Cafe Manga

Episode 30 - Bonjour Sweet Love Patisserie

Well I’ll apologize that this isn’t really a new content post. I decided to do an episode of the podcast this time. This is actually an audio version of a review I had previous done last year. I also need to apologize on the sound quality. Descript was being really weird. I just don’t feel like re-recording it. You can read the full written version right here: Just so you don’t feel “cheated” by not getting a more substantive content, I’ll be sharing some notable things. * As I was recording this episode I used the linked post as a rough script. What I didn’t realize was that Crunchyroll took off this anime series. Not sure if the license expired or it’s not popular so no reason to keep it in their library? * I have been watching and reading things. So don’t worry I’ll be posting some actual new content on here. It’s just that I’m still reading/watching those things. I try where possible to finish stuff before commenting about them. * I’m only now just discovering The Amazing Digital Circus. Apparently people on the internet have been watching this series for the past 2 1/2 years. I guess it’s just because of what type of stuff I tend to watch on YouTube that I literally NEVER heard of this show. I have plans to write a post about it. You might wonder why I’d write about something NOT Japanese or Korean on here. It’s because it’s reminding me of an anime series and no, it’s not the one most people think of. Admittedly I haven’t watched Sword Art Online. Probably I’m better off NOT watching it BEFORE I write this essay first. As a side note, the next post will be July 5 as scheduled. I will make sure to have something posted then. I might make sure I write something ahead of time. Have some thoughts? Leave a comment below! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cafemanga.substack.com [https://cafemanga.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

From Comics to Live Action!

So this week I decided to get back on the mic and do a podcast episode. To be fair it has been 3 months since I did an episode announcing I would bring the podcast back. I did warn people it would be a sporadic release. This week I’m doing the audio version of a story I posted last June. You can just listen to the episode (if you’re reading this) or you can just read it here [https://cafemanga.substack.com/p/from-comics-to-live-action]. In other news, I have officially made a new website that I named Gillfull Thinking [https://www.elizabethlew.com], It’s basically a funny, cutesy name for my personal website. It’s a hub website where I link all the various projects and activities I do online in one spot so people can get to know my efforts on the internet. That includes this Substack publication. At some point I’ll eventually add Cafemanga.com along, but I haven’t quite gotten there yet. If I can be candid with you readers, I’ve been debating for a long while now whether to keep this publication on Substack or move it. I’m leaning towards WordPress since my plan for CafeManga.com is to be a WP site. However I still get some interaction on Substack so I’m sticking around. There is a variety of reasons why I’m debating about the future of my being on Substack. If you have actual opinions feel free to share in the comments! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cafemanga.substack.com [https://cafemanga.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

The 3 Titles I Was Obsessed With in 2025

Before I get started, I want to apologize if the audio quality might be off. I’m not sure what the cause is but when I listen to the playback during the editing, I sound off. Not sure if it’s because it’s late at night when I recorded and my voice sounds funny or Descript is being weird. I wanted to explain how it’s been a year since I did the last episode of the podcast. I thought I was burnt out and done. To a degree I still am. However my analytics tell me that people are apparently listening to old episodes of the podcast. I’ve decide to bring the show back. Sort of. What do I mean sort of? Well I’ll be doing episodes. However they won’t be weekly. I will do them sporadically as weekly is just not doable. I’m already struggling slightly to continue writing every week. Podcasting is even more work than writing. I’ve decide that there are just occasions where I have an idea for a post, but in reality it’s just easier to talk about it verbally rather than writing it out. At most, I’ll do one episode a month. More realistically it’s probably every other month. It’s also an opportunity to cross post and see if I can convince listeners to check out the Substack. I will still write out a post. It’s part show notes for the episodes. It’s also a way for people who can’t or don’t want to listen to the episode to at least read about what the episode is about. I am cheating a bit with this episode. I’m basically repeating part of the past reviews I did in this episode. You can read the full versions of said reviews below. * Campfire Cooking in Another World with My Absurd Skill [https://cafemanga.substack.com/p/campfire-cooking-in-another-world] * Debut of Die! [https://cafemanga.substack.com/p/debut-or-die] * Cinderella Chef [https://cafemanga.substack.com/p/cinderella-chef] Before I close out, I’ll wish all of you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! See you in 2026! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cafemanga.substack.com [https://cafemanga.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

What Am I Currently Reading?

So as the title says I’m going to be discussing some of my current reads. And an important announcement about the podcast. First here’s a bit about what I’m reading now. This is a mix of the manhwa and some of the light novels I’ve been reading. Lately I’ve been reading the following: * The Top Dungeon Farmer - manhwa - Webtoon * The Gardener in a Hunter World - manhwa - Webtoon * My Comeback as the Youngest Member - manhwa - Webtoon * Kitchen Goddess and the Assassin - manhwa - Tapas * The Perks of Being an S-Class Heroine - light novel/manhwa - Tapas * Campfire Cooking in Another World with my Absurd Skill - light novel/manga - J-Novel Club * Parallel World Pharmacy - manga - One Peace Books So the big announcement has to do with my podcast. It was a hard decision but basically I’ve decided that despite the effort to make things work out, I have to end Cafe Manga, the podcast. I’ll probably do a longer version of this story at some point in the near future, but I’m going to do the short version here. The short version is that I’m starting to experience some degree of burn out. Basically since September/October I was starting to experience minor burn out, but I was thinking I could have a stop-gap measure if I took a short break and then change up the content on the podcast. However the past month made it clear to me the results weren’t completely appealing to listeners. Or it could be a coincidence because it’s holiday season and people tend to not listen to podcasts much. On top of that I’ve been bogged down with the process of producing my ASOIAF podcast, which is a LOT of work if I’m being honest. Even though Cafe Manga takes relatively less work, it still feels like the time could be used elsewhere. On top of that, except for writing scripts for the other podcast and the little bit of writing on Substack for Cafe Manga, I haven’t done much writing at all. I really do miss it. It took a lot of soul searching for the past couple of weeks. It’s become clear that something has to give and it’s this podcast on Substack. It’s always possible I might revisit this in the future, but for the near future at least? It’s going to have to be the end. I will say that I’m planning to continue this Substack publication. Also I’m going to be working on a website in the near future! I’ll get into more specifics about it once I start working on it, but there’s going to be a website related to Japanese/Korean comics I’m working on. It’s going to be something I will release by Spring 2025. Here’s a hint! https://www.cafemanga.com/ [https://www.cafemanga.com/] What have you guys been reading lately? Leave a comment below! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cafemanga.substack.com [https://cafemanga.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

The Top Dungeon Farmer (Part 4)

This episode was supposed to have been released last Sunday (November 24, 2024). However due to an oversight on my part, I didn’t realize the episode didn’t got out when it was supposed to. Sorry for any confusion! Well new developments are happening in the tower in this episode! More crops are being grown. More relationships are being developed. Check out my discussion of chapters 16-20 of the manhwa! Anyways, feel free to leave some feedback what you think of this series. Maybe even suggestions of what kind of content you’d be interested in me doing. I honestly feel bad that I’ve neglected interacting more on this platform. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cafemanga.substack.com [https://cafemanga.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]