Manga Archives | Otaku No Culture

When “Bonds” Are Important, We Also Need To Know Zenzo, The Creative Talent Behind This Reimagining of Monkey King

ZENZO’s debut manga Bonds offers a visually stunning and emotionally nuanced retelling of a portion of Journey to the West, focusing on the complex relationship between Sanzo and Son Goku.

Bonds Manga Cover — **Available to read digitally (Kindle).**

Manga Mavericks Books

ZENZO is a promising new artist whose enigmatic pen name stirs curiosity. With Bonds being his debut let’s hope he’s not a one-hit wonder. All we know about him so far is that he studied under Takafumi Adachi, the creator of Beyblade: Metal Fusion, and he won both the Japan Representative Selection and Candidate Award in the Featured Manga category for the 2019 Goku Cup manga contest.

His debut work reimagines a small part of the Chinese version of The Odyssey, and as a standalone work, it’s a fitting reintroduction to one of China’s most revered heroes! This adaptation takes one chapter from Journey to the West and dives into examining the intricate relationship between Sanzo, a Buddhist monk, and Son Goku. The latter has not yet become The Monkey King.

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Unleashed: Manga Mavericks’ Fall Lineup

When the Summer daze feels long, Manga Mavericks has those hiding in the sun covered with their release of titles this week. And just in time, they also announced what’s coming for Autumn!

Manga Mavericks Books Card Manga Mavericks Books announced their next wave of book releases! And these one-shots promise more adventure and also fun for readers who want something different in their Japanese comics. Manga Mavericks Books will release these titles this fall. For those wondering about their ongoing series, I’ll See You at Ebisu Studios, a two-volume series, launches in October. Red String, a Japan-based localization company, will partner with MMB on this.

Details on these Manga Mavericks releases are:

FIRST TIME IN TAIWAN:
A DELICIOUS ADVENTURE!
by Muta Yuki · Print SRP: $7.99 / Digital SRP: $3.99 · 44 pages · ISBN: 9781968054120 · For Readers 13+

Available October 2025

Told through the visage of cute animal avatars, this delicious manga travelogue follows the journey of a mangaka and friends’ as they explore Taiwan via both illustrations and photography. Readers can pull up a chair and enjoy the deliciousness in this release without the need to worry about calories!

Print Pre-order:
https://store.mangamavericks.com/products/first-time-in-taiwan-a-delicious-adventure

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New Publisher Manga Mavericks Books To Launch July 16, 2025!

To stand out is tough. However, it’s safe to say Manga Mavericks Books will be different with the titles they plan on releasing to satisfy readers of this visual book format world-wide!

Manga Mavericks Books Card From podcaster to being a publisher, Manga Mavericks LLC, has branched out to offer books to readers worldwide that are unique. They began in 2016 and mushroomed into a multimedia company anchored by a successful webcast network, a team of journalists and reviewers dedicated to exploring manga as both a medium and as an industry across the world. This company is working with Japanese translation company Red String to get their new business venture ready for world-wide distribution.

When the competition is tough to stand out, to seek out works that can stand out can be tough! What this publisher chose as their launch titles looks great! I’m particularly excited about Bonds. Countless past retellings about the Monkey King, particularly animated versions, make me curious about this graphic novel’s new approach to showcasing the trickster god’s nature. Before his imprisonment, he caused a lot of trouble, and only after his release did his arrogance subside.

These releases launch July 16th, and pre-orders can be made exclusively on their website. Digital editions will be available from Amazon, Google Play, iBooks, Kobo and Nook.

The first three titles to be offered by Manga Mavericks LLC are:

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If You Love Star Wars Vision Then The Art of Star Wars: A New Hope—The Manga Will Rekindle That Passion

Star Wars Visions isn’t the only place to get alternate world takes of what goes on in a galaxy far, far away. With the Art of Star Wars: A New Hope, a lot of comparisons can be made to see how styles have changed.

From the Press Release:

As part of the Star Wars Celebration, Dark Horse Comics is announcing that they will publish The Art of Star Wars: A New Hope—The Manga. Two stunning volumes will each be available wherever books are sold, and will spotlight Hisao Tamaki’s original art from his acclaimed 1997 manga adaptation of Star Wars: A New Hope and include a new English translation. Ahead of retail launch in Summer 2026, Dark Horse Comics will also be offering special editions through the publisher’s first ever Kickstarter campaign.

This beautifully drawn manga will be available through Kickstarter in two distinct editions, each offering a unique way to experience this extraordinary adaptation. The Collector’s Edition features the same two-volume hardcovers that will be available at retail but with Kickstarter-exclusive covers. The Masterpiece Edition will faithfully reproduce Tamaki’s art at its original size in two volumes and include an auxiliary volume. The Masterpiece Edition format will be only available through Kickstarter. Fans can now follow the prelaunch page for the Kickstarter campaign here.

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The Crunchyroll Game Vault Now Has 50 Exclusive Titles! And At the End of the Year, Manga Will Be Added Too!

For those folks who have not subscribed to this streaming service, the higher service tiers give folks access to the Crunchyroll Game Vault!

When the Crunchyroll brand focuses on something other than its streaming service, the mobile gaming division may remain relatively unknown. Only those who have joined at the highest service level (Mega or Ultimate Fan) will know the Crunchyroll Game Vault. And for those folks not up to date, this company will launch a digital manga service later this year!

And with 50 games to try out, it may be time to check out what they got. While I’m not expecting to find the elusive Wild Arms: Million Memories, hopefully some distributor will consider it!

From the Press Release:

“Since launching Crunchyroll Game Vault in November 2023, we worked diligently to build a library that is quickly reaching an estimated 500 hours of immersive gameplay hours. This, paired with more than 25,000 of anime available to stream now on Crunchyroll, allows for endless adventuring,” said Terry Li, Executive Vice President of Emerging Business, Crunchyroll & General Manager of Crunchyroll Games.

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If You Love Asian Comics: Evolution of an Art Form is an Exhibit You Must See!

Throughout most of Asia, the love for comic books is all over, and just what’s presented at Asian Comics: Evolution of an Art Form is certainly worth studying!

Runs until January 4, 2026

One week following the opening of Asian Comics: Evolution of an Art Form at the Museum of Pop Culture in Seattle, the excitement is in the air. This showcase of over 400 works from all over Asia even has me wanting to pick up the pencil again and try drawing! While I’m nowhere as talented as the artists on display, just what’s shown traces how this style from this world developed.

It’s not just about manga, but also manhua (the Chinese version) and whatever name it goes by in other countries like Malaysia too. Here, visitors will find works from creators like Osamu Tezuka, Zao Dao, Hur Young Man, and Lat. The gallery also features under-represented artists such as Abhishek Singh and Miki Yamamoto.

This travelling exhibit is making a lengthy stop at Emerald City and there’s no official word yet if it’ll hit Canada too. Some people may not want to cross the border to check out this show, but I say it’s worth the expense. While some of the earliest representations were wall scroll paintings, much has since changed.

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