Episodi
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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 -
Well like a lot of Americans, I had spent this past Thursday eating way too much. It’s the start of the “eat way too much” season. And then New Year’s Day I restart the resolution to lose weight. In the meanwhile there are some titles that just involve a lot of tasty food and drinks that make you want to toss away the diet. So here are a few of the ones I’ve checked out and enjoyed.
See the links for how I was able to read/watch these titles. While you can read many of the titles on Amazon, I will be using links to other sites I recommend as alternatives where available. Also I don’t use fan translation sites and other “illegal” websites. I’m paranoid and suspicious of malware, viruses, and other potential hazards those sites might have. Also are brief blurbs about why I enjoy these titles.
Campfire Cooking In Another World With My Absurd Skill
You get summoned to another world. Cool. You get a ridiculous skill called “online supermarket.” Lame! Or so you think. You never have to worry about food. You technically could sell unique, high quality food and ingredients that don’t exist in this world you’re stuck in. Plus consuming “other world” food means you get some buffs to your stats! What could have been a lame ass skill isn’t as bad as it appears!
Anime - https://www.crunchyroll.com/series/GG5H5X3EE/campfire-cooking-in-another-world-with-my-absurd-skill
Manga - https://j-novel.club/series/campfire-cooking-in-another-world-with-my-absurd-skill-manga
Light Novel - https://j-novel.club/series/campfire-cooking-in-another-world-with-my-absurd-skill
Restaurant to Another World
Enjoy a relax Saturday where you can eat tasty dishes and drinks unlike any you’ve see before! Meeting fascinating customers from a variety of kingdoms. From humans to fairies to demons, you just never know who will come through Nekoya’s doors.
It’s a wonderful, relaxing culinary tale with plenty of world building. You also get the building of relationships and bridges across races in another world.
Anime - https://www.crunchyroll.com/series/GR49493P6/restaurant-to-another-world
Manga - https://yenpress.com/series/restaurant-to-another-world
Light Novel - https://sevenseasentertainment.com/series/restaurant-to-another-world-light-novel/
50 Tea Recipes from the Duchess
Fellow tea lovers rejoice! There is a story for us! When an underappreciated office worker loses her job, she suddenly finds her consciousness teleported into the body of an outcast duchess! She takes the opportunity to reinvent herself and the life of this downtrodden duchess. And she does it with the power of tea! You can actually learn a surprising amount about tea you might not know before!
Webcomic/manhwa - https://tapas.io/series/50-tea-recipes-from-the-duchess/
Isekai Izakaya Nobu
When their business wasn’t doing too well, the staff of Nobu wished they’d get more customers to try out the food! Their prayers are answered when their front door becomes a portal that leads customers from another world to their humble izakaya!
This is an enjoyable serious that’s not only a manga and anime series, but it’s also a live action drama as well!
Anime - https://www.crunchyroll.com/series/G6J0WJ05R/isekai-izakaya-japanese-food-from-another-world
Live Action Season 1 - https://www.viki.com/tv/38713c-isekai-izakaya-nobu-season-1
Live Action Season 2 - https://www.viki.com/tv/38714c-isekai-izakaya-nobu-season-2
Manga - https://store.udonentertainment.com/products/otherworldly-izakaya-nobu-volume-1
The Gourmet Gamer
The lead character is a talented chef who was a rising star in the culinary world. An accident leaves him unable to taste or smell. What a disaster for a chef! However he discovers there’s a new VR world that claims to recreate all the sense in their game world! He takes a chance and much to his shock, he really can taste and smell things again! His journey through “Real” helps him rediscover his passion and confidence in cooking again.
It really is a wonderful exploration of one’s dreams and self-esteem. Along the way he forms new bonds and relationships after he thought he lost all hope and purpose.
Tappytoon version - https://www.tappytoon.com/en/book/the-gourmet-gamer
Lezhin version - https://www.lezhinus.com/en/comic/gourmetgamer
Opening A Cafe In Another World
It’s another food related isekai sure. However you can’t help but root for Risa as she singlehandedly revolutionizes cuisine in the new world she is summoned to. She is able to make a new life and a new home among strangers. Risa doesn’t mope and complain about her circumstances and actually makes the best of it. It’s another relaxing series that I personally enjoy. I can’t wait for the rest to come out. It would also be cool if this is turned into an anime series!
Ramen Akaneko
If you love ramen and you love cats, this is the series for you! This is an enjoyable series of vignettes that take place in a unique ramen shop where most of the staff are cats! Slide into a booth or hop up to bar and enjoy tasty ramen made by clever cats. I particularly love the character development and the bonds formed among the characters.
Anime - https://www.crunchyroll.com/series/GVDHX85ZN/ramen-akaneko
Cooking Sorcerer
Once again the protagonist winds up teleported to another world and she takes over the life of a modest sorceress. With some ingenuity, she’s able to use magic to help her recreate food she misses. Along the way she helps people in need of a tasty meal and hope. This was a fun story with a blossoming romance. From my research it looks like this manhwa had an abrupt ending because of the artist’s personal health. Though at least you do get some sort of ending, though there are some hanging plot points and definitely potential for more to the story.
Manhwa - https://www.tappytoon.com/en/book/cooking-sorcerer
Kakuriyo - Bed & Breakfast for Spirits
What do you do when you find out your dead grandfather offered your hand in marriage as collateral to an ogre? You try to negotiate your way out of it buy using the one unique ability you have: cooking. Aoi finds herself dealing with the denizens of an alternate dimension where spirits and demons live.
This is a really entertaining series where we learn more about how the beings in this dimension live. We find out about the different types of beings and the way their society is organized. Aoi learns more about what her grandfather was like before he became the old man who took her in. There’s apparently a second season scheduled for late 2025. Which is a major surprise since Season 1 aired in 2018!
