Category: Manga

The Speakeasy #088: Rudolf the Black Cat, Hayate the Combat Butler, MST3K, Your Name

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Ongoing Investigations: Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Return from Netflix, Rudolf the Black Cat from OLM Digital and Sprite Animation Studios, Hayate the Combat Butler (finale) by Kenjiro Hata, Robot x Laserbeam (Ch. 1-3) by Tadatoshi Fujimaki, Your Name from Comix Wave Films.

Song: “Nandemonaiya” (movie version) from Your Name by RADWIMPS

Food for Thought: Which type of ending has the most emotional impact to you–happy, sad, or ambiguous? Why?

Topics: Leiji Matsumoto Writing Work that Connects His Universe, Japanese Digital Manga Market grows 27.5%, Rumiko Takahashi Has 200 Million Copies in Print, Blazing Transfer Student Live-action Netflix Series, New TV Anime Block.

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Manga of the Month: Giant Killing

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Giant Killing by Masaya Tsunamoto and Tsujitomo

narutaki_icon_4040_round Ah, to return to Giant Killing is quite a thrill! And one I never expected to have for a long (43 books and counting) serious soccer manga.

I say serious not because the manga is terribly gritty but because Giant Killing is about more than just the players vying for a championship. The story tackles characters in every facet of the sport: coach, player, manager, owner, PR coordinator, reporter, fans young and old. This panoramic view of the soccer scene is what makes the series so intriguing.

Giant Killing’s basic plot sounds like a classic: washed-up team is revitalized by new unconventional coach who previously betrayed the team many years before when he was their star player. Coach Tatsumi brings a lot of baggage and drama into the lives he upends by returning to his former team. But he is good at what he does, is smart, and has enough charm to make it work.

Shifting the focus to the coach already makes Giant Killing feeling a little bit different from many other sports manga we’ve had the chance to experience in English. Then the series does one better and spreads the focus to so many other characters which makes it a standout.

~ kate

The March 2017 Line-Up

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The Line-Up is a monthly rundown of new anime, manga, novel, and artbook licenses for the U.S. It also lists new streaming/broadcasting announcements and posted crowdfunding projects available to U.S. residents. And finally, it includes anime/manga projects and live-action anime/manga adaptation announcements from Japan.

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