This time it’s Samu’s recommendation for Enzo - and it’s another josei manga! Double by Ayako Noda is a psychologically twisted acting series about the complicated relationship of two men in the industry, one a natural talent and the other a hard worker, with differing levels of success and the drama that unfolds from the power each has over the other. Timestamps: 0:00 Introduction - a josei acting manga with a complicated relationship at the core 3:52 Is Takara and Yuujin’s relationship...

We’re discussing a series we both read over a decade ago and have revisited for this discussion: Goodnight Punpun by Inio Asano - a manga we both love, but have our feelings on this ultra-depressing tale changed or waned years later? Listen to find out. Timestamps: 0:00 Introduction - getting ready for depression 3:59 Our general feelings about Goodnight Punpun, apprehensive to re-experiencing the series 10:09 Does Punpun’s story resonate with men in particular? 14:05 Does it ever it...

Hunter x Hunter is back! Let’s talk Hunter x Hunter! We kicked off with the Hunter Exam arc when we began this podcast and there’s no better time than to ride the wave than continue our task of covering the series arc-by-arc, this time continuing with the Zoldyck Family mini-arc as well as what Enzo describes as the most “shonen” arc of the entire series: Heavens Arena. Timestamps: 0:00 Introduction - breaking our coverage by arc 1:24 Zoldyck Family arc - our thoughts on the short...

We’re continuing with recommendation mode, this time with Samu’s pick of an all-time favorite: Ooku: The Inner Chambers by Fumi Yoshinaga. This is tale as epic an detailed as they come, spanning over 200 years of the gender-flipped Tokugawa Shogunate as we follow the lives and trials of various rulers in an alternate-history Japan where a pandemic has wiped out majority of the male population, thrusting these women into the unlikely position of power with all the drama and court politicking...

We’re back into recommendation mode, this time with Enzo’s pick: Yugami Doesn’t Have Any Friends by Jun Sakura. It’s a series that balances a lot of things: comedy, sports, romance, coming of age, rakugo, and more - but do we agree on how well it succeeds? Listen and find out. Timestamps: 0:00 Introduction 4:32 Samu’s first impressions and expecting it to be set in college 6:50 Chihiro being a representative of a Japanese ideal vs Yugami standing out for the wrong reasons 10:53 Is Yugami...

We’re once again sticking with the Weekly Shonen Jump, jumping to our favourite (and only) sports-drama-romcom title of the magazine, with Blue Box by Kouji Miura. An instant hit we’ve been following since the beginning and have plenty to discuss ahead of the upcoming anime adaptation. Timestamps: 0:00 Introduction - continuing with Weekly Shonen Jump with Samu’s favourite 4:52 Kouji Miura’s previous works and how different they are to Blue Box 7:52 Does Blue Box feel like a Weekly Shonen...

We’re continuing with the Weekly Shonen Jump series, this time to Samu’s favourite currently running in the magazine: Akane-banashi, the rakugo drama that’s been an unexpected hit since it’s debut. Timestamps: 0:00 Introduction - continuing with Weekly Shonen Jump with Samu’s favourite 2:42 A success story during an era of performing arts series in Weekly Shonen Jump 5:29 Enzo’s impression: more like a sports series, rakugo, comparison to PPPPPP 9:50 Neither sport or battle series but...

We’ve recorded this episode in record time in order to release alongside the end of My Hero Academia’s manga, by Kohei Horikoshi. With the end of one of the giants of Weekly Shonen Jump and anime/manga in general for the past decade we’ve got a giant-sized episode discussing everything we wanted to cover about the series: its legacy, its fanbase, and our feelings on the ending while they’re still fresh. Timestamps: 0:00 Introduction - a series we’ve both been following for 10 years 4:34...

For the next several episodes we’re focusing on Weekly Shonen Jump, this time beginning with The Elusive Samurai by Yuusei Matsui, which is currently receiving a stellar anime adaptation - although it’s worth noting we recorded this some weeks before its release. Timestamps: 0:00 Introduction and the popularity of Assasination Classroom 5:16 Yuusei Matsui at his most unrestricted after two previous WSJ hits 7:52 The artwork, panelling, meta comedy and how it fits with the time...

This time we’re discussing a new hit in Japan, The Days of Diamond by Ohashi Hirai, a seinen baseball manga that started in 2023 and already proved to be an early success from the beginning. Now that MangaPlus are doing simultaneous translations we’re up to date and want to get as many people on board for this mature take on childrens’ baseball. Timestamps: 0:00 Introduction - Enzo anticipating the series before Mangaplus translated it 6:34 The ‘suffering from success” storyline and the...