Anime - https://www.crunchyroll.com/series/G6MEK1ZGR/kakuriyo--bed--breakfast-for-spirits-
The Cook’s Hidden Blessing
The lead character wishes he could do a better job cooking food that can help people. His prayers are answered by the goddess of Agriculture herself, Ceres! This is a pretty heart warming story where Jungdong becomes a talented chef who does bring joy to people he feeds. Meanwhile there’s more to Ceres’s help than just doing it out of the goodness of her divine heart. I just look forward to seeing what new antics happen with every chapter.
Sweet Reincarnation
What a tragedy that a talent sugar artist dies! He is reincarnated as the son of a low ranking noble new to his title. Young lord Pastry decides to use his culinary skills to help change the fortunes of his nouveau riche family. It’s honestly just plain fun to see the lead character try to revolution food in his new life and help the people of his fief become better and stronger. I’m a sucker for these types of scenarios.
Anime - https://www.crunchyroll.com/series/GJ0H7QG2G/sweet-reincarnation
Have you checked out any of these? Any of them you’re interested in checking out? Leave a comment below. And please share with other food lovers you know!
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Episodi mancanti?
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Hi everyone to another installment of React With Me - The Top Dungeon Farmer! As always if you’re interested in reading this series for yourself, you can use this link or just copy/paste the URL: https://www.webtoons.com/en/fantasy/the-top-dungeon-farmer/list?title_no=5656
This episode we get introduced to Teo, the cat merchant. We also get a lot of developments at Sejun’s farm. I really do enjoy this manhwa series. I wish someone would license the light novel series. What can I say, I enjoy light novels and I’m genuinely curious to see what else happens in the series. I especially am curious to see what might have been cut out or shortened in the adaptation process.
The art continues to be really excellent and the animal characters are delightful to look at. They also have very distinct personalities even though all of them, except Teo, can’t really speak.
Leave a comment below with what you think of this episode and this series as a whole. Let me know if you have stories you’d like me to look into for future episodes of this podcast!
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This is a really brief written portion. If you didn’t read the previous episode, you can read this serious on Webtoon. You can check out the story here - https://www.webtoons.com/en/fantasy/the-top-dungeon-farmer/list?title_no=5656
I’m curious if anyone else is read this series. How do you like it? Would you read it if you aren’t already?
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If you’re interested in reading this Korean webcomic series, you can read it on here. Or if you prefer you can follow this URL too: https://www.webtoons.com/en/fantasy/the-top-dungeon-farmer/list?title_no=5656&page=1
This is going to be the start of a pretty long series I’m doing on the podcast and this newsletter. Because I don’t want to spoil readers who actually want to read this series, I’m not going to delve too deeply into what happens in this series. I will however give you a short synopsis from Webtoons.
Sejun, your average Seoul underdog, didn’t expect to grow tomatoes full-time when he stumbled into the mysterious dungeon full of monster quests and extravagant rewards. Yet, there he was, as a farmer growing and selling cash crops while clearing numerous quests that came his way. Will Sejun make it out of the dungeon with the plush rewards he hoped for? At least he has what it takes: optimism, resourcefulness, and a group of loyal furry friends.
This was originally a web novel/light novel series written by an author known as “sdcknight.” The webcomic was adapted by Lim Hyeong and art by Lee Ha-kyoung.
In this episode (and the others following it), I’ll just share some of my thoughts about each chapter covering 5 per episode. While I do discuss what I thought about events that happen per chapter, I don’t do full recaps. Why?
For the people who are reading or read the chapters, you don’t really need me to recap everything that happens. Also ultimately recaps aren’t the point of listening to my podcast. I’m just sharing my thoughts about the stories and I’m hoping that people join in the conversation.
I also acknowledge that some of you may choose to listen anyway without bothering to read the webcomic. I personally could care less about spoilers. There’s a chance some of you are like that as well. So if my episodes convince you to give this series a try, I’m happy you did.
This is a really delightful series and I hope we get a proper ending and not just an abrupt one that unfortunately happens quite a bit with Korean webcomics. I’d honestly be even happier if someone got the rights to the webnovel. I’d buy it in a heart beat!
What do you think of this comic series? Leave a comment below! Let me know what you think of this “react with me” series I’m doin on this podcast!
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This week’s episode is just to introduce to all of you of a “new” type of episode I’ll be doing in the podcast. It’s not truly new. It’s pretty similar to the episodes I did about Dr. Stone. Later today, I’ll be posting a list of the first few stories I’ll be doing a read/watch and react in the next couple of months.
Basically I’ll talking about different stories per episode until I either cover the entire series or talk about all the volumes available to me. You have the option to follow along with me per episode or read/watch ahead. Check out the “hero” post I have on my publication to see which stories I’m covering next.
I’ll alternating between doing episodes about different stories and talking about other related topics. So stay tuned! And feel free to leave a comment below with some suggestions of topics to cover.
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 -
Rather than the typical review like I’ve been doing in the past couple of months, I’m just telling some stories about my experiences with anime conventions.
In this episode, I’ll be talking about the following things:
* The basics of anime conventions
* Big Apple Anime Fest
* Interning at Big Apple Anime Fest
* AnimeNext
* I-Con
* NY Comic Con
* NY Anime Fest
* AnimeNYC
Have you guys been to one? Are you planning to go to any? Leave a comment and let me know what your own experiences have been! Please share this episode with any friends or other interested people!
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 -
This time around I’m here to announce a couple bits of information related to the podcast I’ve been doing. I just want to reassure people that I’m not planning to end the show. I’d like to keep doing this as long as possible. However I realize that I really do need a break from Cafe Manga. Just to make this a proper post for people, I’m just briefly discussing a couple things related to this decision.
I’ve come to the conclusion that I really need to go on a break. I’m aiming to release the next episode on October 20. People who are subscribed to this publication will obviously know when the next episode comes out. However people listening to the podcast from elsewhere might not know. So I have to make a very clear note about the return date in this week’s episode.
Typically I like to write and record in small batches when possible. This gives me some flexibility with my time. Sometimes I have free time and/or inspiration to create content back to back. However recently I’ve hit a small bump in the road. I’m actually struggling a bit to produce content for Cafe Manga/Talk Nerdy to Me. On top of that, I also am working on season 2 of my other show, The Westerosi Primer.
