Manga of the Month: Giganto Maxia

Giganto Maxia (ギガントマキア)
by Kentaro Miura

hisui_icon_4040 At one point in time most of us have wondered what if one author did a title in a genre they don’t normally work in or did their own take on an established or popular premise. You might wonder what if Kaoru Mori did a science fiction series or what if Mitsuru Adachi did his own version of Princess Nine. I have seen that question asked on various podcasts as well as our own podcast. It is a fascinating what if that that just generates speculation naturally. We have even discussed it here as well. So it is always interesting to see what happens when it actually occurs outside the space of pure theory. It does not always work out for the best. Sometimes artists work in their chosen genre for a reason. A novel concept by one author can seem like nothing more than an also–ran when the same idea is used by another person a little later. But it can also lead to some wonderful variations and unique stories that show you an unexpected side of a mangaka. It does not matter if it is a success or failure. It always is an informative experiment.

I bring this up mostly because Giganto Maxia distinctly feels like what if Kentaro Miura did his own version of Attack on Titan. It is not a 100% copy-paste but it is fairly clearly inspired by the former. (At least I would be shocked if that were not the case.) So the question is can Kentaro Miura outdo Hajime Isayama in writing stories about humans fighting giants in a post-apocalyptic world or should he stick to the adventures of Guts and less than merry band? (Or should he stick to playing THE iDOLM@STER if you want to be SUPER bitter.)

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The April 2016 Line-Up

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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The Speakeasy #076: Dagashi Kashi, Kadokawa, Detective Conan, Kouji Wada

Ongoing Investigations: Twin Star Exorcists vol. 1 by Yoshiaki Sukeno, Long Way North from Sacrebleu Productions, Maybe Movies, and Norlum, Dagashi Kashi from Studio Feel, Detective Conan: Sunflowers of Inferno (movie 19) from TMS Entertainment, Haruchika: Haruta & Chika from P.A. Works.

Food for Thought: What anime would benefit most from watching it completely cold?

Topics: Goodbye Kouji Wada, Kadokawa Partners with Crunchyroll and Yen Press, Eisner Nominations.

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And now your helpful bartenders at The Speakeasy present your drink:

Kit Kat Shooter

  •  1 part Creme de Cacao dark
  • 1 part Frangelico
  • 1 part Baileys Irish Cream

As much as you like but equal amounts of each. Serve in shot glasses.