We’re back to recommending our favourites to one another - this time we’re discussing one of Enzo’s all-timers: Spirit Circle by Satoshi Mizukami, the story of a middle school boy (Fuuta) whose ordinary life is disrupted when a transfer student (Kouko) reveals that their fates are in fact tied between in the past, present, and future in ways that changes everything between them and the life Fuuta thought he lived up until now. Timestamps: 0:00 Introduction 6:34 Samu’s general...

We’re back to recommending our favourites to one another - this time we’re discussing one of Samu’s all-timers: Blue Flag by KAITO, a coming of age high school story that delves into a slew of deep and meaningful themes. Timestamps: 0:00 Introduction 3:43 Why Samu recommended that Enzo (and you) should read it 5:53 Enzo’s general impressions of the series 8:40 Blue Flag and how it differentiates itself from its contemporary shonen romance series 9:17 (Volume 1) spoiler discussion...

This episode we’re thrilled to be joined by Jake Jung, a Japanese-to-English translator who has worked on various anime and manga throughout his career - Made in Abyss, Oshi no Ko, Vinland Saga, and Ya Boy Kongming! to name a few. Together we go through his own personal history in Japan as well as his career as a translator, his tastes in manga, and his insights into the world of anime/manga translation. Timestamps: 4:13 Jake’s photography and time as a tour guide 6:00 Oshi no Ko, Ya Boy...

This episode we forecast what we think some of the next big series will be, choosing from manga that have yet to have an anime released. Time will tell if our choices end up fruitful or missed opportunities. Please note: This episode was filmed in March 2024 before the official anime announcements of two of the series mentioned here, so any discrepancies from latest information is due to what was known at that time. Timestamps: 0:00 Introduction - revisiting a familiar topic 6:08...

Please enjoy this discussion of Hirayasumi by Keigo Shinzo, on ongoing seinen series that we’ve both kept up with since it’s serialisation and has received plenty of acclaim and accolades that we both agree is well deserved. Timestamps: 0:00 Introduction 6:08 Adult cast dealing with real life issues done well 9:54 How much longer does it have left? 12:54 Possibility of anime or live-action adaptations - studio suggestions? 16:43 Favourite characters and storylines (Mild spoilers) 19:03...

Please enjoy this discussion of the first arc (Hunter exam) of Hunter x Hunter by Yoshiro Togashi, a series beloved by both of us that we’ve discussed at length before but will now embark on an arc-by-arc breakdown. Timestamps: 0:00 Introduction 1:08 Enzo’s and Samu’s histories with Hunter x Hunter; initial impressions of the Hunter Exam arc’s tone 4:53 When did we realise this was something special? (Spoilers) 9:47 Comparisons to Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End’s First-Class Mage Exam;...

This week we're discussing Pluto by Naoki Urasawa, fresh off the heels of its Netflix adaptation in late 2023. Timestamps: 0:00 Introduction 1:08 Astro Boy’s “The Greatest Robot in the World” story arc and Osamu Tezuka 2:08 Enzo’s introduction to Pluto and the history of the anime adaptation 5:11 Which is better: Anime vs Manga? 6:26 Overall impressions; Politics of the war in the Middle East; Quality of the series from the start to the finish 10:22 How does Pluto compare to other...

Following on from last week, this time we're covering Guardian Enzo’s all-time favourite manga - Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou by Ashinano Hitoshi - and Samu’s reaction to re-reading a decade later. Timestamps: 0:00 Introduction 4:14 Why is this Enzo’s favourite manga? 11:42 Samu’s perspective on revisiting YKK a decade later 15:25 Not enough focus on the worldbuilding/sci-fi elements in the background? 16:38 The journey, not the destination + subverting expectations 18:14 Is YKK one of the...

To kick off the podcast officially we're beginning with Samu’s all-time favourite manga - Blank Canvas: My So-Called Artist’s Journey (Kakukaku Shikajika) by Akiko Higashimura - and Enzo’s reaction to reading it for the first time. Timestamps: 0:00 Introduction 3:04 Why is this Samu’s favourite manga? 6:47 Enzo’s perspective on Blank Canvas 12:51 Melancholic reflection felt throughout and building up to ‘something’ 14:28 The difference between the Japanese and English titles, how they...

Welcome to My Taste is Better Than Yours, the manga podcast with Samu and Guardian Enzo! Who are we? Two anime bloggers (Samu former, Enzo current - at https://lostinanime.com) who love manga. We'll discuss some of our favourite manga series and let you decide which one of us has the better taste. Throughout this podcast we’ll be covering series we've both already read or follow, as well as series one of us recommends to the other to compare our opinions. From time-to-time we’ll also cover...