Mudai Manga and Book Club

We're back, again, with another set of small topics; Louie starts us off with a new guessing game, and Tom definitely . . . answers? Sometimes? Can you name the series from the side characters? Then, Tom leads a discussion of the shonen action battle genre, and the way we think that genre works and the different kinds of series that have pulled that together.
 
Follow us on Bluesky at The Mudai Manga and Book Club Podcast
 
Video Episodes Available on Youtube at Mudai Manga and Book Club
 
Email us at: MudaiMangaBookClub at Gmail.com
 
Main Theme: Sunrise by Meizong & Yeeflex
Music provided by Argofox:Meizong & Yeeflex - Sunriseyoutu.be/-GurRvqxg3I
Additional Music:
Phat Phrog Studio - Echo Nexus
Dark Fantasy Studio - Together
Ovani Sound - Business

In our never ending quest to bring you unique and original and unknown stories, we decide to go the complete opposite and talk about one of the biggest series of recent years and ever: Demon Slayer, specifically the first two arcs or the first 13 chapters (including all of volume 1 and part of volume 2). While Tom originally wasn't sold on the series, both our hosts now think of the series as an amazing shonen action series worth your time, full of adventure, gorgeous art, and an endearing but darker than normal tone. Meanwhile, Louie has his thoughts on the tenth volume of Frontier Lord Begins with Zero Subjects (the manga) and the second volume of Dungeon Builder: The Demon King's Labyrinth is a Modern City!, while Tom has thoughts about completely separate series Frontier Lord Begins with Zero Subjects volume 10 (the light novel) and the second to eleventh volume of Dungeon Builder: The Demon King's Labyrinth is a Modern City!
 
Follow us on Bluesky at The Mudai Manga and Book Club Podcast
 
Video Episodes Available on Youtube at Mudai Manga and Book Club
 
Email us at: MudaiMangaBookClub at Gmail.com
 
Main Theme: Sunrise by Meizong & Yeeflex
Music provided by Argofox:Meizong & Yeeflex - Sunriseyoutu.be/-GurRvqxg3I
Additional Music:
Phat Phrog Studio - Echo Nexus
Phat Phrog Studio - Cyber Chill
Dark Fantasy Studio - Together

Our small topic episode returns with two of our old segments; Tom returns to the hotseat with the Name That Isekai game, and it goes every which way you could expect. We also have the return of our list series, "7 Amazing Things" this time covering some of our favorite rivalries throughout the world of Japanese pop culture. In addition, between what we've read, Louie continues to complete the later novels in Mushoku Tensei while Tom revisits one of his old favorites, reads a little known series called Demon Slayer, and more, in this episode of the Mudai Manga Book Club podcast.
 
Follow us on Bluesky at The Mudai Manga and Book Club Podcast
 
Video Episodes Available on Youtube at Mudai Manga and Book Club
 
Email us at: MudaiMangaBookClub at Gmail.com
 
Main Theme: Sunrise by Meizong & Yeeflex
Music provided by Argofox:Meizong & Yeeflex - Sunriseyoutu.be/-GurRvqxg3I
Additional Music:
Phat Phrog Studio - Echo Nexus
Ovani Sound - Water
Phat Phrog Studio - Machines of the Night
Ovani Sound - Business

And so, born on opposite sides of the equinox, in a specific village in the mountains of Japan, Yuru and his sister Asa get to have one of the most powerful abilities: Isekai time travel . . . oh, wait, no, that's not what happens. This week, we cover the secretive world of Daemons of the Shadow Realm by Hiromu Arakawa in it's first two volumes. There will be battles. There will be danger. There will be a multi page mini story of Yuru showing he understands how to use a modern bathroom. 
In addition, Louie introduces us to two new series he's picked up in Dungeon Builder: The Demon King's Labyrinth is a Modern City! and A Cave King's Road to Paradise: Climbing to the Top With My Almighty Mining Skills, who's titles alone take up this entire sentence but are also actually interesting. Tom, meanwhile, made a small mistake and read the entire series of Campfire Cooking in Another World With My Absurd Skill (novels 4-15) in a week, which, while good, may have ruined his ability to have coherent thoughts. All this, and more, on this episode of the Mudai Manga & Book Club Podcast.
 
