A Special Series from Mrs. Agent Palmer
Now you may be asking, what’s an Otaku? Merriam-Webster defines an Otaku as “a person having an intense or obsessive interest especially in the fields of anime and manga.” In high school, and many years beyond, I was very much a self-described Otaku.
I spent many days watching Cartoon Network’s Toonami and many nights staying up late watching Anime during Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim. I rented from Blockbuster and Hollywood Video when both were still around, borrowed DVDs from friends, and eventually purchased some of my favorite series when I finally had a job. Anime is Japanese animation and most people have seen or heard of Anime, notably the famous ones like Pokemon, Spirited Away, One Piece, Akira and Cowboy Bebop.
Similarly, I collected Manga as well, Japanese comics. Unlike what most Americans think of as comics in the US, Manga tends to be thicker almost like visual novels and are traditionally read from right to left, the opposite of how one would read a novel in English. It is also common for Manga to be black and white drawings, with the color limited to the front and back covers. When I first started working, I not only had a little extra income to buy Anime, but also Manga. This was made even simpler by the fact that my first job out of high school was at a Barnes & Noble. Employee discount baby!
At some point along the way, my interests changed and I stopped collecting Anime and Manga. I had stopped working at Barnes & Noble, started working at the relocation company I still work at to this day and was focused on finishing college. I kept my existing collections but I stopped being obsessed. I would reread some of my Manga, rewatch my favorite Anime, but I didn’t seek out anything new. I think it was very much a case of growing out of it or feeling like those were interests of the past.
But then I began meeting people, or knowing of people who were of the same age or older who still held those interests. It became normalized to still enjoy these things as an adult. This wasn’t just limited to Anime and Manga either. I found adults who still enjoyed video games, board games, and TTRPGs (table top role playing games). Things that were once thought of as childish things, are just as acceptable to be enjoyed by adults. After all, we make our own money, we can spend it on the things that make us happy.
So it was with that thought in mind, that I began to think, my love of animation never went away, so maybe I could get back into Anime and Manga as well. I started seeking out interesting things on various streaming services that we have, that was easy. But when it comes to Manga that is a whole different beast and one does not simply walk into the realm of Manga, not after years of absence. It’s a medium that is vast and varied and I had no idea where to start. Of course, then I spotted Otaku Night In on TikTok, offering, you guessed it, a Blind Date with a Manga.
Similar to the Blind Date with a Book that I ordered previously, you could also choose from many different Manga genres for your Blind Date or you could keep it a mystery. I went with that option, keeping it a mystery, leaving it in the hands of those at Otaku Night In to pick something out for me. Unlike the Blind Date with a Book, I was pleasantly surprised by what I received for about the same cost when the box arrived. The description mentioned that you would receive ramen, tea or hot chocolate, some assorted tasty treats, a bookmark, an art print and stickers.
Rather than five stickers, I received eight colorful stickers of various characters from popular Anime and Manga. The bookmark and art print were 3-D printed, which is so cool and unique. The ramen was a brand I was not familiar with and it was delicious, Hot & Sour Pork Bone. It was spicier than I am used to, but with a great flavor, and came with a sauce packet and not just a powder packet. Everything was in Japanese on the packaging so it did require a little bit of translating and googling to figure out what everything was and the directions.
I think I am sort of hooked on spicy ramen flavors now. Based on being able to tolerate this, I have been experimenting with other spicy ramen flavors. But things did not end there with this box, there were Japanese gummy candies, a bag of jasmine green tea, two different Japanese rice crackers, a pair of chopsticks, a paper crane and even a small wooden stand for the art print, although the Manga fit on it as well. And then we get to the Manga itself…
Otaku Night In reached out right after I placed my order, via the built-in messenger for TikTok. They asked if I had any allergies for them to be aware of and what Manga I had read so they could make sure they didn’t send me something I already had. I thought this was great, fantastic customer service, not only were they considerate about food allergies but they wanted to make sure that the Manga was brand new, or at least new to me. I replied back that I did not have any allergies, and that since I had not bought Manga in over a decade it would be unlikely that they would send me anything I already had, especially given my very small remaining collection.
They picked out an interesting title for me, one I will admit I probably would not have chosen for myself based on the back cover: “What would an ultra-rational Japanese salaryman do if he was reborn as a girl in a world where magic was real? Obviously, become the Empire’s most feared magic soldier, while climbing the army career ladder at the ripe old age of nine. The only things standing in Tanya Degurechaff’s way are a world war and maybe a supernatural being or two. But Tanya isn’t about to let artillery shells or deadly spells stop her when a cushy desk job is calling!”
The Manga is called The Saga of Tanya the Evil. It has art by Chika Tojo, an original story by Carlo Zen and character design by Shinobu Shinotsuki. I’m not familiar with this team or with anything else that they may have done in the past together or individually, but I am intrigued and will be looking into their past work a bit. One of my goals with this purchase was to possibly start a new Manga collection. We shall see if this first volume of The Saga of Tanya the Evil will do that. The artwork looks great, it’s an interesting plot and it has a historical fiction vibe with a twist of magic.
If this sounds like something you might be interested in as well, do check it out. I will keep you all updated on what I think and if I end up buying the next volume. One thing I do know, I will definitely be buying another Blind Date with a Manga from Otaku Night In and I look forward to being surprised by them yet again with both a new Manga and a new ramen to try.
Where will my Blind Date journey go from here, join me next time to find out!
