Born a slave, young Sitara has learned that anything that could improve her life also improves her potential value: not in terms of self worth, but the price her owners can own. So when given the chance at an education, she rebels and plays dumb... until the words of a boy called Muhammad change her mind: an education wouldn't be a cause of suffering, but potentially her salvation.

Sitara grows older and wiser under the care of her new owners and is even treated as family. But life is cruel. The city of Tus is sacked by The Mongols, everyone she knows is slain and Sitara is forced to march from Persia to The Great Steppe. TThe journey is harrowing but on the trip she sees both her chance for advancement and revenge. Maybe Muhammad is wrong: maybe an education can be both a blessing and a curse...

On this week's episode, Mat is joined by Ramzee to talk about A Witch's Life in Mongol by Tomato Soup! Join us as we travel back in time to 13th century Persia with this historical fantasy! Did it's setting and characters work for us? Did it's message of the value of an education land and more importantly, did it make us want to read on?

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Show Notes

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The Delicious Adventures of Dampier By Tomato Soup

Disloyal Retainer Smbat By Tomato Soup

Orb: On The Movements of the Earth by Uoto

A Bride's Story by Kaoru Mori

RG Veda by CLAMP

Buddha by Osamu Tezuka

Vinland Saga by Makoto Yukimura

Thanks to Juliano Zucareli for our theme music!

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Tanzaburo Tojima has devoted his life to one goal: becoming Kamen Rider. Sure, he knows that becoming a Tokusatsu hero is unlikely considering it's a TV show, but he's spent his life training just in case! However when he turns 40, he finally decides maybe his dream isn't going to work out....

That is until others inspired by the show begin trying to hold up convenience stores in the name of Kamen Rider's villainous organisation, Shocker, and other like minded people like Yuriko Shibata appear to save the day too! Maybe this dream's not so strange after all!

On this week's episode, Mat is joined by Grimsabr to discuss Tojima Wants To Be A Kamen Rider by Yokusaru Shibata! Join us as we discuss how the book provided a safe onramp for us as Tokusatsu-curious readers, how the comedy landed a one-two punch with the action, and how it's unique art style works to amplify the laughs!

Thanks again to Titan Manga for providing advanced reading copies of the book!

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Show Notes

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A link to the Kamen Rider history video mentioned in the episode by ACRIMONY Toku

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Air Master by Yokusaru Shibata

81 Diver by Yokusaru Shibata

Go! Go! Loser Ranger! by Negi Haruba

CITY by Keiichi Arawi

Mob Psycho 100 by ONE

The Climber by Shin'ichi Sakamoto

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Thanks to Juliano Zucareli for our theme music!

Find us on:
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After years of playing trash games, Rakuro Hizutome finds himself switching gears to play Shangri-la Frontier: a massively popular, full dive VR game that is anything but trash! Naming his character Sunraku and starting out with a duel wielding swordsman with a bird mask, Rakuro soon learns to love the game... It isn't until a chance encounter leads him to cross paths with a unique monster, Lycagon, that he sees the game's true potential and vows to become one of SLF's greatest players!

On this week's episode, Mat is joined once again by tattoo artist Bar to discuss Shangri-la Frontier by Katarine and Ryosuke Fuji. Join us as we get into what we think this mmo-based-manga gets right on the gaming side of things, before broaching more weighty topics like what it's fair to expect of a shonen manga and how sometimes you find meaning in completely unexpected places!

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Show Notes

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Jujutsu Kaisen by Gege Akatami

One Piece by Eiichiro Oda

Mashle by Hajime Kōmoto

The King's Avatar by Hu Dielan

Overlord by Kugane Maruyama and So-bin

Log Horizon by Mamare Touno and Kazuhiro Hara

Sword Art Online by Reki Kawahara

Solo Leveling by Chugong and DuBu

Haikyu!! by Haruichi Furudate

Kuroko's Basketball by Tadatoshi Fujimaki

Dr. Stone by Riichiro Inagaki and Boichi

Blue Lock by Muneyuki Kaneshiro and Yusuke Nomura

My Hero Academia by Kōhei Horikoshi

Naruto by Masashi Kishimoto

Dragon Ball by Akira Toriyama

Bleach by Tite Kubo

Thanks to Juliano Zucareli for our theme music!

Find us on:
X: Manga Tak Pod
Bluesky: Manga Tak Pod
Instagram: Manga Tak Pod