As you can see it’s pretty clear I need to take a break from doing the show. I think being away from the show for about 3 weeks is what I need. For one thing, it gives me a little breathing room to work on the other show. But also I can gather up some material for the podcast when I do return.
I realized that a big reason why I’m struggling to come up with material for the podcast is because I’ve been doing basically reviews of stories I’ve read. I think I’ve gotten to the point where it feels like I do enjoy reading stories, but I’m just reading stories at a certain pace for the sake of having material to do episodes about. I’ve come to the realization that while I don’t mind doing reviews, that’s not the only thing I want to talk about on the podcast.
So after some consideration, I decided that as a way to vary up the topics I do I will be doing more than just reviews. I’m going to use my earlier Dr. Stone episodes as an example and do some Read/Watch with Me type episodes. So depending on which story I’m doing, I’ll be doing an episode per volume of Light Novels or Manga. In some case I’ll talk about 2 episodes if I’m doing an anime series.
This is more than just “stretching out” content for the sake of producing episodes for listeners. I feel it’s also a better way to appreciate the stories that I’ve been reading and watching. I’ll apologize for any readers or show listeners who are annoyed or disappointed with the change. I’ll understand if you choose not to listen to the show any further.
However if you do stick around, I appreciate it. In the meanwhile I will continue to produce written content. Not sure what I’ll be writing about, but it’ll be something related to Korean and Japanese stories as usual.
Thanks for your continued support. Please share your thoughts. What are you reading and watching right now? Leave a comment below!
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As part of a collaboration with another Substack writer, I agreed to watch this series and here’s my review of the series for the podcast and this publication. If you’re curious to read the guest review they wrote you can read it here! - https://cafemanga.substack.com/p/terminator-zero-a-guest-review
The Basics
This anime series was specifically produced for Netflix. The project is a collaboration between Production I.G. (Japan) and Skydance Television (US). The showrunner is Mattson Tomlin and directed by Masashi Kudo.
Mattson did an interview with The Hollywood Report, where he discusses the process of working on this show. (You can read here: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-features/terminator-zero-mattson-tomlin-batman-1235987299/) I find it particularly interesting that there were a lot of script re-writes because of the dubbing process. The other interesting thing is that one of his other projects he’s working on is the pilot for a potential Game of Thrones prequel about Aegon the Conqueror. However that’s not for this publication, but really for my other publication/podcast.
Thus far there are only 8 episodes to this series which were all released same day on August 29. They’re like your typical anime series where the episodes are just under 25 minutes long.
The Premise
Like a lot of the stories in the Terminator franchise, you have two connected stories happening. You have a story in the future when once again the humans are barely hanging on against Skynet. Then you have a plot set in the past which where a big part of the action takes place.
In the dark future, you have a Terminator (voiced by Timothy Olyphant) sent back in time on a mission to chance the past for Skynet’s benefit. A member of the human resistance Eiko (voice by House of the Dragon actress Sonoya Mizuno), is sent to thwart the Terminator. Who are they after? That’s where the past timeline comes in.
In 1997, you have a workaholic widower named Malcolm Lee who is obsessed with completing a major object: Kokoro, an advanced AI to rival Skynet. In between his urgent goal of finishing Kokoro, there’s the family drama happening where his work turned into a distant father to his three children: Kenta, Reika, and Hiro. The three kids are left to the care of their kind housekeeper, Misaki.
The series follows the race to get to Malcolm and Kokoro. Who will get to them first, the Terminator or Eiko.
General Thoughts
I have to confess that personally speaking I had mixed feelings about this series. I’m also going to openly admit that if it wasn’t for the fact I agreed to do a collaboration, I might not have even watched this series. At least not at this point in time. I’m not really a fan of the Terminator franchise. I liked the original Cameron movies, but that’s about it.
My genuine opinion is that I think the extensive movies and spin-offs are just excuses to milk the cash cow. Maybe I’m part of the minority that thinks Judgment Day was good enough and it should have ended there. I could get into a long rant about why I think Hollywood has lost its ability to be truly creative at this point, but that is not what this publication or this review is about.
Already this isn’t a good sign as to whether I was going to like this anime or not. The bar is pretty low. I just took a deep breath and watched for the sake of this collaboration. Overall there were things I did like about it and things I didn’t like about it. I’ll get more into details in the podcast in the spoiler talk at the end of the episode. But here’s the non-spoiler things.
I think the animation is top notch. It’s not too surprising considering this is the same studio that did the Ghost in the Shell movies, Blood: The Last Vampire, and Haikyu!!! Though they do that annoying trend of including the really strange CGI work that is very off putting visually. I also appreciate some of the philosophical questions that get brought up like whether or not humanity really is worth saving.
What I didn’t like? This mostly stems from my general dislike of spin-offs and sequels that nobody asked for. I just found the plot of this anime basically repeats the formula from every other Terminator movie and tv show. I especially found Malcolm a frustrating character and not a character I could find much sympathy with until episode 7 & 8. He came across as a “mad scientist” archetype. He appears to be a character obsessed with their work and particular goals that he neglects the people in his life. Also like Victor Frankenstein, he makes assumptions about how things will be once his project is completed.
Overall I would say that if you’re a Terminator fan or just enjoy action stories of that type, you’ll enjoy the series. If your feelings about the franchise is similar to mind, then feel free to skip if you don’t want to watch it.
Have you watched this series? What did you think? Leave a comment below!
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If you’re new to this publication, this post is the same as the first section of the episode. The last few minutes of the episode is a more detailed discussion that will contain spoilers. If you’re not interested in listening to the spoilers, there will be a countdown warning before it starts.
So it’s time for me to talk about a really popular title that’s gotten the attention of a lot of manhwa and k-drama fans. This time I’m here to talk about Marry My Husband.
