My Taste is Better Than Yours

54 - Bleach (Arrancar - Part I) by Tite Kubo

Enzo’s journey with Bleach continues, this time finally stepping into possibly the longest arc in shonen manga (or manga in general?). We’ve split this giant arc into two episodes, this first one covering everything including the Arrancar Invasion up to the end of Hueco Mundo. Timecodes: 0:00 Introduction - first of two episodes on the massive Arrancar arc 1:25 Is this the longest arc in all of manga? 2:57 Arrancar Invasion sub-arc - introducing the Arrancars and the Vizards 6:44 An even-paced arc with intention - is Kubo still an architect? 10:17 Early hints: Shinji in chapter 1, arrancars in the first arc 11:23 Kubos’ use of other languages, other cultures, and stylistic aesthetic 13:50 Grand Fisher and the reveal with Isshin Kurosaki 16:48 The Vizards - an eclectic group, our favourites? 23:03 Ichigo’s training, his hollow identity (White) - self-acceptance as a key theme in Bleach 29:19 Orihime’s importance in this arc, another damsel in distress, her relationship and powers 39:50 Arrancar Invasion ratings 41:53 Hueco Mundo sub-arc begins - a featureless white desert! 43:42 Bleach and Kubo’s minimalism, a series with no “fluff” 49:43 Bleach’s lack of an omniscient narrator 50:53 What popular kaijuu series is the most opposite of Bleach in style? 52:48 Is Hueco Mundo a lazy copy of Soul Society or an intentional reimagining? 56:15 The Espada - standout characters, the aspects of death 1:05:05 Rukia vs Aaroniero as a standout fight in Hueco Mundo 1:06:26 Mayuri vs Szayel - his speech on perfection, Kubo’s freedom with him 1:10:30 Enzo’s highlights: Nel’s reveal, Cirucci’s poem 1:13:10 Hueco Mundo ratings - end of Part 1 of this discussion

53 - Rurouni Kenshin (Jinchu) by Nobuhiro Watsuki

We come to the end of the main Rurouni Kenshin series, the yet-to-be-properly-animated: Jinchu. Is this a case of the best arc saved for last? Does it serve as a fitting conclusion for the series? Will Enzo throw in another Kaijuu wall? Stay tuned to find out. Timecodes: 0:00 Introduction - the final arc of the main series that never got its anime adaptation 3:05 Jinchu being an opposite arc to Kyoto by comparison 8:03 Watsuki’s self-depricating author comments 11:49 Rurouni Kenshin as a archetypical battle shonen and the WSJ family tree 22:02 The series feeling off the time it’s set 25:29 Enishi as a villain and the remembrances flashback 31:31 Historical context for the era of the end of the swordsman + Yahiko’s arc 39:18 Characters returning and side stories - disappointment in Sannosuke’s 42:47 Enishi as a villain and the reflection on Watsuki 51:21 Kaoru’s “death” - does the fakeout ruin this emotional moment? 57:30 Final battle with Kenshin vs Enishi - does this live up to the fight with Shishio? 1:04:47 The epilogue - the true ending, is it satisfying? 1:07:32 Enzo’s Recommendation: Peace Maker Kurogane by Nanae Chrono 1:10:03 Samu’s Recommendation: Firefly Wedding by Oreco Tachibana 1:11:29 Overview and final scores 1:15:12 Bonus: The Kaijuu Wall

52 - Snow White with the Red Hair by Akizuki Sorata

It’s the first series review of 2026 and it’s one Samu and Enzo had a similar introduction to with an excellent anime adaptation and decided to venture into the manga post-anime. A shoujo romance fantasy that takes unexpected turns the longer it goes on, but how much of it do we agree on? Timecodes: 0:00 Introduction - our first experiences with Snow White with the Red Hair 9:44 Shirayuki and Zen’s relationship 13:31 Other significant side characters in the series: Obi, Ryu, Izana, Mitsuhide, Raji, Hisame, Garack 22:32 Spoiler discussion begins 22:38 Too many characters and too many side quests where the main cast is split up 25:37 Did Akizuki Sorata learn to like Shirayuki/Obi more than Shirayuki/Zen? 28:08 Is the anime the definitive version of the series? 29:23 Comparison to Hunter x Hunter with splitting up the cast and pairing them up 31:16 It’s actually a slice of life series 33:58 Later side-quest arcs: Lilias arc, Bergatt arc, Shinsu arc 37:45 Zen needing a narrative shift to allowed to be more proactive 39:49 Kiki and Hisame 43:43 Samu’s Recommendation: The Apothecary Diaries by Natsu Hyuuga (manga by Erika Ikeda) 47:11 Enzo’s Recommendation: The World is Still Beautiful by Dai Shina 52:33 Overview and final scores

51 - Best Ongoing Underappreciated Manga

With the start of a new year we thought it best to highlight some of our favourite ongoing manga that deserve more love. We’ve put together a list of ten series we think are worth checking out in hopes that they can blow up, which perfectly summarise our tastes. Timecodes: 0:00 Introduction - shouting out manga we love that deserve more love 2:04 Kemutai Hanashi by Fumiya Hanashi 5:47 Starting Today We Are Childhood Friends by Midori Obiya 10:19 My Oh My, Atami-kun by Asa Tanuma 17:32 They Are Still Being Shaken This Morning by Eiji Masuda 24:42 Here And There And Us (And Then And After) by Thanat 29:32 Go With the Clouds North by Northwest by Aki Irie 37:44 Dig It by Yoshidamaru 44:01 The Great Villain Boy by Koume Fujichika 52:36 Fool Night by Kasumi Yasuda 1:01:05 Touge Oni: Primal Gods in Ancient Times by Kenji Tsurubuchi 1:10:37 Extra mention: Double by Ayako Noda 1:11:09 Overview of our picks

50 - The Next Big Thing 2.0

What better way to kick off the year than by revisiting our favourite topic: What’s the next big thing in anime/manga? In this episode we revisit our picks from 2024 and go through our new ones for 2026. Timecodes: 0:00 Revisiting the topic: The Next Big Thing 3:25 Enzo’s #2 pick: Phantom Busters by Neoshoco 11:01 Samu’s #2 pick: Gokurakugai by Uto Sano 19:07 Checking in our preview picks for The Next Big Thing  19:21 Sakamoto Days and Gachiakuta - both had anime, neither became mega hits 24:45 Tokyo Aliens and Kindergarten Wars - neither have had anime yet 29:16 Spy X Family vs Chainsaw Man - which won in the long run and which do we prefer? 36:33 Apothecary Diaries vs Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End tight race as the current top hits 38:46 Refresher on the Enzo’s “Kaijuu” term 39:59 The Kaijuu Wall 55:04 Samu’s #1 pick: Kagurabachi by Takeru Hokazono 59:18 Enzo’s #1 pick: Ichi the Witch by Osamu Nishi, Shiro Usazaki 1:09:20 The Next (Next) Big Thing predictions for further in the future