Category Archives: manga

Ro, Ro, Ro Your Bots: Ogiue Maniax Status Update for October 2026

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It’s that time again—the one where I go, “What the hell, there’s a new anime season out?!” But Fall 2026 feels extra special in the sense that it is chock full of giant robots. Not only is there a new Magic Rayearth, but also Good Smile’s new project Dandivine, Dark Machine, and whatever Vertex Force is. I’m not going to say any of them will necessarily be good (aside from Rayearth), but I really want to check all of them out. On top of that, we still have Oshii Mamoru’s new VOTOMS waiting in the wings, and the director of Godzilla Minus One apparently has a mecha-genre film due out in January.

I don’t know if this will be a new golden age or anything, but I’m hoping that at least one of the new original works shows promise. It’ll also be fun to see if any of them get into Super Robot Wars someday.

Thank you to my Patreon subscribers, especially these fine folks:

General:

Ko Ransom

Diogo Prado

Alex

Dsy

Sue Hopkins fans:

Serxeid

Hato Kenjirou fans:

Elizabeth

Yajima Mirei fans:

Machi-Kurada

Blog Highlights from September

Absence Makes the Heart Grow Weebier: Otakon 2026

My full convention report for Otakon 2026.

Crossing Dimensions: Skyline Serenade (and Seigetsu Stars)

A fun and beautiful event!

The VTuber with Super Robot Spirit: Tsukishiro Cecil
Calliope Mori, Beyond the “Rapping Reaper”

Some thoughts on Myth’s grim reaper on the group’s 6th anniversary.

Kio Shimoku

Spotted Flower Is Coming Back in a New Magazine!!

SPOTTED FLOWER! And I don’t know why, but the words “The babes are back!” keeps popping up in my head.

Kio Shimoku Twitter Highlights September 2026

Also some tweets.

Closing

Because so much of September was devoted to writing about the stuff I attended in August, it ended up being a very VTuber-heavy month as well. I think October will have more anime and manga reviews (as well as hopefully my second and final interview from Otakon 2026), so I expect the balance to not be so lopsided.

That all said, it’s been a wild time in that respect. Between Terra404’s and Amano Nene’s graduations, a new hololive unit, IRyS solo live, and the return of Saba, I’m having all sorts of feelings. So, really, who knows?

Kio Shimoku Twitter Highlights September 2026

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Spotted Flower is back, baby! That and more in this month’s tweets.

Kio finds that with age, the habits he’s developed when drawing can cause issues with balance and proportion, like the position of eyes and the size of the head. Since he does digital art now, he goes back and fixes stuff.

https://twitter.com/kioshimoku1/status/2096578369240641953

A poster from attending the How Do You Like Wednesday? anniversary show.

Spotted Flower is continuing! See this post for more info.

https://twitter.com/kioshimoku1/status/2100957128311841151

Kio ordered some manga at the same time: The Kinks Volume 4 and Under 3 Volumes and 4. However, only The Kinks arrived, which has him a little nervous about the other books.

Kio loves the viciousness of this character in Dekapai Kishi.

Girls und Panzer Episode 9 streamed for free on Youtube. Kio recalls that he liked the episode so much that he actually showed his recording to his editor at the time.

Kio sharing someone’s photos of Chuo University, the visual reference for the college in Genshiken.

Spotted Flower Is Coming Back in a New Magazine!!

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In February of this year, the manga magazine Rakuen: Le Paradis ended its run after seventeen years. With its seasonal schedule and experimental titles by an eclectic collection of authors, Rakuen stood out as a very unusual publication. Among these titles was Kio Shimoku’s Spotted Flower.

However, it was revealed this month that Rakuen is getting a successor! The new magazine, titled Souten: Le Ciel Azur, is retaining the authors published in Rakuen with a new thrice-annual publication schedule of physical issues, while also retaining the posting of supplemental web manga. 

And yes, this includes Spotted Flower! In a few previous Twitter posts, Kio has been talking about doing manuscripts for a mysterious something, and I have to wonder now if this was it.

Souten will be under LEED Publishing, which was founded in the 1970s as an off-shoot of Takao Production, the studio founded by late Golgo 13 author Saito Takao. The Twitter account is the same as the old Rakuen one but under a new name, though it seems old links work just fine.