The Basics
There’s not a lot of info I could find out about this series. It was originally a web novel and then was adapted to a webtoon. You can read it on Webtoon. It was adapted into a live-action K-drama on tvN in South Korea. It is available to watch on Amazon Prime.
The Premise
Kang Ji-won is terminally ill with stomach cancer. She’s been mostly left alone in the hospital with only her friend, Su-min, visiting her. The hospital informs her that her bills hadn’t been paid and her husband doesn’t answer phone calls. She’s forced to go home to confront him. Once she gets home she discovers that her husband, Park Min-hwan, is having an affair with Su-min!
A fight ensues and poor Ji-won is shoved and she falls into the glass coffee table. She slowly bleeds to death and she laments her life. The next thing she knows, Ji-won suddenly finds herself in the office kitchenette where Min-hwan just casually approaches her for a talk. She understandably freaks out and attacks him. Ji-won runs away in a panic and slowly realizes the shocking truth: she’s gone back in time! Ten years in the past to be more precise.
Ji-won is no longer a cancer patient and she’s just Min-hwan’s girlfriend rather than his wife. This is her second chance to make new choices! Can she prevent her terrible death? And why is her boss, Yoo Ji-hyuk, acting strange? You’ll have to read the manhwa or watch the TV series to find out!
General Thoughts
I wasn’t initially interested in this series until a co-worker of mine asked me if I had seen this new K-drama. I was confused until she explained the premise. I just put it on my list of things to watch, but didn’t think much of it. She was obsessed with reading the manhwa and watching the show during lunch break. Her fascination made me give it another look.
She explained the manhwa was on Webtoons and this was the series that finally convinced me to try reading comics on there. After I found the series I started reading. The twists and turns were pretty interesting. I found myself rooting Ji-won on her journey.
But of course you might be wondering, why in the world is this series called “Marry My Husband?” It is an actual thing Ji-won says in the comic. As she makes some subtle changes and new choices, she soon discovers that there are just some events that are inevitable. It doesn’t matter whether she gets burnt by the spilled coffee or her co-worker does. Someone is supposed to get burnt that day. She comes to the realization that one of the best ways to avoid her death is that someone else needs to end up with Min-hwan. So why can’t it be Su-min? I mean if she wanted Min-hwan so much, why not let her have him.
Su-min, I have some trash to throw away. Will you do it for me?
And we get to see the results. And they are a doozy.
If you’re interested in this series or you’ve checked it out before, leave a comment! Feel free to share this with friends who is also interested in this story and others like it!
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So here is another fun food related isekai! If you enjoyed Restaurant to Another World, this is a fun restaurant isekai story to check out.
The Basics
Unlike some of the other stories I’ve reviewed thus far, I have discovered very little information about this particular story. I actually read this story because I had discovered it on Amazon. I had done some searching for any other food related isekai series out there I could actually read. I managed to stumble on this one. It appears to be a manga only available on Comixology. Kindle users would also have access to.
One clue I did get was there was info on the original publisher: alphapolis. What is Alphapolis? A Google search revealed the answer of course! It is a Japanese publisher who mostly does online publishing. They release both light novels and manga. In fact they also created an English-language app for international audiences.
I don’t currently have this app mainly because I’ve read some negative reviews from other users. I discovered them as I was doing my research of Alphapolis. Perhaps if I read newer reviews that are more positive I’d look ingo this app. In the meantime I’ll get any future content from them via Kindle/Comixology.
Another light novel/manga title they’ve released is Tsukimichi: Moonlit Fantasy, which is a pretty popular anime series on Crunchyroll.
The Premise
Risa Kurokawa was a regular office worker in Japan. She’s got one great interest: food! She loves cooking and eating and demonstrates a real talent for it. She impresses people with her homemade lunches and tasty meals when she hosts friends. It’s this particular talent that causes the agricultural goddess in another world to teleport her to another world!
Risa is unable to go back home so she makes do with her new life. She is one of the small number of people able to see sprites. Her new companion, Basil, gets her help through a court magician, Gilford Hyde Claude. He and his wife, Anastasia, become her foster parents and provide her with much moral and financial support.
Risa could have enjoyed a life of aristocratic luxury, but she discovers a huge problem: the food in this world is terrible. Can Risa revolutionize cuisine in this world? You bet she can!
General Thoughts
So far there have been 9 volumes of this manga available on Amazon. It might not be the most action packed series out there. I will say that it’s a very delightful, relaxing series. There’s developments in terms of Risa befriending more people and helping those in need. And all of this was possible through the power of a tasty meal. I have no idea how long this series is, but I certainly hope we get more of the story.
Risa starts off with just her two foster parents helping her. Very quickly she has a staff helping her as the cafe she opens becomes the talk of the capital! Heartwarming stories like this are a big reason why I keep going back to meshi series. I hope that there will be more to this series. I can’t be sure if there are more volumes coming or what the situation is.
It’s really impressive what Risa is able to achieve during the time she’s in this new world. I can’t wait to see what other adventures she gets into. Hopefully she gets to have a happy life.
If you enjoyed this, leave a comment below! And please feel free to share this series with any friends who might also enjoy this story!
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As usual, this review corresponds to the first part of the podcast episode. The episode does include a short more detailed discussion of the story. If you’re not interested in hearing the spoilers, then feel free to stop listening when I do the countdown beforehand. Please share this with anyone you know who might be into this story!
This is a story that I discovered via YouTube. I had discovered a couple of different manhwa recap channels. This was one of the stories that I discovered on one of those channels. The story sounded so intriguing I had to actually read it for myself. So what did I think of this story? Keep reading!
The basics
As is the case with a lot of manhwa I’ve been reading, I do so via phone apps. Unless they are wildly popular titles like Solo Leveling, it’s pretty difficult to find out more information about them. At least without being fluent in Korean. So they only bit of info I can share with you is that I read this story via the Tapas app.
I have done a review of the Tapas app in case you’ve never used it before. You can read about it here.
