This time it’s Enzo’s recommending a series for Samu - and it’s another seinen manga! Habits seem to be forming. A Distant Neighborhood by the iconic Jiro Taniguchi is a 2-volume series about a father in his forties who is transported back to his teenage years leading up to the event that still lingers within him: the night his father disappeared and left his family behind. Could this be his chance to uncover the truth of the incident or perhaps even change the future by preventing it?

Timestamps:

0:00 Introduction - continuing our conversation on trends in our differing tastes

5:43 Establishing ‘A Distant Neighborhood’ and our initial impressions

10:14 The premise: time travel, the human condition, a reflection of youth

12:36 Exploring the concept of reliving our teenage lives if put into this situation

17:01 The internal age-gap romance with Tomoko - is it icky or successfully explored?

21:06 Jiro Taniguchi is one of the most influential manga of all time, his realism

23:23 Why is he particularly popular in Europe?

27:07 Spoiler discussion begins

27:39 The countdown to understanding his father’s actions and their relationship

30:26 “No one ever truly becomes an adult” and “What is happiness?”

32:26 What would we do if we were in Hiroshi’s situation??

34:07 Understanding his father and what lead to his decision and the morality behind it

43:48 Predicting our envision endings as reader to compare with the author’s vision

47:35 The ending - Samu’s theory on how he thought it was conclude

49:50 Enzo’s preference for stripped back stories, comparisons to Spirit Circle

51:25 Was it a happy ending? Stories that appeal to the head or the heart

52:41 Enzo’s Recommendation: ERASED by Kei Sanbe

56:18 Samu’s Film Recommendation: Only Yesterday (film by Isao Takahata)

57:38 Samu’s Recommendation: Barefoot Gen by Keiji Nakazawa

1:00:46 Overview and final scores

This time it’s Samu’s recommendation for Enzo - and it’s another josei manga! Double by Ayako Noda is a psychologically twisted acting series about the complicated relationship of two men in the industry, one a natural talent and the other a hard worker, with differing levels of success and the drama that unfolds from the power each has over the other.

Timestamps:

0:00 Introduction - a josei acting manga with a complicated relationship at the core

3:52 Is Takara and Yuujin’s relationship toxic?

5:00 Another Big Bang Theory comparison

6:47 The talented natural vs the hardworking grinder

7:41 The evidence/implications of Takara potentially being autistic

12:40 Comparisons to Spacewalking With You - the 2024 Manga Taisho winner

13:58 Examining the ‘toxic’ elements of their relationship, how professionals in the industry view it

20:57 Highlighting the other side characters in the series

21:53 Touching on Enzo’s acting experience - how authentically is it depicted in Double?

26:27 Comparing the intents of Double vs Oshi no Ko

28:42 The unlikely chance of an anime adaptation

29:48 Spoiler discussion begins

30:15 The big revelation in Takara and Yuujin’s relationship - did we think it would become a plot point?

35:31 Can their relationship work going forward for them?

37:26 Hiryuuden play - behind the scenes drama of the double play

41:53 Ayako Noda’s other works under her Arai Niboshiko penname

42:47 Samu’s Recommendation: Yakuza Fiancé: Raise wa Tanin ga Ii by Asuka Konichi

45:14 Enzo’s Recommendation: Sakamichi no Apollon by Yuki Kodamai

48:40 Overview and final scores

51:30 Finding patterns in our taste 19 episodes in… discussion to be continued

We’re discussing a series we both read over a decade ago and have revisited for this discussion: Goodnight Punpun by Inio Asano - a manga we both love, but have our feelings on this ultra-depressing tale changed or waned years later? Listen to find out.

Timestamps:

0:00 Introduction - getting ready for depression

3:59 Our general feelings about Goodnight Punpun, apprehensive to re-experiencing the series

10:09 Does Punpun’s story resonate with men in particular?

14:05 Does it ever it ever go into torture porn territory?

17:08 Some of our other favourite characters: Shimizu, Seki, Sachi, Harumi

21:42 Why did Asano depict Punpun as a non-human and does it work?

24:19 The complications with a possible anime adaptation

27:32 Inio Asano’s shift in tone and content in his recent series since Goodnight Punpun

30:26 Spoiler discussion begins

30:38 Yuuichi’s storyline - mirroring Punpun’s journey, continuing their tragic cycle

33:49 Sachi and Aiko - did either/both of them Punpun and did he love either of them?