Kio also commented on Twitter about the news, saying that he drew Chapter 51 expecting it to be the end of Spotted Flower, and put everything he had into it. The continuation can be considered the start of “Chapter 2,” and he’s mentioned that “the limiters are gone.” Given everything we’ve seen so far, this has me excited, nervous, and kind of scared. 

I’m looking forward to what he has in store, especially the saga of Ogino-sensei.

Cons and Concerts: Ogiue Maniax Status Update for September 2026

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August was very busy! I attended Otakon at the start of the month, then had a whirlwind of an Anime NYC a few weekends later, where I probably attended more music events than I probably should have.

I’m still trying to play catch-up on all my posts, while also trying to make any timely posts (especially those with limited time frames for watching, like VTuber concerts.

And then all these big celebrities with influence in nerd circles and beyond keep passing away! I plan to write a little something, but it’s kind of overwhelming and a stark reminder that time is ticking away. Fun.

Big thanks to this months Patreon members, with especially big thanks to those below:

General:

Ko Ransom

Diogo Prado

Alex

Dsy

Sue Hopkins fans:

Serxeid

Hato Kenjirou fans:

Elizabeth

Yajima Mirei fans:

Machi-Kurada

Blog Highlights from August

Otakon 2026 Interview: Studio BONES Co-Founder Minami Masahiko

My first of two Otakon interviews!

Soul of Chogokin Godmars and Respect for the Late Murakami Katsushi

A review and a tribute.

The VTuber with Super Robot Spirit: Tsukishiro Cecil

I like many VTubers, but how many can pull out the opening to Daitarn 3 or something?

Kio Shimoku

Kio Shimoku Twitter Highlights August 2026

Kind of a sparse month, which I’m thankful for.

Closing

This month was unusually mecha-tacular. All the more appropriate that I’m finally making time to play through Super Robot Wars Y.

And of course, I have to say it: Till all are one.

Kio Shimoku Twitter Highlights August 2026

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A relatively sparse month for August.

All of Dekapai Kishi Matari Tooru! (a manga about a big-boobed female knight) was available to read for free. Kio read through everything at once, which left his head spinning (in a good way).

Kio has been recording a bunch of summer anime.

Celebrating the appearance of the Yamato 1 in the 2026 Ghost in the Shell (I think? Will update with better context once I’ve watched it).

Kio has always had two external hard drives he uses for backups. He’s had to get a new one recently, when the cost of hardware has increased.

Kio bought tickets for both the Chiikawa movie and the latest part of Patlabor EZY.

Kio has been doing manuscripts seemingly nonstop for the past two years.

After some hard work, Kio got some ice cream.

https://twitter.com/kioshimoku1/status/2092997244429676708

A model kit of the AAA Wunder from Evangelion!

Kio won an opportunity to attend a live viewing of How Do You Like Wednesday?

Strong Summer Sun: Ogiue Maniax Status Update for August 2026

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July was the start of a new anime season, and what an incredible summer lineup. I’m actually worried that I don’t have enough time to watch everything I’d like, which includes Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongol, Ghost in the Shell (2026), Goodbye Lara, Young Ladies Don’t Play Fighting Games, and so on. And that’s not even mentioning how good Star Detective Precure! has been. I’ll have to pick and choose my battles, and have enough faith in myself that I’ll circle back around to watch what I couldn’t get to initially.

You may have noticed that the past month’s blog posts have been even more VTuber-tacular than normal. There just happened to be a number of concert streams I watched and wanted to review before their watch periods expired, and the result is my heaviest month in terms of that subject matter. I don’t expect the same will happen in August.

Here are this month’s special Patreon members, whom I thank for their support:

General:

Ko Ransom

Diogo Prado

Alex

Dsy

Sue Hopkins fans:

Serxeid

Hato Kenjirou fans:

Elizabeth

Yajima Mirei fans:

Machi-Kurada

Blog Highlights from July

Two-Hit Combos: hololive EN 4th Concert “Serendipity”

I didn’t attend in person this time, but I still enjoyed the hell out of hololive EN’s 4th concert.

Juufuutei Raiden Has a Thunderbolt Fantasy Collab?!

Now this was unexpected! Two of my favorite things, together? I hope this draws more eyes to both Thunderbolt Fantasy and hololive.

A Spirit for Revenge, the Sculpted Physique of a Pollo: Rooster Fighter

Rooster Fighter surprised me in the best way. I hope you check out this review and the series.