The Premise
This story is an isekai tale. A fired office worker name Hajeong Park has put up with abusive behavior at her former company. She wakes up to discover she’s no longer Hajeong, but a noblewoman named Chloe Battenberg. As badly as her former colleagues were to her, Chloe had it worse. Despite Chloe’s noble title, everyone including servants, harass and sneer at her. Her husband, Duke Alphonse Battenberg, ignores her and knows absolutely nothing about her every day life.
Chloe is pretty timid, and not extremely skilled in social customs and etiquette. Hajeong still has some remaining resentment over how she had been treated by her former co-workers. She also feels some frustration with Chloe’s situation. She decides this is her second chance to change things. She sets about improving her situation and becomes more assertive.
Among the changes the new Chloe implements is she starts drinking tea. Hajeong was a real tea lover and had ambitions of opening her own tea house. After sharing her love and expertise with others, she soon finds herself starting a tea drinking culture in the new life she lives in.
General Thoughts
Unsurprisingly, I’ve read dozens of isekai stories in my life. They follow the same basic formula with some variations. So in that respect this isekai fits the formula of: waking up as a completely different person in another life and another world. What makes this different is the tea talk.
I have read some complaints about why there is so much talk about tea in the story. My only response is what do you expect from the title? Or maybe I do have a bias. I personally enjoy tea. I drink coffee as well, but I’m the type of person who needs to add stuff to coffee to make it drinkable. I find coffee too bitter and kind of sour over all. Which is why I have to add milk and sweetener of some kind.
Tea, on the other hand, is something I enjoy. I can find blends that are easy for me to drink without adding anything in it. This is why I generally prefer tea over coffee. Of course this is newsletter about Japanese and Korean comics, not food and drink.
The point I’m really trying to make here is that I am interested and enjoy tea. Therefore a story like this is exactly the kind that I enjoy. I feel like the story does a pretty good job of blending (heh!) factual information about tea within an isekai story. The main point of the story is the heroine changes her life and rises up in society. The fact tea is the avenue which the heroine uses makes this a delightful story. If you’re also interested in this type of story and you’re also a tea lover, check out this story!
If you enjoy this newsletter, leave a comment! Also please share this with anyone else you think would enjoy my writing!
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As a reminder, and to inform anyone new to this Substack, the following post is also the same thing as the first half of the podcast episode. The ending part of the episode will be some of my thoughts of the story with spoilers. If you haven’t read this story or you’d rather not get spoiled, you will get a warning before I begin the spoiler content.
The Basics
Unlike the other stories I’ve done reviews of, I can’t really find much information about this one. The only information I was able to gleam about this story is that allegedly there is a light novel in South Korea. However I don’t know this for sure. If anyone else has info, please feel free to reach out in the comments section.
I kept seeing this title popping up as a recommended title based on the other stories I was reading. Some of these other titles I’ll be reviewing in the future. It looked and sounded like a goofy story. However after a few weeks, I just through my hands up and decide why not?
This is a manhwa that is 60 chapters long on Webtoon. If you haven’t already read it already, I did a review of the Webtoon app. You can check out the review here.
The Premise
Yushin is a CEO of a conglomerate. He gets killed by a former mentor. When Yushin awakens, he discovers he has turned into a bass! Pretty quickly he realizes that he’s in a bizarre video game like situation. The aim of the game is to go from a baby fish to a full grown adult. Can he survive? Why did he even turn into a fish anyway? Can he trust the other fish who claim they’re also in the same situation as him? You’ll have to read this story to find the answers!
General Thoughts
I thought this would be a really dumb story. Yet I was really surprised at how emotional and thought out this story is. It’s a bizarre situation that the protagonist finds himself in. As you follow his story, you start learning more about the ecosystem that Yushin finds himself in. You also learn more about the other fish who appear to be in a similar circumstance as him. They were also humans who wound up turned into fish. And they’re in a bizarre scenario where they have to survive at the end.
I was genuinely not expecting to like this story. Yet after the first few chapters, the story develops quite a bit. I actually found myself really invested in Yushin’s time as a fish. It’s fascinating finding out how Yushin and some of the other fish he meets ended up in their situation.
I’d say that you should give this story a chance. If the first few chapters don’t intrigue you like they did for me, then sure go ahead and stop. However I will say you do get some answers to the mysteries if you keep reading. But that’s all I’ll say!
If you enjoy this post and my other scribblings, please share with others interested in the topics I write about!
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Hi everyone! This is the spoiler-free review of this particular webcomic that is available in the first half of the podcast episode. The second half of the episode will be a spoiler laden discussion of the story. Just a fair warning in case you choose to read the comic series yourself.
I’m now here to discuss another story that I’ve been reading on and off for the past four months. It’s a manhwa series available on Webtoon. The title is called I’m The Max-Level Newbie.
General info
Unlike many of the other stories on Webtoon, this is actually a story where only 4 chapters are available are free. You do have to actually pay to access the other chapters. It’s not clear whether this could change in the future, but at this time you have to pay at this time. As I discuss this manhwa, episode 157 just got released on Webtoon. In the podcast episode, I will only be discussing
You have to pay 3 coins per chapter. As a side note, I actually did a written general review of Webtoons. If you are interested in learning more about their in-app currency, you can read that review.
The Premise
The basic premise of the story is you have the protagonist, Kang Jinhyeok. He is a gamer who livestreams his run throughs of a notoriously difficult game called Tower of Trials. It’s so difficult that most gamers have ignored it and it’s no longer popular. Jinhyeok spends 11 years playing this game over and over again to the point where he knows everything about all 50 levels of this tower. He does garner a small fanbase of viewers who also stuck with him on the grueling game play.
Just as he finishes the game, actual giant towers just like Tower of Trials appear in different places around the world. The people of Earth are given an ominous warning. They have 90 days to clear each level of the tower. If at least one person can do it, they reset the clock. If they fail, the end of the world commences. Of course we’re all aware of one person in the entire world who can make this happen: Kang Jinhyeok.
So of course this manhwa series follows the adventures and antics of Jinhyeok as he makes his way up the tower with his experience and insider knowledge of the game. Because of course conveniently enough, the real life Tower works exactly like the game does.
