Time Paradox Ghostwriter is a new manga series from author Kenji Ichima and artist Tsunehiro Date that began this week in Shonen Jump. The premise is super simple: A young mangaka’s microwave pumps out copies of Weekly Shonen Jump from 10 years in the future. Wait. Let me take a step back. The first chapter… Read More Manga First Impression: Time Paradox Ghostwriter
It was 2004. I was a senior in undergrad living in an off-campus apartment. My bedroom was on the first floor and that was where I did my gaming. I adored my Gamecube and had recently obtained a game where you play a character who lives in a lively little town filled with anthropomorphic animals… Read More Newman’s Nook: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Animal Crossing
Novel coronavirus is changing the way most of us are living out lives. Through the pandemic, we find ourselves separated from each other. Schools, businesses, universities, and churches are closing doors until further notice. This makes for incredibly challenging times as we are all alone together. Over a month ago. I started writing a piece… Read More Newman’s Nook: Pandemic Loneliness
Jun Kirarazaka’s new manga, Bone Collection, is set in a world where yokai are always on the prowl and often attacking humans. Into this world steps Kazami, a teenager from a long line of powerful exorcists, including his brother and father, and who has been training to fight yokai. The problem? He’s terrible at it.… Read More Manga First Impression: Bone Collection
Somali and the Forest Spirit is a series that aired in the winter 2020 season about a golem father and their human daughter. A golem is an artificially created living creature that, in this universe, protects the forest. The nameless one found a human child, Somali, in shackles lost in the woods. After finding Somali,… Read More Newman’s Nook: Somali and the Imperfect Dad
Moriking is a new manga series from Shonen Jump by Tomohiro Hasegawa. The first chapter introduces elementary school student Shota Aikawa and his high school-aged sister sister, Shoko. In the first few pages, Shoko joins her brother to watch as his pet beetle Moriking begins to emerge from its pupal form. Instead of a normal… Read More Manga First Impression: Moriking
Claymore was a manga (and later anime) series set in a medieval fantasy world filled with monsters called Yoma. To combat the monstrous Yoma, an unnamed organization establishes a warrior program. These warriors, colloquially called claymores (matching the massive swords they wield), go where needed to kill Yoma. The claymore warriors are all female. Through… Read More Newman’s Nook: Living Tools
Two Similar, but Dissimilar Men Barrage was a short lived manga series from 2012 written and illustrated by Kōhei Horikoshi. The story is set in a futuristic, yet feudal world, and the first chapter introduces us to two different men of identical appearance. The first man is the titular Barrage, prince of the land and… Read More Newman’s Nook: Astro’s Family
Review Death Note is a complex series that has been written about…a few times here. For those who know nothing of the series, here’s brief summary: Shinigami or “gods of death” have journals called death notes. When a person’s name is written in the book, they die. There are more rules than that about the… Read More Manga Review: Death Note (2020 One-Shot)
Guardian of the Witch is a new Shonen Jump series from Asashi Sakano, who was previously an assistant on Black Clover and published a few other short manga stories. This series features a new fantasy setting from Sakano. Guardian of the Witch is set in a world where evil creatures surround walled city-states, each protected… Read More First Impression: Guardian of the Witch (Manga)