Kio Shimoku

Kio Shimoku Twitter Highlights July 2026

Kio gives some thoughts about new versions of old classics.

Closing

A new hololive mobile game came out, and while it’s pretty fun, I’m wary of the way these things try to monopolize all my attention. I actively have tried to avoid doing dailies because I know they’re an insidiously easy time sink. I’ll have to let you all know if I’ve fallen victim to its charms by September.

Also, by the time this goes out, Otakon will be wrapping up. Hope it was a good con for all attending!

Kio Shimoku Twitter Highlights July 2026

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This month, Kio visits the Afternoon exhibit and gives thoughts about the new Ghost in the Shell anime.

Kio dreads (correctly) the chances of Japan getting through the World Cup when their potential path includes Brazil, Morocco, and France.

https://twitter.com/kioshimoku1/status/2073795500185383116
https://twitter.com/kioshimoku1/status/2073796966723793408
https://twitter.com/kioshimoku1/status/2073796212218818877

Genderswap character art for Kio’s Star Wars parody, Sister Wars. Luke Skywalker was raised as a boy (father is Padmé, mother is Anakin), Han is basically Han, and Leia is an otoko no ko.

Kio explains that Sister Wars is not necessarily a “genderswap” alternate universe but one where only girls are allowed to become Jedi, and to defy that, some hide their gender.

Kio watched the new Ghost in the Shell and was grinning all the way through.

“If we say it’s all technically Ghost in the Shell, can we adapt all of Masamune Shirow’s works?”

Wishing fellow manga artist Kusada a happy birthday. (Kio interacts with Kusada pretty often.)

Kio likes the Dodge Danko anime.

https://twitter.com/kioshimoku1/status/2076689010588868704

Kio is impressed by Asano Inio’s 3D modeling of a room and shows his own attempt at 3D modeling he gave up on.

The official account for the mascot of anime store Fantasista reposts Kio’s drawing of her. She recommends everyone read Hashikko Ensemble.

Kio excited about the television airing schedule for Patlabor EZY File 2.

After the World Cup finals, Kio gives his thoughts. He’s impressed by Messi as always. He also finds it interesting that what ultimately overcame Argentina was not the power, technique, and speed of France, but rather the way Spain evaded and made Argentina crumble. He also jokes that defeating Argentina meant engaging in duels rather than playing a game.

Showing off the photo spot for the Genshiken exhibit at the Afternoon 40th Anniversary exhibit. According to Kio, it’s the color spread from a particular chapter.

Some ads for the exhibit, featuring Genshiken and Big Wind-Up.

https://twitter.com/kioshimoku1/status/2079483580968050774
https://twitter.com/kioshimoku1/status/2079571062426337456

Kio at the exhibit!

The 2026 Ghost in the Shell adapts the manga chapters “Revolt of the Robots” and “The Making of a Cyborg” in a pretty direct manner, which is pretty surprising to Kio. He thinks they worked well adapting to anime, and he likes the conversation between Batou and the Fuchikoma.

Kio finds the use of Ohtsuka Akio (the original voice of Batou) here interesting in a funny way.

Cooked Like Hot Dogs: Ogiue Maniax Status Update for July 2026

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This month, I feel incredibly fortunate to have a good life, and I wish to have a country that could provide good fortune to others, now more than ever. I don’t know how long it would take, but I hope we can someday live in a place where all the xenophobia, sexism, racism, and continuous trampling of the poor are no longer systemically baked into everything. I want people to love and thrive and not be so punished for things beyond their control.

Thank you to my Patreon members below for their generosity!

General:

Ko Ransom

Diogo Prado

Alex

Dsy

Sue Hopkins fans:

Serxeid

Hato Kenjirou fans:

Elizabeth

Yajima Mirei fans:

Machi-Kurada

Blog Highlights from June

20 Years Late to the Party: Thoughts on Pokémon Champions and VGC Double Battles

Competitive Pokémon used to be one of my biggest loves in life, so revisiting it through Pokémon Champions has been a time.

Does a Noble Cause Embiggen the Smallest Man?—Mobile Suit Gundam Hathaway: The Sorcery of Nymph Circe

My review of the second Gundam Hathaway movie. My review title is a little tongue-in-cheek, but I promise that it’s not a big joke.

