books – Morning, Roo

Manga Musings: Alice in Borderland with Malice Aforethought

Sometimes I read a manga which I’d love to share a thing or two about, but just not enough to fill an entire article. My solution is this: Manga Musings — a consolidation of some of my recent reads into a more casually reflective write-up. Recently I’ve completed Haro Aso’s 18-volume survival thriller Alice inContinueContinue reading “Manga Musings: Alice in Borderland with Malice Aforethought”

Manga Hidden Gems: Holiday Yasumi

Advances in digital technology have made manga more assessible than ever, with online platforms able to accommodate a tremendous catalogue of work, which is now largely available to a global audience. With the industry booming, looking for something new to read or a fresh author to discover can be overwhelming in its variety, but theContinueContinue reading “Manga Hidden Gems: Holiday Yasumi”

Manga Review: The Knight and the Corpse

A few months ago, the Shueisha-run platform MANGA Plus announced it would begin simulpublishing new oneshots in English as well as Japanese, focusing primarily on their Jump Plus catalogue, which has become renowned for its abundant library of short manga. For English-speaking manga fans, this opens the door to a fabulous variety of otherwise undiscoveredContinueContinue reading “Manga Review: The Knight and the Corpse”

Manga Review: Hotel

PART 52 of 52 ONESHOTS in 52 WEEKSボウイチの『ホテル』 “Hotel” by Boichi It seemed fitting that, for the final entry of 52 Oneshots in 52 Weeks, I revisit Hotel, one of the first short manga I ever read. The sci-fi odyssey by South Korean author Boichi was published in Weekly Morning in 2006, and serves asContinueContinue reading “Manga Review: Hotel”

Manga Review: The Crows, the Girl and the Yakuza

PART 51 of 52 ONESHOTS in 52 WEEKS遠藤浩輝の『カラスと少女とヤクザ』 “Karasu to Shoujo to Yakuza” by ENDO Hiroki Hiroki Endo is an author renowned for his catalogue of seinen manga, who quickly established himself as an interesting new talent in 1995, with successive winners of the Afternoon Four Season’s Award. The author’s early works, which typically navigateContinueContinue reading “Manga Review: The Crows, the Girl and the Yakuza”

Manga Review: Tokidoki

PART 50 of 52 ONESHOTS in 52 WEEKS古味直志の『刻どキ』 “Tokidoki” by KOMI Naoshi Naoshi Komi is best known for the manga series Nisekoi, which was published in Weekly Shounen Jump from 2011 to 2016. The manga, which spanned over 200 chapters, was first devised as a oneshot, with the author frequently using the short form toContinueContinue reading “Manga Review: Tokidoki”

Manga Review: Where On When

PART 49 of 52 ONESHOTS in 52 WEEKS水菰厚司の『Where On When』 “Where On When” by MIKOMO Koji Since its inception in 1986, Kodansha’s Afternoon magazine has been host to a newcomer manga contest titled the Afternoon Four Seasons Award. Given out four times a year, entrants vie for the Grand Prize, Special Jury Award, and FourContinueContinue reading “Manga Review: Where On When”

Manga Review: New World

PART 48 of 52 ONESHOTS in 52 WEEKSパンパンヤの『新しい世界』 “New World” by panpanya Japan has an exciting industry of self-published manga, which are typically known as doujinshi. These amateur works are compiled into self-made magazines and anthologies, either by individuals or groups collectively known as publishing circles, who exhibit and sell their print work at specialistContinueContinue reading “Manga Review: New World”

Manga Review: Aru Asa Okitara

PART 47 of 52 ONESHOTS in 52 WEEKS河田悠冶×西尾維新の『ある朝起きたら』 “Aru Asa Okitara” by KAWADA Yuuya & NISIOISIN Nisio Isin is the writer behind the famous Monogatari light novel series, which follows high school student Koyomi Araragi and his experiences with several girls afflicted by supernatural phenomena. Beloved for their witty dialogue and colourful characters, the imaginativeContinueContinue reading “Manga Review: Aru Asa Okitara”

Manga Review: Revenge Doll

PART 46 of 52 ONESHOTS in 52 WEEKS高橋留美子の『リベンジドール』 “Revenge Doll” by TAKAHASHI Rumiko Rumiko Takahashi is one of the most successful and prolific manga authors of all-time, known for series such as Urusei Yatsura, Maison Ikkoku, Ranma ½ and Inuyasha. Although her major works are individually distinct, they often share a similar aesthetic, characterised byContinueContinue reading “Manga Review: Revenge Doll”