37:43 “Love itself is unhealthy” as the series message?

39:41 The dramatic third act and final message - was it good or bad for Punpun’s character?

46:16 Did we want to see Punpun’s face in the end?

47:52 Was “Goodnight Punpun” Sachi’s manga - was she exploiting him?

49:34 The ending mirroring the beginning - the cycle of life goes on

50:19 Samu’s Recommendation: The Flowers of Evil by Shuuzou Oshimi

54:27 Enzo’s Recommendation: The Climber by Shin-ichi Sakamoto and Yoshiro Nabeda

56:22 Overview and final scores

Hunter x Hunter is back! Let’s talk Hunter x Hunter! We kicked off with the Hunter Exam arc when we began this podcast and there’s no better time than to ride the wave than continue our task of covering the series arc-by-arc, this time continuing with the Zoldyck Family mini-arc as well as what Enzo describes as the most “shonen” arc of the entire series: Heavens Arena.

Timestamps:

0:00 Introduction - breaking our coverage by arc

1:24 Zoldyck Family arc - our thoughts on the short anti-rescue arc

7:58 Heavens arena arc - “the ultimate training arc, the ultimate tournament arc”

9:22 Is Heavens Arena the most “shonen” arc in Hunter x Hunter?

11:29 The most fun portion of the series considering what’s to come

13:03 Dark Tournament vs Heavens Arena - which is better?

14:30 Let’s talk about nen, baby - the best power system in manga

18:18 Which nen type would we have?

21:38 Is this arc underrated by fans?

23:22 The focal characters of each arc reflects the personality of that arc

25:58 The shonen/seinen demographic balance for Hunter x Hunter’s tone

28:13 Gon and Killua’s unique role and relationship with Zushi

29:42 Gon vs Hisoka arena battle, the anime adaptation, how it stacks compared to other battle shonen

33:15 If Hisoka hadn’t been at Heavens Arena, would Gon and Killua have survived?

36:21 The anticlimax quota: the abrupt end to the traditional tournament arc

38:28 Why understanding the anticlimaxes are important

40:05 Enzo’s Recommendation: My Hero Academia by Kohei Horikoshi

42:15 Samu’s Recommendation: My Hero Academia (U.A. Sports Festival arc) by Kohei Horikoshi

45:37 Overview and final scores

We’re continuing with recommendation mode, this time with Samu’s pick of an all-time favorite: Ooku: The Inner Chambers by Fumi Yoshinaga. This is tale as epic an detailed as they come, spanning over 200 years of the gender-flipped Tokugawa Shogunate as we follow the lives and trials of various rulers in an alternate-history Japan where a pandemic has wiped out majority of the male population, thrusting these women into the unlikely position of power with all the drama and court politicking that comes with it.

Timestamps:

0:00 Introduction - 19 volumes as dense as 19 novels

1:27 Fumi Yoshinaga’s other well-regarded works: What Did You Eat Yesterday and Antique Bakery

2:47 Ooku - an epic, award-winning retelling of the Tokugawa Shogunate with a gender-flipped twist

7:04 Enzo’s first impressions after years of Samu talking about and the anime adaptation

10:15 Anime vs the manga

10:54 A feminist story unafraid to show morally grey women in position of power

12:12 A rare approach of being a story-driven chronicle of history rather than character-driven narrative

17:40 Ooku: The Inner Chambers breaks ‘The Chrysanthemum Taboo’

20:47 Spoiler discussion begins

21:04 Did fiction and real history ever blur together at some point?

25:06 Eighth Shogun: Yoshimune - the most important ruler in the series, her daughters, and Hisamichi

30:06 Third Shogun: Iemitsu - a tragic story with Arikoto, and Lady Kasuga as the True Conservative

33:06 Fifth Shogun: Tsunayoshi - the unpopular, extravagant child of Gyokuei

35:58 Harusada, ASOIAF comparisons, other standout morally good characters

40:00 The Fourteenth Shogun: Iemochi - the kind inheritor of a failing dynasty, her relationship with Kazu

42:37 General overview of the course of the series; starting and ending with its best material

44:58 The series’ clever conceit is there to make observations about Japanese character and history

47:00 The ending - the ‘reveal’ that this could have been how history played out all along

50:47 What meaning are we supposed to take from men returning to power over women?