Follow us on Bluesky at The Mudai Manga and Book Club Podcast
 
Video Episodes Available on Youtube at Mudai Manga and Book Club
 
Email us at: MudaiMangaBookClub at Gmail.com
 
Main Theme: Sunrise by Meizong & Yeeflex
Music provided by Argofox:Meizong & Yeeflex - Sunriseyoutu.be/-GurRvqxg3I
Additional Music:
Phat Phrog Studio - Echo Nexus
Phat Phrog Studio - Resistance
Ovani Sound - Umbrella Walk
 

No, really, lock in, bro. (Unfortunately the part of the recording where we made this joke for five straight minutes got lost). Renata joins us again for another episode, and we take a wide angled view at the beginning of Kagurabachi, the story of a son wanting revenge on his father's murderers in Japan, but using a katana. How original. But also fun! Renata also talks through a couple of her other favorite reads from recent memory, including Marriage Toxin and The Summer Hikaru Died.
 
Also, apologies, there was a serious audio issue with a large portion of the episode, so that part of the recording was lost and the conversation ends somewhat in the middle of things.
 
Follow us on Bluesky at The Mudai Manga and Book Club Podcast
 
Video Episodes Available on Youtube at Mudai Manga and Book Club
 
Email us at: MudaiMangaBookClub at Gmail.com
 
Main Theme: Sunrise by Meizong & Yeeflex
Music provided by Argofox:Meizong & Yeeflex - Sunriseyoutu.be/-GurRvqxg3I
Additional Music:
Phat Phrog Studio - Echo Nexus
Ovani Sound - Lofi Water
Phat Phrog Studio - Machines of the Night

Let's be fair, if you were reincarnated as an infant with perfect memory of your previous life, your first few years would be equally awkward as they are for Rudeus; I believe there's a reason we don't have consistent memories until we are two or three years old as humans. But that's besides the point as today we talk about the first volume of Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation (the light novel), one of the early examples of the isekai genre. Beyond that, Louie also goes over his thoughts on the first volume of the Clockwork Planet manga, and Tom gets to figure out how to talk about the newest Mission: Yozakura Family without spoiling the action spy in the midst of one of it's biggest reveals so far. All that and more on this episode of the Mudai Manga and Book Club Podcast!
 
Follow us on Bluesky at The Mudai Manga and Book Club Podcast
 
Video Episodes Available on Youtube at Mudai Manga and Book Club
 
Email us at: MudaiMangaBookClub at Gmail.com
 
Main Theme: Sunrise by Meizong & Yeeflex
Music provided by Argofox:Meizong & Yeeflex - Sunriseyoutu.be/-GurRvqxg3I
Additional Music:
Phat Phrog Studio - Echo Nexus
Phat Phrog Studio - Resistance
Ovani Sound - Rythmic Vol 3: Business

Life is not a straight line, and today we look at a lighter take on that with My Daughter Left the Nest and Returned an S Rank Adventurer by MOJIKAKIYA, volumes 1 of the light novels or volumes 1 and 2 of the manga. Having read both between us, though, we do get pretty far into the weeds on the differences between the two versions, and cover the range of normal seeming weirdos that inhabit the adventurers guild and the small village of Orphen. (Don't take this description too seriously, we make dumb jokes too).
In our what we read, we also cover a whole, massive range of stories, such as more silly-seriousness with the Elden Ring manga and another few quick summaries of the Mushoku Tensei novels from Louie and a whole smattering of things from Tom such as Soara and the House of Monsters, Survival in Another World with my Mistress manga because reading the whole story once wasn't enough apparently, the insane hilarity that is Life With An Ordinary Guy Reincarnated as a Total Fantasy Knockout volume 7, and even (gasp) something not Japanese with James Baldwin's The Fire Next Time which Tom is eminently unqualified to speak on but muddles though the best he can because it is so good. All that and more in this episode of the Mudai Manga and Book Club Podcast!
 
