For manga readers, there’s never a shortage of new material. While hundreds of titles are available in the U.S., there are many more that have yet to make it to North America or breakout to a larger audience in this country. For the uninitiated. finding a new title that’s worthy of following can be like searching for a pebble in a sandstorm. Sometimes, what we really need is guidance, and that’s where The Manga Concierge comes in.
Earlier this month, Torai Eisu launched The Manga Concierge YouTube channel in collaboration with the Trigger Manga Salon in Shibuya, Japan. The Trigger Manga Salon has built its reputation by carefully selecting each title within its library and offering the advice of manga experts who can find titles that serve the individual tastes of their customers. The Manga Concierge videos are essentially providing the same service on a much larger scale.
You may notice is that The Manga Concierge’s first video is very well-produced, but if you don’t speak Japanese then may want to click on the closed-captioned subtitles. Even with the language barrier, Torai Eisu proves to be an apt host for this series, as his passion shines through. For the initial installment, three titles were chosen based around the theme of “games.” The first pick was Banjo no Polaris, a chess-themed manga about a young boy who finds himself while learning how to play chess. The second title chosen was Final Re:Quest, which may be the very first manga that was fully drawn in pixel art. Taking its inspiration from the video games Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest, Final Re:Quest explores what happens after the game ends. The final selection was Gutshot, a manga centered around Texas Hold’em Poker, the most popular version of poker. Within that story, a young girl’s ability to read expressions allows her to become a master poker player. All three titles come highly recommended by The Manga Concierge.
New episodes will be posted every month, but The Manga Concierge also noted that “some of the titles introduced in the program may not currently be available in your country.” But now, we’ll know which ones to look forward to!
What did you think about The Manga Concierge’s first video? Let us know in the comment section below!
Image Credit: The Manga Concierge