General Thoughts
Overall I enjoyed this series. It definitely has plenty of action considering the plot centers on an action, tower/dungeon video game. The action is well drawn and you can imagine the movement of Jinhyeok and the other characters. There’s also a solid story in this series. There’s different storylines weaved in the series. Jinhyeok has allies that he picks up along the way. He equally has a lot of opponents with motives that he certainly doesn’t agree with.
In between the action and some of the scheming, there’s plenty of humor. Jinhyeok isn’t the typical protagonist. He’s pretty cocky in his knowledge of Tower of Trials. To be fair, he did spend 11 years mastering the original video game so he should be recognized for being an expert. He’s also pretty manipulative though I will acknowledge his manipulation mostly targets people who think he’s an easy mark. Oh how little they know. He’s also a troll particularly towards Cheon Yuseong.
I look forward to reading the rest of the series. I can’t help but wonder if the series is actually going to cover all 50 levels of the tower or not. But it does I look forward to it!
Have you been reading this series? Are you interested if you haven’t yet? Leave a comment so we can talk about it!
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If you’re new to this podcast and publication, welcome! When I reviews I post a written version that is the same (more or less) as the first half of the episode. The second half of the episode is a more detailed discussion of the story in question. If you haven’t seen the anime or read the manga/light novel, feel free to stop the episode when I do the countdown warning in the audio version.
This was not a title I thought existed. At all. I can’t even really remember how I discovered this title now. I only remember watching this on Crunchyroll before the pandemic. I found it really fascinating and kind of entertaining. But rather than just talk vaguely about it, let me just get to the review.
The Basics
Thermae Romae is a manga series published by Enterbrain in Japan. It was originally released as 6 volumes. In the United States, it’s been licensed by Yen Press and was released in 3 extra large volumes.
The series was adapted as an anime twice. The first one was in 2012 and is available on Crunchyroll. The more recent version was released in 2022 on Netflix. There were also two live action movies produced in Japan as well.
In February 2024, manga-ka Mari Yamazaki started releasing the sequel to Thermae Romae on the Shonen Jump+ app. I suspect it’s not yet available in English yet. However if anyone in the audience happens to be on the English version of the app, please reach out and let me know!
The Premise
During the reign of the Roman Emperor Hadrian, Lucius Modestus is a frustrated thermae architect. What’s a thermae? It’s basically a bathhouse. In particular it’s a Roman bathhouse that will include many different rooms and bathing tubs, etc. During a visit to a bathhouse he somehow gets teleported to modern day Japan. His short visits to Japan reinvigorates him and gives him inspiration for his work. He eventually goes back to Rome and implements the lessons learned. Every episode of the show and chapters of the manga introduce new problems he solves with his trips to Japan.
General Thoughts
This is actually a really good series! It’s a fun time travel story where an ancient Roman accidentally travels centuries into the future. He winds up subtly changing things in the past. It’s also really fascinating learning a bit more about Ancient Rome. I was familiar with the importance of bathing in Roman culture. It’s pretty interesting to see what they did and didn’t have. You’d certainly enjoy it if you also have an interest in Ancient Rome.
I do have to warn people who are pretty sensitive about this, but unsurprisingly Lucius does express opinions that could be considered racist by our standards. Though this does change in later parts of the stories once he develops more of an understanding and respect for Asian people.
To be fair, it would make more sense because there’s no evidence that Romans ever encountered East Asian or Southeast Asian people. Most Roman citizens living in Italy would have seen Africans and people from the Middle East due to the trade within the empire. But I don’t recall the Romans ever actually seeing East Asian people. They might have some vague awareness via Middle Eastern traders of other lands further east of them.
I’m rather curious what happens in the sequel series as the manga offered a pretty solid ending to the story. Also it’s clear there won’t be a sequel to the anime because the final episode ends somewhat differently from the manga.
Would you be interested in reading this series? Leave a comment below. Feel free to share this with others! Also feel free to mention what stories you’ve been watching or reading! If I’m not already checking them out, they’ll go on my personal list!
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Just as a note to anyone who is new to this podcast and publication. The following written review is a spoiler-free one that is the same as the first half of the episode. If you continue listening to the episode, I’ll continue with a short discussion that involves more details about what happened in the anime/manga/light novel, etc. If you want to avoid listening to spoilers, there will be a countdown warning before it starts.
Well I had previously done a review about Restaurant to Another World. Imagine my surprise when I discovered there was another series similar yet different from it. So here I am talking about Isekai Izakaya Nobu!
The Basics
This was a light novel series written on Shosetsuka ni Naro (like most light novels are). Unfortunately this series hasn’t been licensed in English or else I’d have read it by now. There is an on-going manga series with 18 volumes published thus far in Japan. Ten volumes have been translated and released by Udon Entertainment under the name “Otherworldly Izakaya Nobu.”
There was an anime series produced with 24 episodes. Naturally you can watch the series on Crunchyroll. Interestingly enough, there is also a live action series in Japan. You can watch the first two seasons on Viki in North America. A third season was also filmed and I hope that Viki will show it soon too.
Now some of you might be wondering, what is an izakaya? If you aren’t familiar, an izakaya is simply put a bar. However it’s not really like a sports bar or Cheers that Americans like me would be more familiar with. Izakayas have more commonality with taverns or tapas bars in Spain. You do get alcoholic drinks at an izakaya, but most commonly you also order food that pairs well with those drinks.
The Premise
Izakaya Nobu was experiencing a business slump in Kyoto. That is until one day the front door to the izakaya connected them to the city of Aitheria. Pretty soon the izakaya started seeing a variety of guests all fascinated by the mysterious, yet tasty food and drink. From city guards to noble lords, everyone who steps through the front door is welcome to take a seat by the counter, sample appetizers and order a meal that satisfies their taste buds. Who will come through the door next? Watch and read to find out!
