In the year 2080, Christmas a thing of the past: declining birthrates have meant fewer children, changes in climate have distorted the seasons and the disappearance of Santa has relegated 'The Most Wonderful Time of the Year' to an ancient tradition. But on December 25th, the conditions have been met to break the curse robbing the world of old Saint Nick, with the death of Kazushige Sanda revives Santa for a new era! Can this descendant of Santa help Fuyumura find their missing classmate Ichi...
In a world where everyone has a 'quirk' the gives them super human abilities, a young boy called Izuku Midoriya who is born without one may have to give up on his dreams of becoming a super hero. That is until one day after trying to rescue a classmate, he is given the opportunity of a lifetime by the world's Number 1 Hero, All Might: Will Midoriya accept his quirk, a mysterious ability called 'One for All' and with it, the mantle of hero? This week Mat's joined once again by Tom to discuss t...
Sometimes all it takes is a kiss to send you spiralling. Years after putting an unrequited college love behind her, Sayuri Terazono is a working professional at a prestigious company. Her life is forever changed one day when that girl from college, Risa Nakayama, shows up at Sayuri's office as a new hire in her team! And all it takes is one bold move from Risa makes Sayuri question everything: becayse while a kiss can send you spiralling, it can also be the key to open your heart. This week, ...
Worn down by the daily grind of being a 40 something salary-man, Sasaki has found a cure to his working blues: the warm smile of Ms. Yamada at the local S Mart. However after arriving late one day after a grueling shift, he misses his chance to see Ms. Yamada, but somehow ends up behind called behind the super market for a smoke instead by 'Tayama' an employee he's never met before... or at least, so he thinks! This week Mat is joined once again by Georgie (aka mainly.manga) to discuss ...
At a loss after no longer being able to find delicious Guyabano juice in their local world food store, a plan is quickly hatched and travel booked. The location? The Philippines. The Goal? To hunt down, and devour, a Guyabano fruit. Guyabano Holiday, the titular story of Panpanya's story collection, is just one of the surreal and dreamlike short stories that await you, dear listener! This week, Mat is joined once again behind the brains behind Twistwood Tales, AC MacDonald, to discuss t...
They say that if you go to the third stall from the end of the girls' bathroom on the third floor of the old building... You'll find Hanako-kun! And after knocking three times on the door, maybe Nene wishes she hadn't! After finding herself bound to the spirit of one of the school's Seven Mysteries, Nene begins to assist Hanako-kun in his job as caretaker for the spirits of Kamome Academy! This week, Mat is joined by illustrator and designer Irene Chin to talk about Toilet Bound Hanako-...
After realising her dreams of art school aren't as close as she thought, a young Akiko Hayashi finds herself out in the sticks attending an unconventional art class, run by a bamboo sword wielding teacher who tells her she'll need to come to class everyday if she has any hope at succeeding. But Akiko realises that this seemingly brash teacher has a heart of gold, and just maybe, might be able to help her achieve her dream of becoming a Manga-ka! On this week's Manga Tak, Mat's joined once mor...
All of humanity's waste finds its way into The Pit... even those society deems unworthy of living on The Sphere. After being convicted of a murder he didn't commit, Rudo finds himself in a place where trash monsters roam and the other humans he finds have become ruthless in order to survive. Fortunately for Rudo, he soon meets Enjin, who offers him a chance at salvation and the answers he seeks: he just needs to join The Cleaners first! On this week's episode, Mat sits down once again with 7 ...
When high schooler Light Yagami discovers a mysterious “Death Note,” he dismisses it as a prank... That is until he writes a name inside and someone dies! With the death god Ryuk as his guide, Light embarks on a quest for global domination, earning the moniker “Kira” as bodies pile up. But with Interpol’s enigmatic detective “L” closing in, who will be the first to discover the other's true identity? On this episode of Manga Tak, Mat sit's down once again with Tom to discuss one of the bigges...
In a world where magic is everything, being born without it means death. Raised in secret by his father Regro, Mash Burnedead has trained his body to impossible limits to survive. After being discovered by the Bureau of Magic, Mash is given a deadly ultimatum: enrol in Easton Magical Academy and earn the title of ‘Divine Visionary’, the school’s highest honour, or he and his Father will be killed! How does a magic less boy complete in a world of wizards? Simple: BRUTE FORCE. On this week's ep...