Dooby3d’s Big Ears

Happy Birthday to Dooby.

Kio Shimoku

Kio Shimoku Twitter Highlights June 2026

Kio hits some interesting topics this month…

Closing

There are a lot of VTuber concerts this month, including from hololive, so I get the feeling I’m going to be writing a lot about them. I don’t intend to make July nothing but those, but no guarantees!

Also, I watched the first episode of F.D Signifier’s Goon World, which is about the sheer unavoidable volume of pornographic material that people encounter these days, and the myriad complexities that come out of living in that world. It’s a topic I’ve been thinking a lot about myself in recent years (especially with how the internet encourages parasocial interactions), and I’m glad someone like F.D is tackling such a difficult topic.

Kio Shimoku Twitter Highlights June 2026

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This month, Kio comments a bunch on his titles for the Monthly Afternoon 40th Anniversary exhibit. 

Also, it turns out that he drew a short comic about how he became a fan of futanari.

Manga author panpanya drew the final web bonus for Rakuen, which involves exploring a store based on all the different Rakuen titles. Kio comments “Heh-heh-heh, what a suspicious store this. How wonderful…”

The Afternoon 40th Anniversary exhibit has Genshiken acrylic panels for sale, featuring panels from the original manga.

The Afternoon exhibit highlights Kio’s Yonensei, to which Kio responds that he can feel his blood pressure rising.

https://twitter.com/kimirito/status/2064583194926801264

To celebrate the 500th issue of Young Comic, the magazine interviewed various creators about their fetishes, and Kio drew a short informational comic about his fondness for futanari. Kio comments that the preview thumbnail makes it look like he’s calling himself a futanari. 

(I’ll probably write a summary of Kio’s entry and post it to the blog in the near future.)

Anniversary exhibit entries for Genshiken Nidaime and Hashikko Ensemble. Kio thinks the color is strange on the Hashikko Ensemble cover.

Kimi Rito (author of The History of Hentai) comments that Kio’s love of futanari was conveyed quite yell, to which Kio responds with hearts.

Kio comments further that it was supposed to be futanari but he wandered off topic some. Nevertheless, it was a fun gig.

Exhibit entry for Gonensei.

https://twitter.com/kioshimoku1/status/2067627453183594622

Kio went to the exhibit for Parasyte. He still finds it to be a most bizarre and interesting work.

Having watched the World Cup match between Japan and the Netherlands, Kio says that getting a tie score demonstrates that the Japan team isn’t just for show, and that they have what it takes to win.

Watching Ueda Ayase play is also apparently quite the rollercoaster.

Kio started trying out “hard light layers” for color illustrations, and it’s working surprisingly well.

Running for Time: Ogiue Maniax Status Update for June 2026

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This past month was lighter on anime and manga–specific content for that reason, which I hope to rectify.

My mind feels like it’s in a whirl. There are a lot of things I want to write about anime-wise, but I find myself unable to get everything out there in a timely fashion. On a personal level, I think I’m struggling with writing well and putting out insightful commentary. I’m shooting from the hip pretty often, for better or for worse.

June is actually a month I look forward to, though, as it’s an important time for me. I have many plans, and I look forward to some memorable experiences.

Thank you to my Patreon members below for their generosity!

General:

Ko Ransom

Diogo Prado

Alex

Dsy

Sue Hopkins fans:

Serxeid

Hato Kenjirou fans:

Elizabeth

Yajima Mirei fans:

Machi-Kurada

Blog Highlights from May

My First VTuber Con: OshiUplink

It was a great time, and I hope they come back for a second year

The Next Step Towards World Conquest: Secret Society holoX Live 2026 First Mission

The hololive Gen concert I’d been waiting for.

Boys Curry: Simple, Classic Dishes in Jinbocho

The first of multiple planned reviews of curry restaurants in Japan, based on a trip from earlier this year.

Kio Shimoku

Kio Shimoku Twitter Highlights May 2026

Kio gives his thoughts on Patlabor EZY, Ghost in the Shell, and more.

Closing

It’s also been a hell of a time as a VTuber fan, between a Haachama anniversary message that’s trying to bring hope after some serious turmoil, two graduations from V4Mirai, and more. Since Saturday, I find myself listening to the final cover from Komo Dokueki (the Mahoromatic opening) and Serina Maiko’s cover of “Secret Base.”