Follow us on Bluesky at The Mudai Manga and Book Club Podcast
 
Video Episodes Available on Youtube at Mudai Manga and Book Club
 
Email us at: MudaiMangaBookClub at Gmail.com
 
Main Theme: Sunrise by Meizong & Yeeflex
Music provided by Argofox:Meizong & Yeeflex - Sunriseyoutu.be/-GurRvqxg3I
Additional Music:
Phat Phrog Studios - Echo Nexus
Dark Fantasy Studio - Together
Ovani Sound - Lo-Fi - Water

What does exceptional magic, exceptional art, and the technical definition of "the brim of a hat" all have in common? This week's episode, where we take a look at the opening arcs of Witch Hat Atelier (chapters 1-7, or volumes 1 and the first chapters of volume 2) by Kamome Shirahama. To go with it, we have an exceptionally large collection of things we've read this week too, including Tom working through the entire light novel series of Survival in Another World With My Mistress and DanDaDan volume 14, while Louie finally gets into Don't Toy With Me Miss Nagatoro and completes another six novels of Mushoku Tensei, along with many others. 
 
Follow us on Bluesky at The Mudai Manga and Book Club Podcast
 
Video Episodes Available on Youtube at Mudai Manga and Book Club
 
Email us at: MudaiMangaBookClub at Gmail.com
 
Main Theme: Sunrise by Meizong & Yeeflex
Music provided by Argofox:Meizong & Yeeflex - Sunriseyoutu.be/-GurRvqxg3I
Additional Music:
Phat Phrog Studio - Echo Nexus
Phat Phrog Studio - Resistance
Dark Fantasy Studio - Together

Time to close the case as we return to the aquatic police comedy drama for the second half of Hard Boiled Cop and Dolphin by Ryuhei Tamura (specifically, the second half of volume 3, along with volumes 4 and 5). And this time, we get to the bottom of the mysterious sea cult, the history of Orpheus, the mysterious captain behind Japanese Police Force's Section 7, Chako's mysterious powers, the dolphin trainer with the new, mysterious leg, and about 37 other things in this jam packed second half. Besides that, we spend, well, a lot, because we read a lot and there's a lot to talk about: Tom finished all of Coppellion (all 26 volumes) and the middle third of Issak (6-13), while Louie bounced through a whole bunch of series, from the newest volume of Dai Dark (#8) to Soara and the House of Monsters (volume 1) to The Invincible Shovel (volume 1 as well). It's a massive episode this week, so grab your scuba gear and dive in.
 
Follow us on Bluesky at The Mudai Manga and Book Club Podcast
 
Video Episodes Available on Youtube at Mudai Manga and Book Club
 
Email us at: MudaiMangaBookClub at Gmail.com
 
Main Theme: Sunrise by Meizong & Yeeflex
Music provided by Argofox:Meizong & Yeeflex - Sunriseyoutu.be/-GurRvqxg3I
Additional Music:
Phat Phrog Studio -  Resistance
Phat Phrog Studio - Echo Nexus
Phat Phrog Studio - Machines of the Night
 
 
 
Note: a small section of The Who's "Won't Get Fooled Again" is used during this episode as a joke, and is being used here under the guidelines of fair use, as it pertains to the song's original use in the US crime drama CSI Miami.
 

Congratulations! You were sold at a black market auction for 5 million British Pounds to a being who has a poor understanding of humanity and has a dog skull for a head with large horns coming out of each side. . . . Look, I realize part of this is to make a funny joke and break the ice for the series we're about to talk about but that actually is a massive positive for main character Chise Hatori in the Ancient Magus' Bride, chapters 1-7 (or volume one and about half of volume two). Tom also takes some time to run down the entire second half of All Rounder Meguru, both talk about the fun of the recent Otr and the Flame chapters, and Louie gets into Battle Angel Alita and it's big-eyed Hollywood movie.
Follow us on Bluesky at The Mudai Manga and Book Club Podcast
 
Video Episodes Available on Youtube at Mudai Manga and Book Club
 
Email us at: MudaiMangaBookClub at Gmail.com
 
Main Theme: Sunrise by Meizong & Yeeflex
Music provided by Argofox:Meizong & Yeeflex - Sunriseyoutu.be/-GurRvqxg3I
Additional Music:
Phat Phrog Studio -  Machines of the Night
Phat Phrog Studio - Cyber Chill
Phat Phrog Studio - Echo Nexus