Last week we sadly lost two influential mangaka whose works have become cultural institutions. Kazuhiko Kato, more popularly known by his pen name Monkey Punch, and Kazuo Koike have both passed away due to pneumonia. It’s bittersweet that Koike’s final tweets were reminiscing on his friend and rival, as both of their iconic series competed for popularity in Weekly Manga Action over nearly 50 years ago. His very last internet words were “I’m really going to miss him,” and we at Manga Mavericks feel the same about both creators. Lupin the Third is a franchise we both adore and one that has endured and entertained generations. Many of Koike’s works, including Lone Wolf and Cub, are absolute classics, and his legacy and influence on the medium can be seen through the numerous talents he helped nurture like Rumiko Takahashi and Tetsuo Hara, among many others. Both creators’ influence extend beyond manga, having even influence film directors abroad like Steven Spielberg and Quentin Tarantino through film adaptations of their works. So while we mourn their passing, we also find solace that their life’s work and legacy will continue to live on.

Though we’d like to spend more time eulogizing them, there’s been a lot of other news in the manga world we need to talk about. There’re new series, new licenses, and exciting opportunities for aspiring mangaka to break-in to the industry! Plus, we’ve got two new Jump Starts to talk about! Or, rather, “Manga Plus Starts” since they’re exclusive to that service. Did Heart Gear and Spy x Family soote our broken hearts, or are they series we’d rather exclude from the Manga Plus family? Listen in and find out!

Look forward to next week’s podcast where we answer all your We Never Learn Q&As AND make an exciting announcement! What could it be? You’ll have to listen and see!

PODCAST BREAKDOWN

00:22 - Intro

News:

1:10 - Monkey Punch & Kazuo Koike Have Passed Away
7:20 - Bookscan’s Top 20 Graphic Novels of March 2019 List
10:02 - Rumiko Takahashi launches her new series, Mao, in May
11:23 - Skull-Face Bookseller Honda-san ends in 4th volume
12:31 - The One-Punch Man webcomic returns after a 2 year hiatus
14:05 - Tokyo Tarareba Girls manga gets sequel series
15:00 - Higashimura draws new short manga Bara to Tulip
15:57 - Taiyo Matsumoto’s new manga
17:20 - J-Novel Club licenses Full Metal Panic!
19:15 - EigoManga licenses First Squad
20:16 - Yen Press’s Spring licenses
29:33 - Seven Seas’s Spring Licenses!!
41:59 - Initial D added to Comixology
45:13 - More J-Novel Club licenses!!
48:31 - Kodansha USA publishes Saint Young Men digitally
50:09 - Viz Media licenses the Persona 5 manga
51:00 - Toronto Comics Fest to host Hiromi Takashima
53:10 - Japan’s Manga Market grows 1.9 percent in 2018
54:30 - Vote in the Latest Black Clover Character Popularity Poll
55:46 - Astra Lost in Space wins the Manga Taisho Awards
56:58 - Enter the New Jump Paint/Medibang Contest
59:04 - Viz Originals’ Portfolio Reviews available at various cons
1:01:37 - My Hero Academia will receive another film this winter

Manga Plus Reviews:

1:04:50 - Heart Gear
1:13:30 - Spy x Family

Community Shout-Outs:

1:27:45 - One Panel Later
1:32:04 - Let’s Stay Together: A Fruits Basket Podcast
1:34:47 - VLord’s Toonami Faitful Article on The Promised Neverland: “Entering Toonami’s Neverland”
1:35:30 - Wrap-Up

Enjoy the show, and follow us on twitter at @manga_mavericks, on tumblr at mangamavericks.tumblr.com, and now on Youtube! You can also follow the hosts at @sniperking323 and @lumranmayasha. If you’d like to help support the show financially you can donate to Colton’s Ko-fi here and LumRanmaYasha’s Ko-fi here. Don’t forget to also like and subscribe to us on Youtube and iTunes and leave us reviews to help us curate the show and create better content!