My Taste is Better Than Yours

59 - Bleach (Lost Agent) by Tite Kubo

We’re onto the Lost Agent (aka Fullbring) arc of Bleach now; one with a sour reputation in the eyes of plenty of fans of the series, but this concise and more focused arc has a lot to delve into with regards to Ichigo’s character, some impactful twists, and how it shakes up the status quo of the manga until now. Listen to find out where this ranks for us amongst the bigger, flashier arcs that came before it. Timecodes: 0:00 Introduction - the arc for Ichigo to get his powers back 2:27 The (negative) impact of this arc and its reputation with fans 6:18 Was Kubo himself fatigued with the Arrancar arc? 10:48 Is this a mirroring of the first arc of the series or something completely different? 13:06 The most Ichigo-centric arc so far where he’s at his lowest in every sense 19:58 Fullbring and Fullbringers - our thoughts and standouts 24:47 This being “Chad’s arc” - did it live up to that? 28:25 Full psychological thriller once Tsukishima enters the scene 34:47 Orihime’s prominence in this arc - highlighting some standout moments 36:45 The big reveal: Ginjo’s betrayal and his reasonable position against Soul Society 47:46 Rukia’s return! Ichigo gets his powers back! The shinigami are here! Ginjo’s tragic end! 57:31 Samu’s Recommendation: Yu Yu Hakusho (Chapter Black) by Yoshihiro Togashi 59:10 Enzo’s Recommendation: Soul Eater by Atsushi Ohkubo 1:02:05 Final overview + ratings

58 - Fool Night by Kasumi Yasuda

Just like last time, we’re recommending each other our highest regarded ongoing series we think need more appreciated. This time Samu’s pick for Enzo is Fool Night by Kasumi Yasuda - a dystopian sci-fi story where clouds have prevented the sun from shining through and humans have adapted in horrifying ways to sustain life. Plenty of bleak, heavy themes ensue and we both get into what’s trying to be said in with this visually striking series is exploring.  Timecodes: 0:00 Introduction - Samu’s most underappreciated ongoing manga pick 7:38 A mixture of multiple genres: dystopian, political drama, thriller, body horror, black comedy 10:40 It presents truths of what’s happening and doesn’t push an agenda/message 12:10 Early volumes focusing on more self-contained stories to establish this world 14:58 Our differing journeys with the artwork and its presentation 20:44 The upcoming anime and our hopes/expectations 22:23 Spoiler discussion begins 22:28 Akira’s gender revelation - becoming one of Enzo’s favourite characters 26:45 Standouts to the various bleak and dark storylines throughout the series without easy answers 35:20 Pro- and Anti-Transfloration argument and the politics around it 40:54 Dr. Kudai, Antartica, Central - the scale of the story expanding 44:54 Our disconnect with the latest long-running story arc in the second half of the series 49:52 The series could have been a short think piece but is becoming something larger 52:32 Samu’s Recommendation: Heavenly Delusion by Masakazu Ishiguro 56:22 Enzo’s Recommendation: Chainsaw Man Tatsuki Fujimoto 58:45 Final overview + ratings

