Eagle Eye Book Shop's Book Corner: Manpa

It's that time of the year again, Father's Day. The time for us to appreciate those who tell us all about their niche hobbies, cook up some kick-ass soups & stews, can take & make a good joke, and do a lot of other important things for us. One of the things I'm most grateful to my father for is how early and often he's brought good art into my life, whether that be through showing me movies like "Dazed and Confused" when I was much too young or expounding upon me the greatness of Frank Lloyd Wright. And while our tastes don't always align, we can always a have good conversation about a book, movie, building, or anything else. So, in honor of my father, I'll be sharing with you all some of the art I enjoy. And today that art happens to be: Dad Manga.

Up first from Yotsuba&! is Yousuke Koiwai, the single father of the titular Yostuba and a figure who I find to be generally aspirational. As you may remember from last month's article, Yotsuba is always getting up to some antics. They range from the harmless, like getting herself stuck in a trash can, to the more substantial, like tracking blue paint across the house. When the situation gets serious, and especially when it doesn't, Yousuke always finds a way to keep things fun and isn't afraid to laugh along with Yotsuba.

Besides having a wonderful temperament, Yousuke is also always looking out for Yotsuba. He even works from home as a translator so he can always be around. What I really admire about Yousuke is his ability to balance seriousness and silliness, always getting the job done but making sure he had a good time doing it.

The next father on the list hails from Taiyo Matsumoto's No. 5, a wonderful story about superhuman soldiers, the world they inhabit, and how far people are willing to go for the ones they love. At the center of it all is Papa, the mad scientist who created not just the super-soldiers, but has also spent a good deal of time reviving extinct species and combining them into strange chimeras.

Papa reminds me of Victor Frankenstein, and not just because he raises the dead. He is scornful towards his children, turning away those who dissatisfy him and demanding perfection from the rest.

While we're on the topic of not so great fathers, I would be remiss if I didn't talk about Ging Freecs. Hailing from Yoshihiro Togashi's Hunter x Hunter, Ging is one of the most notorious fathers in all of manga. Ging left his son, Gon, in the care of relatives shortly after he was born and took off to continue his life of adventure. He isn't completely neglectful of his son, as he leaves behind both clues about his whereabouts and mentors to help train up the young boy, but he never gets directly involved in Gon's adventure.

Ging's behavior does not go unpunished, though. Eventually, Gon and friends meet up with Ging. The father and son get some alone time to catch up, but not before Leorio, the crew's father figure, gives Ging an earful and a nice punch in the jaw.

If all those bad dads left a sour taste in your mouth, hopefully this next one will be a good palate cleanser. Taro Sakamoto, of Yuto Suzuki's Sakamoto Days, is a loving husband, father, small business owner, and deadly assassin. Well, he used to be one of the deadliest assassins in history, but he gave all that up for the family life.

As you might suspect, it's not so easy to get out of the killing game and Taro is constantly being targeted. While his skills make defending himself a breeze, his family values have made him more sympathetic towards his assailants, and over the course of the story he recruits more and more people to join his family. So whether you're looking for some wholesome family comedy or some of the best choreographed fights coming out of manga right now, give Sakamoto Days a try.

Our final father is one of the most notable fathers of all time, Adam.

"But Lucas," I hear you asking, "isn't Adam from the bible?"

Yes, my dear reader, he is. But he also appears in Shinya Umemura and Takumi Fukui's Record of Ragnarok, a fighting manga that asks the question: "What if humans from throughout history and gods from around the world fought to the death in a tournament to decide the fate of humankind?"

Adam makes his appearance in the second round, where he fights against none other than Zeus in a bare-knuckle brawl. If this description has you raising an eyebrow, that's very fair. But if you give the series a try, I can assure you that an eyebrow raised in apprehension will turn into a fist pumped in excitement. The Adam v. Zeus bout had me on the edge of my seat from the very beginning, and for any action-lovers out there, like many dads seem to be, I'm sure you'll enjoy it just as much.

To the dads who might be tired of the action, like Taro Sakomoto, the dads who can't get enough of it, like Ging Freecs, and all the dads in between, happy Father's Day!

To check out the manga mentioned above, follow the links below:

Yotsuba&!

https://eagleeyebooks.com/book/9780316073875