Wow, it’s been a while since we released a Manga Minis column! Let’s change that, especially since it’s back to school season for a lot of students. Wouldn’t you rather read some cool manga titles rather than a boring old textbook? (I know I would!) Check out our debut reviews for The Amazing Digital Circus, Taika’s Reason, and even a book review plus an advance manga spotlight!
The Amazing Digital Circus Volume 1 (VIZ Media)
Now that The Amazing Digital Circus has wrapped up back in June, it’s time to see what else Glitch…
Oh, what’s that? We have a manga for the series now?
VIZ Media is currently releasing a manga adaptation of the hit indie animation webseries, and we’re finally getting it stateside!
In The Amazing Digital Circus, Pomni is the newest player in this world, summoned by the ringmaster Caine. With no way to get back to the real world, she will have to try and survive with the other characters in the circus: Jax, Ragatha, Zooble, Gangle, and Kinger. (And there’s Kaufmo, but I wonder where he went…) Will Pomni be able to return to her old life if she can’t even remember her name?
For some reason, I’m getting a different vibe from the manga compared to the original cartoon. For a manga that runs in a kids’ magazine, this title really veers into the existential horror theming that’s prevalent in later episodes of the show. That’s not to say it’s a bad thing, but unfortunately, it’s a bit of a jarring change of pace for me. While the original episodes could be criticized for having a breakneck pace throughout the run, this manga feels a bit slower in comparison.
The first volume covers the entire pilot episode, which unfortunately means we’re getting a lot more pages for a thirty minute installment of the webseries. There’s a lot of padding when it comes to Pomni’s journey throughout the circus as she acclimates herself. It doesn’t help that the pilot is the most inconsistent in terms of establishing series lore, so the experience gets a little messy. I’m hopeful that later releases will make the arc lengths just a little bit shorter. All in all, this is a nice adaptation of the series, but its pacing holds it back from being an exceptional one.
Rating: 3 out of 5 UwUs
Exit 8 (Flatiron Books)
Speaking of adaptations, we’ve got a novelization of one of my favorite movies of the year. The book form of Exit 8 is oddly enough an adaptation of an adaptation, but with the same writer running the show. Will Genki Kamakura’s vision of this liminal horror game-turned-film-turned book be good the second time around?
If you haven’t already read my review of Exit 8, the story revolves around The Lost Man as he inadvertently finds himself in a liminal subway with the objective to find anomalies to traverse eight exits. If he finds something amiss, he needs to turn around; otherwise, he’s free to advance to the next one. The adaptations do add more characters to the cast, notably a child as the supporting cast member accompanying The Lost Man.
What’s interesting about this novel adaptation is how the first-person perspective adds to the experience. It recontextualizes a lot of the scenes from the film and adds to the general mystery of the work. We get to see the thoughts of the characters, specifically The Lost Man and The Smiling Man (who gets a brief spotlight in the middle of the novel).
I appreciate how much this adds to the overall experience, since it helps that we get the inner thoughts of the characters we’re exploring. It also contributes to the brisk pace of the book, which is short and sweet. Honestly, I felt if it was any longer then it would have detracted from the story. There is a minor quibble with this, as it reframes the ending into something more ominous compared to the film, but for the most part it works well.
While it’s best to watch the film before reading this novel, I think Exit 8 works nicely as a video game adaptation in film and book form.
Rating: 4 out of 5 UwUs
Taika’s Reason Volume 1 (VIZ Media)
Paru Itagaki is getting her time in the spotlight here in the west. Most of her works now have English releases, and Sanda even got an anime adaptation last year. With that said, VIZ Media recently released Itagaki’s newest manga serialization, Taika’s Reason.
The story begins with slightly snobby high schooler Ao going through the motions with her family. She loves her father and her pitbull Taika; unfortunately, the latter’s fate is sealed after Ao finds Taika bloody at home, seemingly murdering her father. Surprised and concerned that this means Taika will be euthanized, Ao decides to hide the body and not tell anyone about it.
However, in this world, animals can undergo a humanization process. They become beastmen and women that live in society among other humans. Ao’s mother decides to humanize Taika, so now Ao and Taika are in the same school. Unfortunately, Taika isn’t too keen on suppressing his canine instincts, which is a problem when one of those instincts is to confess to the supposed murder of Ao’s father. It’s up to the two of them to find out what actually happened on that day, all the while evading the attention of Tsunayoshi Seki, a humanized German Shepherd, and Tatsunari, his owner and son of a police chief.
Immediately, Taika’s Reason hooks you into an enthralling premise that doesn’t let go. Much like Beastars, there’s an overarching mystery that haunts the work from the first chapter. While the rest of the volume has a more lighthearted tone, the fact that both protagonists are trying to avoid anyone finding out about what happened to Ao’s father while also trying to piece together Taika’s reason for being in that state is something that wrestles with readers throughout.
The art style can be a bit jarring, as it mixes Beastars designs with human designs from something like Sanda, but by the end of the volume it works. I can see Itagaki’s storytelling shine here, and it’s an excellent beginning.
If you’re into either mysteries, furries, or both, Taika’s Reason should be your next read!
Rating: 4 out of 5 UwUs
Jagaaan Volume 1 (Kana)
Finally, we have an early review with a new series release from Kana! From the mangaka of Blue Lock comes the action-packed (if horrifying) Jagaaan, which mixes body horror with an unhinged protagonist that needs to figure out the heroic life as the world around him turns upside down.
Small-time cop Shintaro Jagasaki has a simple, uneventful life. While he wishes to become a hero and shoot dissidents, he keeps his power fantasies to himself. One day, alien frogs rain down from the sky and infect everyone around them, transforming them into permanently fractured humans. A Mad Xenopus incidentally infects Shintaro, but as it’s a mere tadpole, he has a way out: If he can kill all the creatures alongside any infected humans, he may be able to restore himself back to normal. However, christened as the monster-hero Jagaaan, does Shintaro really want to go back to his ordinary life?
What I appreciate about the story is that Shintaro is immediately established as a person we might not want to root for. He’s unstable even before everything hits the fan, and his newfound power to shoot bloody bullets at mutated humans makes him someone to fear. While he wishes to be heroic, his ambiguous nature mixed with an absurd situation causes a narrative that pits Shintaro with his primal desires. I hope his heroic traits can overpower his homicidal ones, otherwise it might get a bit grisly.
Make no mistake, Jagaaan wears its inspirations on its sleeve. The instant I started reading it, I had a ton of Gantz and Parasyte vibes (of which the manga references the latter). However, the story still takes some exhilarating turns with the action; this is the mangaka who made Blue Lock, after all. The action scenes are amazing, and the gore is a nice touch; this is the mangaka who made As the Gods Will, after all. Sure, it’s derivative with the premise, but it does it so well.
If you’re looking for a new horror-action manga to sink your teeth into, you NEED to check out Jagaaan.
Rating: 4 out of 5 UwUs
Stay tuned for more manga minis here on Miso!