54:20 Samu’s Recommendation: JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure by Hirohiko Araki

55:42 Enzo’s Recommendation: Hyouge Mono by Yamada Yoshihiro

59:00 Overview and final scores

We’re back into recommendation mode, this time with Enzo’s pick: Yugami Doesn’t Have Any Friends by Jun Sakura. It’s a series that balances a lot of things: comedy, sports, romance, coming of age, rakugo, and more - but do we agree on how well it succeeds? Listen and find out.

Timestamps:

0:00 Introduction

4:32 Samu’s first impressions and expecting it to be set in college

6:50 Chihiro being a representative of a Japanese ideal vs Yugami standing out for the wrong reasons

10:53 Is Yugami coded as autistic or just meant to be the “nail that sticks out”?

16:16 Why did it never receive an anime - will it ever?

18:02 The balance of genres and topics: romance, baseball, rakugo

22:42 Spoiler discussion begins

22:59 A ‘romcom’ without a lot of romance - should there have been?

25:20 A series that speaks to introverts

28:44 Are we supposed to agree with Yugami’s perspective on life

30:33 Did Yugami soften as a character over time or did we just get used to him?

33:32 Yugami’s speech at the end - why it did/didn’t work for us

37:08 The epilogue scene with rakugo and how it ties to Yugami/Chihiro’s relationship

40:11 Speculating the reason why Sakura Jun never created another manga after this

44:07 Samu’s Recommendation: Sket Dance by Kenta Shinohara

46:29 Enzo’s Recommendation: My Little Monster by Robico

49:29 Overview and final scores

We’re once again sticking with the Weekly Shonen Jump, jumping to our favourite (and only) sports-drama-romcom title of the magazine, with Blue Box by Kouji Miura. An instant hit we’ve been following since the beginning and have plenty to discuss ahead of the upcoming anime adaptation.

Timestamps:

0:00 Introduction - continuing with Weekly Shonen Jump with Samu’s favourite

4:52 Kouji Miura’s previous works and how different they are to Blue Box

7:52 Does Blue Box feel like a Weekly Shonen Jump manga?

9:09 Comparisons with Mitsuru Adashi and the 50/50 sports/romance balance

12:56 Differences between the Blue Box one shot with the serialisation

14:44 Relationship dynamics in the series

17:38 Being a sports manga fan yet not loving sports

18:47 Anticipating the anime adaptation and the possible sales boost

23:21 Blue Box's contrast from Nisekoi and We Never Learn

24:12 Spoiler discussion begins

24:20 How the love triangle turned out - Samu’s optimism and Enzo’s pessimism

25:52 Will Enzo’s experience be different re-experiencing the story knowing how it plays out?

29:03 Do we care about ‘new’ love triangle that’s developing + our predictions

31:18 Taiki and Chinatsu’s relationship and the time it took

36:41 Predictions on how long the series will go on for

38:25 Enzo’s Recommendation: Baby Steps by Hikaru Katsuki

41:34 Samu’s Recommendation: 18.44- by Suika Momoko

43:00 Overview and final scores

We’re continuing with the Weekly Shonen Jump series, this time to Samu’s favourite currently running in the magazine: Akane-banashi, the rakugo drama that’s been an unexpected hit since it’s debut.

Timestamps:

0:00 Introduction - continuing with Weekly Shonen Jump with Samu’s favourite

2:42 A success story during an era of performing arts series in Weekly Shonen Jump

5:29 Enzo’s impression: more like a sports series, rakugo, comparison to PPPPPP

9:50 Neither sport or battle series but embraces elements of both, similar to Food Wars!

10:44 The prologue first chapter and Shinta’s character

13:58 The Great Akane debate - an insert Mary Sue or a compelling main character?

22:50 The significance of a female main character for this story

27:19 Comparisons to Chihaya in Chihayafuru

30:00 The transportive rakugo world, battle shonen tropes and ‘nin’ battle system

32:33 Issho Arakawa - demystifying the villain as we understand him more

33:43 Could an anime adaptation surpass the manga?

38:33 Spoiler discussion begins

38:48 Akane and her father’s development so far

43:38 Anticipating the anime adaptation of Akane and Issho’s confrontation

44:58 Samu’s Recommendation: Act Age by Tatsuya Matsuki, Shiro Usazaki

49:04 Enzo’s Recommendation: Kabukibu by Eda Yuuri

51:18 Overview and final scores