General Thoughts
Over all I enjoyed this series! Just as I liked Restaurant to Another World, I really enjoyed this series as well. There is also some wonderful world building happening. The only real difference is that with Nekoya, only a limited number of people can access it on a specific day. Nobu, on the other hand, is always linked with Aitheria and all of the customers are people from that other world. This also means potential problems in Aitheria can really affect Nobu’s staff.
I’m hoping that the ebook version of the entire manga series will be available soon. I’ve been able to read the first seven volumes. It’s a shame the anime wasn’t continued, but I suppose it makes sense given how it’s an on-going series. However the live action series does continue past where the anime ended. Viki is a pretty good streaming service for all sorts of East Asian and Southeast Asian tv shows.
If you enjoyed this episode, leave a comment and share with other anime/manga/light novel fans! Your support and sharing my content with others is duly appreciated!
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I initially missed watching this series until a reactor on YouTube started talking about this one. After researching this series, I soon realized it was a Korean webtoon/manhwa. So here are my thoughts about it.
The Basics
This was originally a Korean web novel published on KakaoPage in South Korea. Later the webtoon was also released in KakaoPage. The English translation of the webtoon is available on Tappytoon and Lezhin. Lezhin is actually how I read this particular series. This series was literally the reason why I even knew Lezhin existed and started reading other comics on there. If you didn’t already read my reviews of both of those app, you can read them here:
A 12-episode anime series was released earlier this year and is available on Crunchyroll. There have been no announcements about whether or not they’re going to do a season 2.
The premise
This is a unique premise in that it is an isekai and time travel story. It is an isekai because the title character was originally a spoiled, hated villainess who is executed on the authority of her husband, Emperor Linden.
She gets reborn in South Korea (webtoon/light novel) and Japan (anime). In her new life, she’s born an orphan who has to work hard and becomes a world class surgeon. On her way to a consultation, the plane she’s on has a crash and she dies from her injuries.
She then wakes up and realizes she’s Elise again, but she’s a few years younger than when she was executed. This is her second chance at life! She also retains her medical knowledge from the other world along with her knowledge of future events in her life as Elise.
What will she do with this knowledge? Can she avert tragedy and save herself from a burning at the stake? You have to watch and read to find out!
General Thoughts
I have to confess there are things I liked and didn’t like about this series. I felt like there were some inconsistencies in how Elise’s world functioned. It feels like it’s a parallel world version of the Victorian era, yet there’s other aspects of the world that feel anachronistic for a version of that time period.
Also the development of her relationships with some characters feel too easy. She had a conflict with a character in the past and their conflict seemed to have been resolved too easily. I felt like some of that development wasn’t really done as well. Unfortunately I can’t get access to the novel, so I can’t be sure if this is an issue with the source material or it’s a adaptation issue.
Ultimately what kept me going with the series was I really like the relationship between Elise and Linden. Aside from her relationship with her family, that’s the other relationship I think that was pretty well done. Linden does have a healthy skepticism of Elise because of her past behavior. The way their relationship develops seems more plausible because we have dozens of chapters in the webtoon to make it happen.
Despite it’s flaws it would be good if they continued the anime with a season 2 because there’s some natural plot threads left dangling in the anime. And that’s because those threads are resolved later in the series. Overall, it’s really up to you whether you think it’s worth checking out. If you have Crunchyroll it doesn’t hurt watching the anime first. If you are actually intrigued, then search out the webtoon to read the rest. Especially in case it doesn’t continue with season 2.
Have you seen the anime? Have you read the webtoon or the light novel? If not would you? Leave a comment below!
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If you are new to this publication, salutations! This is the written version of the podcast episode! For anyone who is new, basically the written portion corresponds to the first half of the episode where I do a fairly spoiler-free review/overview of the title in question. If you listen to the audio, the second half of the episode (with a warning message) is the discussion of the story with some spoilers. This is the best way to accommodate both people curious about the series and fans who just are curious what I thought about this story. With all that said, please continue reading!
So this is literally the series that made me start looking into light novels. So I just had to do an episode about this particular series. Perhaps you’ll understand why and who knows? If you haven’t been reading light novels before, you’ll wind up doing so now.
The Basics
Like a large percentage of light novels that we’ve seen, this is a series originally published on Shosetsuka ni Naro. Unfortunately the last time the author updated the story on the website was in May 2021. So it’s highly unlikely this will get any more chapters. It’s possible, but not very likely. There are 6 volumes that were released. It was originally published by Shufunotomo in Japan and Seven Seas Entertainment in North America.
There are 4 volumes of the manga published by Square Enix in Japan and Yen Press in North America. You can watch 24 episodes in two seasons of the anime on Crunchyroll.
The Premise
In a unnamed district in Tokyo, there is a restaurant called The Western Restaurant Nekoya. It’s primary patrons are local office workers and tourists, so it usually opens Monday to Friday and closes on the weekends. However it secretly opens to a very different set of customers on Saturday. The front door becomes a gateway between our world with another world.
From elves to dragons to humans of various kingdoms, Nekoya’s Saturday patrons get to enjoy food that is unique from their own. Beyond serving tasty meals, this restaurant is a place where diverse people can interact with each other. What sort of impact does this humble restaurant make? You’ll have to watch and read!
General Thoughts
Like I said earlier, this is the series that made me get into light novels. I had done research into the series after I enjoyed the first season. I soon found out not only was it a light novel, the series was available in English. Very quickly I discovered other titles, which led to me creating this Substack publication and the Cafe Manga podcast.
It’s wonderful world building that is subtle and not too much info dumping in the exposition. The cast of characters are also great. Nekoya really is like Cheers, a place where everyone knows your name. Or in this case knows you enough to give you nicknames based on your regular order at the restaurant.
I think it’s a huge shame that the series has abruptly stopped getting updated on Shosetsuka ni Naro. I could see a potential for a lot of stories that could still be told. Seven Seas has put off releasing volume 6 of the light novel multiple times. Apparently it’s going to be released on October 15, but we’ll see if that’s true.
