manga


The TradeWaiters 122: Gutter-Takes: On the Arrival of Manga

On today’s Gutter-Take, Jam, Jeff, and JD talk about manga. What’s it like to read manga for the first time? What was it like for manga to be widely available in North America for the first time? And what have been the lasting impacts on both readers and creators alike […]


The TradeWaiters 114: “Our Dreams at Dusk” Vol. 3&4 by Yuhki Kamatani

Our panellists are back with volumes 3 and 4 of Our Dreams at Dusk by Yuhki Kamatani. This time we get to talk about all the characters in depth, including matters of life, death, marriage, and friendship. We finish off the series knowing a lot more about the characters, but […]


The TradeWaiters 113: “Our Dreams at Dusk” Vol. 1&2 by Yuhki Kamatani

This week Jam, Jeff, and JD read the first two volumes of Our Dreams at Dusk by Yuhki Kamatani. As Jeff says in the episode, this is a deep dive into queer culture in Japan that celebrates the importance of community and third spaces. Join us as we visit the […]


The TradeWaiters 98: “Witch Hat Atelier” Vol. 1 & 2 by Kamome Shirahama

Today the Tradewaiters got lost in a fantasy manga with the first two volumes of Witch Hat Atelier by Kamome Shirahama. We’ll break down what’s great about this comic, a few things that are maybe not as great, but mostly have a good time reading a book about kids who […]


The TradeWaiters 97: “Barefoot Gen” Vol. 1 & 2 by Keiji Nakazawa

For this episode we read the first two volumes of Barefoot Gen, Keiji Nakazawa’s semi-autobiographical account of surviving the bombing of Hiroshima when he was six years old. Barefoot Gen is the best book about the worst thing. Be prepared for it to be super traumatic, but no other book […]


The TradeWaiters 94: “Descending Stories” Vol. 1&2 by Haruko Kumota

Are you ready for a tale of tragedy and unrequited love (probably)? Come, sit down, and gather round as we read Descending Stories by Haruko Kumota. This series is “manga on hard-mode,” and is our first introduction to the Japanese art of rakugo, or “falling stories.” Join us as we […]


The TradeWaiters 87: “Yotsuba&!” Vol. 1&2 by Kiyohiko Azuma

This week Jam, Jeff, and JD read Yotsuba&! by Kiyohiko Azuma, for a breath of fresh air and a story with the lowest stakes imaginable. We get into reliving childhood, the importance of a good translator, top tier comedic pacing, and ask who this comic is actually supposed to be […]


The TradeWaiters 82: “Death Note” Vol. 3&4 by Tsugumi Ohba & Takeshi Obata

It’s finally time for the third and fourth volumes of Death Note by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata! We finally get to see Light and L become the best of fake friends, and we get to meet Misa, the third pillar of our triumvirate of sociopathic twenty-year-olds. Join Jam, JD, […]