of Medical Education.) You will learn things from the explanatory narration boxes!

If that’s all it was, it would be a fun and educational #manga. But it gets political. In this world some humans have obtained—and jealously guard—a monopoly on healing magic, giving them outsized influence. Our MD is guided by Japan’s medical ethics and seeks to treat as many people as he can, which ultimately includes teaching science to anyone willing to learn.

Takishita contributes first-rate art, and a surprising attention to fashion.

Ongoing with eleven volumes in Japan. English chapters are available on kmanga.kodansha.com.

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ChurchHatesTucker ☑

#MangaMonday 100 “Yuko, the Ghost in My Room” by Nobuko Takekawa

Kanna has rented an apartment that is haunted. Fortunately, he’s never been scared of ghosts. He quickly dubs the mostly silent but very present ghost “Yuko” (from “Yurei,” ghost.)

Originally released on X/Twitter, this has VERY short chapters—from one to a handful of pages each. (I think they were reorganized into longer chapters for the #manga publication.) It’s a format the fits the story well, with small incidents providing the building blocks for Kanna’s growing understanding of his “roommate” and his own feelings for her. At heart, it’s a romance in a bottle, with almost everything happening in the apartment.

Ongoing with two(?) volumes in Japan. English chapters are available online at Manga UP!

#YukoTheGhostInMyRoom

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ChurchHatesTucker ☑Mar 16

#MangaMonday 101 “[OSHI NO KO] TV Anime 1st Season Official Guidebook: First Report” by Aka Akasaka (Author) & Mengo Yokoyari (Artist)

OK, it’s not a #manga, but it’s an book about an #anime based on a manga. Close enough! I also realized I haven’t recommended the original, so consider this a back-door recommendation.

“Oshi No Ko” the anime is winding up its second season, but Yen Press just released this translation of the guidebook to the first. If you’ve seen similar books, you’ll know what to expect. There’s a lot of illustrations, model sheets of the various characters, and interviews with the voice actors and some of the staff (including the manga creators, who are given titular credit for this as well.) There’s even interviews with the musicians who did the opening and ending credits.

Yen Press did a good job with this. Even though there’s no sequential images, the book reads right to left at the column of text level, preserving the feel of the original.

#OshiNoKo