In the picturesque resort town of Atami, a young woman named Wakana Kinme spends her days running Kinme Cleaning: a laundry service that prides itself on quality and caring for people's clothing. While Wakana clearly enjoys her work, the reason she views it so fondly is that it’s the only thing she can remember from her past. As she builds new memories with the residents of Atami, Wakana can't help wonder about the life she's forgotten. Is it a life worth remembering? Or are some myster...
30 years after the massacre of the Yan Opera troupe, a young woman, dressed in the stage clothes of a Peking opera performer, executes an man on a live stream and claims to be the ghost of Yan Tieh-hua: the only the survivor of the murders who died in an unknown research facility 10 years ago after being framed for her family’s killing. What follows is a tale of action and suspense, as Yan tries to find the reason for her family’s murder. She’s aided by Detective Lei, the cop who failed to pr...
38 years after World War 3 on the streets of Neo Tokyo, a biker gang led by the charismatic Shotaro Kaneda finds itself embroiled in the fate of the world after one of it’s members, Tetsuo Shima has his psychic powers awakened in an accident caused by a chance encounter with a physic child. To save his childhood friend, Kaneda must become more than a simple street punk and enters a world filled with revolutionaries, government cover-ups and the same psychic beings that started this chain of e...
When Dr. Slump burst onto the scene in February 1980, nobody expected that a tale about a mischievous robot girl named Arale and her hapless inventor 'father' would conquer Japan. Fewer still would have guessed that it's young creator, Akira Toriyama, would go on to conquer the world! On this special anniversary episode of Manga Tak, Mat and Tom dive into Toriyama's debut work, exploring his signature humor, the loveable collection of weirdos who inhabit Penguin Village, and why this manga st...
Living with the constant threat of werewolves, the villagers of Kasoka's only hope for survival is to send for a member of The Hunter's Guild... Only the one they got wasn't what they were expecting! When Grimm, a little girl in a red hood appears, Velou, the hamlet's young huntsman is assigned to help her track the wolf and save the town... But as they soon discover, the real threat isn't the wolves outside the gates, it's the one walking amongst them, wearing a human face! With the re...
When a grotesquely disfigured man emerges from the depths of a city manhole only to collapse and die on the crowded streets of Sasahara, veteran detective Ken Mizoguchi discovers that some nightmares are all too real. What begins as a bizarre crime scene transforms into a race against a biological apocalypse when the autopsy reveals a horrifying truth: the victim harboured a contagious parasite that robs humans of their desires. On this week's episode, Mat's joined once again by Tom Parry to ...
Save the child or save the mayor? A split-second decision in an operating room forever alters Dr. Kenzo Tenma's life, sending him spiralling into a nightmare beyond imagination. When the doctor chooses to follow his conscience rather than hospital politics, he unwittingly unleashes a chain of events that will haunt him for years to come. In this week's episode, Mat is joined by illustrator and comic book artist Zen K to go into the operating room to dissect Naoki Urasawa's Monster. Tog...
When an unassuming high schooler solves the mysterious Millennium Puzzle, he unleashes more than just ancient Egyptian magic—he becomes the vessel for a vengeful spirit with a fondness for deadly shadow games! Yet beneath the dark exterior, Yugi Mutou seeks not vengeance but connection, transforming his supernatural curse into a force for friendship. Step into the forgotten realm of Yu-Gi-Oh's origins with Mat and Marvin as they excavate the first volume of Kazuki Takahashi's groundbreaking ...
The last day of summer vacation is one you never want to end... that is until you find yourself stuck in a time loop repeating it over and over again! This is the fate that Takaya and Kana find themselves faced with, and when the only reason Takaya can come up with for the loop is his regret of not finding a girlfriend over the holidays, the two teens find themselves in an awkward situation! What begins as a seemingly shallow conceit quickly blooms into a heartfelt journey. "The Long Su...
In a boarding house full of eccentric tenants, is there room for love between a bumbling student and his grief stricken landlady? Well, if Yusaku Godai can't get out of his own way long enough to get into University, what chance does he have of ever winning the heart of the beautiful Kyoko Otonashi!? Often celebrated as Rumiko Takahashi's masterpiece, Maison Ikkoku trades the alien antics of Urusei Yatsura and martial arts mayhem of Ranma 1/2 for something more grounded—a slice-of-life romanc...