Episodes & Show Notes, Mangasplaining

Upcoming Manga Reads

February 3, 2021May 4, 2021 Mangasplaining6 Comments

Want to read great manga along with us? Here’s what we’ll be reading:

Ep. 12: Oishinbo, by Tetsu Kariya and Akira Hanasaki. Published by VIZ Media. (Available Now!)
Ep. 13: Beastars, Vol 1, by Paru Itagaki. Published by VIZ Media. (May 11)
Ep. 14: Paradise Kiss 20th Anniversary Edition, by Ai Yazawa. Published by Vertical Inc. (May 18)
Ep. 15: Naruto Vol 1, by Masashi Kishimoto. Published by VIZ Media. (May 25)
Ep. 16: The Strange Tale of Panorama Island, by Suehiro Maruo. Published by Last Gap. (June 1)
Ep. 17: Even Though We’re Adults Vol 1, by Takako Shimura. Published by Seven Seas. (June 8)
Ep. 18: Monthly Girls Nozaki-Kun Vol 1, by Izumi Tsubaki. Published by Yen Press. (June 15)
Ep. 19: Yona of the Dawn Vol 1, by Mizuho Kusanagi. Published by VIZ Media. (June 22)

Find these books at your local comic/manga specialty shop or independent bookstore or maybe even your local library!

Ep. 13: Beastars Vol 1-3

May 11, 2021May 14, 2021 MangasplainingLeave a comment

The hit anime series BEASTARS sprung from the pages of this manga, and the similarities and differences are substantial! The Mangasplaining team are divided on this unique manga, but will reading multiple volumes change our perspective… OR YOURS?

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Ep. 12: Oishinbo

May 4, 2021May 4, 2021 Mangasplaining9 Comments

Three months in and Chip Zdarsky is starting to ask the big questions! What is a Japanese novel? What even is manga, anyway? Luckily we balance out the serious stuff with a big helping of delicious food chatter as we discuss the king of all food manga, Oishinbo! Then we work off those calories with a deep dive into sports manga, too! Grab a snack and settle in to this feast of an episode.

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Ep. 11: Fullmetal Alchemist Vol 1

April 27, 2021April 27, 2021 Mangasplaining7 Comments

The international smash-sensation, Hiromu Arakawa’s FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST, is the subject this week on Mangasplaining! How can a universally beloved series be anything but universally beloved? Well you’re about to find out…

Fullmetal Alchemist: Fullmetal Edition Volume 1 (We read the softcover though, I just liked this image better.)

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Ep. 10: TekkonKinkreet Black & White

April 20, 2021April 20, 2021 Mangasplaining5 Comments

Perhaps our most anticipated episode, TekkonKinkreet is a manga that’s had a powerful effect on many readers and comic creators, including this week’s host Christopher. Will Chip Zdarsky like the book? Will him disliking it form a rift that tears the podcast asunder? Probably not, but Deb, David, Christopher and Chip dig into this very widely-loved manga, with some interesting behind-the-scenes stories!

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Ep. 9: 7 Billion Needles Volumes 1-4

April 13, 2021April 16, 2021 Mangasplaining4 Comments

Lots of firsts this episode, as the Mangasplaing gang read their first complete series, their first digtal-only series, and we get the first hints that manga just might be breaking poor Chip’s brain! It’s all here in this discussion of the sci-fi epic 7 Billion Needles!

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Ep. 8: Way of the Househusband Vol 1

April 6, 2021April 16, 2021 Mangasplaining1 Comment

Sure, the anime adaptation of the absolutely hilarious Yakuza-comedy Way of the Househusband makes its anime debut on Netflix later this week, but wouldn’t you like to be like us? The people who read the manga first, so you can also say that you were into it BEFORE it was popular? Well when it’s this funny and well done, chances are… you do! The most surprising episode of Mangasplaining yet!

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Way of the Househusband Volume 1, by Kousuke Oono, published by VIZ Media.

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Ep 7: Yotsuba& Vol 1

March 30, 2021April 16, 2021 Mangasplaining11 Comments

It’s the adorable green-haired (maybe) moppet that everyone adores–Yotsuba! But is there a dark undercurrent to this manga that Chip and the gang will discover…? No, no there is not, thankfully, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t similar books out there to avoid. Give this a close listen, learn to love Yotsuba through this review of Yotsuba Vol 1, and enjoy our two (2!) new manga segments!

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Ep. 6: Wave, Listen to Me!

March 24, 2021April 16, 2021 Mangasplaining4 Comments

What if your bar-stool complaining about your love life made it to air, and became a hit radio show? Wouldn’t that make for a great manga? Find out what the gang thinks of Wave, Listen To Me! this episode!

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Ep. 5: What The Font?!

March 16, 2021April 16, 2021 Mangasplaining6 Comments

What if fonts (typefaces?) were cute manga characters who told you all about themselves? Well then you’d have What The Font?!, by Kuniichi Ashiya and published by Seven Seas! What will graphic designer Chip Zdarsky think of this manga that’s stepping to his turf? Listen on to find out…

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Episode 4: Helter Skelter

March 9, 2021March 9, 2021 Mangasplaining4 Comments

Look Out! It’s our first Josei manga title with Helter Skelter by Kyoko Okazaki, published by Vertical Inc./Kodansha.

A few notes before starting this episode!

CW: Sexual assault, suicide. This is a pretty intense, crazy, adult manga. Because of that, this will be the first episode marked explicit/adult. Sorry kiddos, I’m sure there’s a manga podcast out there for you too.

This title no longer appears on the Kodansha website, but does appear on Kodansha’s U.S. Distributor site (linked above). This may indicate that the book is out of print (or going out of print) with few copies remaining. If you’d like a print copy of this book, or even digital, you might want to grab it a.s.a.p.

We deeply ‘spoil’ this book in discussing it in a way that we don’t always with these episodes, so please know that going in.

A personal note from Christopher: Sorry for talking So Much this episode. I’ll shut up and let my amazing co-hosts Deb, David, and Chip talk more in future episodes.

Thanks for listening!

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