57 - Touge Oni: Primal Gods in Ancient Times by Kenji Tsurubuchi

It’s Enzo’s time to recommend a series, and it was his pick for the most underappreciated ongoing manga from earlier this year: Touge Oni - a historical fantasy series with big ideas, a strong trio at its core, and strong Mizukami comparisons. Will Samu love it near as much as Enzo does? Timecodes: 0:00 Introduction - one of Enzo’s favourite ongoing titles 1:35 Harta magazine: a wonderful source for great seinen manga 3:17 How the sausage is made (behind the scenes snippet) 4:57 Overview and first impressions of Touge Oni and its relationship with time 15:05 Miyo and Zenki’s relationship and their mirroring journeys of their goals 18:50 The challenge of following a slow-releasing series 23:17 Mizukami’s recommendation - classic fantasy all-rounder 24:49 Spoiler discussion begins 24:55 Our feelings on Zenki - an Oni on the quest to get rid of his horns +  29:36 Miyo’s goal of finding the truth of the world 34:57 Ozono’s goal and Miyo’s theory about his identity 41:35 Early standouts moments of Miyo and Zenki’s relationship 43:24 Our highlights from Trio being separated and predictions 52:12 When the focus shifts to the gods and Izumo 54:36 Susanoo no Mikoto - him joining the group, his video game duel 59:17 The belief in the goodness and decency of human beings 1:00:52 Azuma no Miya and the power of misinformation in politics 1:02:50 Samu’s recommendation: The Elusive Samurai by Yusei Matsui 1:04:39 Enzo’s recommendation: Sengoku Youko by Mizukami Satoshi 1:06:15 Final overview + ratings Other links: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/45e4SKPssSbuRNZ8lVMACN [https://open.spotify.com/show/45e4SKPssSbuRNZ8lVMACN] Apple Music: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/my-taste-is-better-than-yours/id1746194902 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/my-taste-is-better-than-yours/id1746194902] Amazon: https://music.amazon.co.uk/podcasts/a9ed3ea9-1728-40e3-949f-4cddfb13dde1/my-taste-is-better-than-yours [https://music.amazon.co.uk/podcasts/a9ed3ea9-1728-40e3-949f-4cddfb13dde1/my-taste-is-better-than-yours]  Overcast: https://overcast.fm/itunes1746194902 [https://overcast.fm/itunes1746194902] Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/z70w36ls [https://pca.st/z70w36ls]

56 - Understanding the Shonen Manga Magazines

We’ve talked about plenty of shonen manga throughout our episodes, so we felt it made sense to finally breakdown the many magazines in which they come from: their histories, identities, and our favourites from each publication. Timecodes: 0:00 Introduction - understanding the full picture of shonen manga 1:59 Breaking down the magazine publication system 6:26 Weekly Shonen Jump - the biggest name in the manga industry 19:01 Weekly Shonen Magazine - the alpha male that used to be the top dog  27:06 Weekly Shonen Sunday - veterans, baseball, and fantasies 39:06 Weekly Shonen Champion - the rising star/dark horse that doesn’t conform 46:15 Jump SQ. and Saikyo Jump 48:57 Bessatsu Shonen Magazine, Monthly Shonen Magazine, Monthly Shonen Sirius 52:15 Gessan, Shonen Sunday S 54:25 Square Enix: Monthly Shonen Gangan, GFantasy, Gangan Joker 1:00:25 Web publication - print vs digital transparency

55 - Bleach (Arrancar - Part II) by Tite Kubo

In this second part of the Arrancar arc discussion we get into the Turn Back the Pendulum and Fake Karakura Town sections of the story, filled with: more backstory and more fights than ever before. Find out where this stacks up compared to Soul Society in our estimations. Timecodes: 0:00 Re-introduction - second half of the Arrancar arc 0:32 Turn Back the Pendulum sub-arc - a flashback to break up the action 5:05 Aizen vs Urahara as the central conflict of the Arrancar arc (and the series) 8:02 The morality of Soul Society, The Maggot’s Nest, and Mayuri’s ‘crimes’ 11:83 Death as a core theme of the series and an unforgiving afterlife 13:21 Kubo at his most details with backstories and character connections 16:00 Turn Back the Pendulum ratings 17:24 Fake Karakura Town arc - a Bleach fan’s dream, a Bleach hater’s nightmare 23:03 The fights are conversations 28:40 Standout fights worth shouting out 39:00 Ichigo vs Ulquiorra - comparing Ichigo to Kenshin 42:13 Gin and Rangiku’s history and Gin’s betrayal of Aizen 46:35 Kubo doesn’t seem like a writer who regrets his choices 48:58 Ichigo vs Aizen final fight, Urahara’s involvement, hint of the Soul King 57:31 The resolution of Ichigo losing his powers - could the series have ended here? 1:00:15 Explaining Toshiro Hitsugaya’s massive popularity 1:03:56 Fake Karakura Town ratings 1:05:18 Samu’s recommendation: Rurouni Kenshin (Kyoto arc) byNobuhiro Watsuki 1:06:22 Enzo’s recommendation: Yu Yu Hakusho by Togashi Yoshihiro 1:10:21 Final overview + rating