Have you watched the anime? Did you read the manga or light novel? If not would you do either? Leave a comment and let’s discuss!
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The Basics
This title is originally a light novel series written on Shosetsuka ni Naro and later published by Kodansha. The manga was also published by Kodansha. Naturally the USA subsidiary of Kodansha publish the English language translations of the light novel and manga. You can watch the now complete season 1 of the series on Crunchyroll.
It’s also been announced not long after the final episode aired that not only will there be a season 2, but they’re going to air in Fall 2024. I’m genuinely surprised. I figured it would maybe be Summer or Fall 2025, but 2024? Amazing and cool. I actually have been reading the light novel series. Five volumes have been released in English. The fifth volume was only just recently released on June 25th. I haven’t read that volume yet, but will be doing that soon.
The Premise
A Japanese salaryman dies and he gets reincarnated as the young son of a baron. Young Ars Louvent is the son and heir of Lord Raven Louvent. They live in the Summerforth empire. Ars possesses a really excellent appraisal skill that no one else seems to possess. It allows him to scan people and find out if they have skills and aptitudes in certain types of categories. His long term goal is to recruit as many talented people as possible. He hopes his team of talented people will help him improve their small barony of Lamberg.
If A Song of ice and Fire and all the other isekai titles tell us anything, it’s that conflicts are bound to happen in a medieval society. And that’s exactly what happens. The Summerforth empire shows signs of cracks as the current emperor is an apathetic boy who has regents and ambitious councilors doing the actual ruling. Missian, the province Ars lives in, is on the brink of civil war. The duke of Missian is an elderly man with two sons. Traditional male-preference primogeniture says the older son is heir. However the father seems to favor the younger son as being more talented in his opinion.
Can Ars and his people survive these upcoming challenges? You’ll have to watch the anime and read either the manga or the light novel to find out!
General Thoughts
Over all, I like this series. I’ve read and watched my share of isekai stories. This is a series that has a lot of potential and really does appeal to me. The biggest thing I liked about this series is that it addresses some of the more serious aspects of feudal society without being too grim. I think it does a decent balance where they acknowledge the bad stuff, but they don’t always depict it “on screen.”
Just as not everyone can tolerate watching Game of Thrones or House of the Dragon, not everyone will want to watch super gritty anime or read dark stories. This series does have light moments so it’s not gloomy or too heavy.
Ars does have to navigate politics to some degree since he’s supposed to be a baron after his father. He has to play the balancing game between that various factions who have their own goals. Not necessarily to his own benefit should he ally himself with them.
I personally look forward to see how things progress for Ars in the future. I hope that the light novel will continue and doesn’t abruptly stop. I looked at the Shosetsuka ni Naro entry for the light novel. The author has updated the story in June, so they are still writing. It does look like they’re not writing as frequently this year as they did in 2023, which is probably why Volume 5 was released in Japan in July 2023 and volume 6 only came out this past April.
What do you think of this series? Would you check it out if you haven’t already? Leave a comment below and share with other fans!
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As this is a podcast episode that will contain spoilers, the written content I’m doing here will just cover basic info about the podcast episode along with some important announcements. This is available for those of you who either aren’t able to listen or would rather read the info. A transcript of the episode is also available on platforms that permit them.
Long time no speak!
I have to acknowledge what was meant to be a sporadic posting schedule turned into a 4 month hiatus. The short answer is that basically my other podcast took over my time. If you didn’t already know, I’m also the host of a podcast about A Song of Ice and Fire saga by George R.R. Martin. If you’re actually interested in listening (or you know someone else who might!), you can listen to the show on https://www.thewesterosiprimer.com. I’ve created an Instagram and Twitter accounts for the show. There is also a newsletter. I started it on Substack! You can find it here.
My workflow has eased up slightly so now I’m producing content for this show again. Things will be in starts and stops, but at this time I do intend to continue Cafe Manga podcast. I can’t guarantee that I’ll consistently release episodes every week. I will be producing episodes in batches so you’ll at least get a few episodes for a few weeks before a hiatus happens again.
Of course people listening to this show on podcast platforms should try subscribing to my publication because they’re going to get content from me every week even if it’s not audio. And as I’ve said in previous episodes, there’s written content that isn’t going to be on the podcast. Like the recent series of posts I just finished about the different webcomic apps I use.
Future content on the podcast
Despite the fact that the name of the podcast is Cafe Manga, I’ve decided to include manhwa into the mix. There’s been an increase of anime in recent years that is based on Korean stories. One big example is Solo Leveling, which is a story I’ll be featuring in an episode VERY soon.
On top of that I personally have a growing interest in Korean content. I have been watching K-dramas and Korean variety shows pretty consistently since around 2012. So I feel like it only makes sense to have both Japanese and Korean stories be included on the podcast. I’m already doing this on the newsletter. With that said, let’s get into Dr. Stone!
Spoiler free thoughts about the final arc
Overall I was pretty satisfied with the ending of the series as I read the manga. I felt that they did a pretty good job giving us some exciting adventures in the world tour. I also thought it was an interesting reveal of the Why-Man and what Why-Man’s goal was.
If I were to criticize anything, I’d probably criticize the ending. It was a bit unexpected though in context it made some sense. I was still left with a couple questions, but of course I won’t get answers to them. The pace in places felt sped up compared to the earlier arcs. I guess if the story delved more into development, it would drag the story into even more volumes of the manga or a season 5.
It was only while I was reading the manga that I realized that Riichiro Inagaki and Boichi had actually been invited to New York Comic Con (NYCC) back in 2019. Unfortunately I hadn’t paid attention or was aware of Dr. Stone that year otherwise. I would have gone to that panel. To be fair I was more fixated on Tom Hiddleston and Paul Rudd attending. (Yes I took pictures with both of them.)
If you readers are interested in more details about the final arc, please listen to the episode (or read the transcript!) to get the spoiler content!
What did you think of the episode? What do you think of the upcoming season 4 of Dr. Stone? Anything you’re excited or intrigued about? Leave a comment. Let’s talk!
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