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The Manga Test Drive

@mangatestdrive.bsky.social

440 followers 110 following 300 posts

Reviewing the first volumes of manga to sort out the classics from the clunkers. Check out our sister site Renaissance Josei for longer reviews, essays and more! http://mangatestdrive.blogspot.com/ https://renaissancejosei.blogspot.com/

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The Manga Test Drive @mangatestdrive.bsky.social · Oct 28

Welcome to The Manga Test Drive, where we try out the first volume of mangas old and new to sort out the classics from the clunkers! You can find us at the link below.

We also have a side blog (renaissancejosei.blogspot.com) and a Patreon (www.patreon.com/c/MeganD)

The Manga Test Drive

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The Manga Test Drive @mangatestdrive.bsky.social · 8d

Things are about to get spooky next month, so make sure you're ready for the tricks and treats I'll be reviewing by signing up for our Patreon: www.patreon.com/c/MeganD

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The Manga Test Drive @mangatestdrive.bsky.social · 8d

Let's end this month with another 1960s manga, albeit one far more obscure and far less loved than Lupin the 3rd: the gritty vigilante motocycle gang shonen series Wild 7.

mangatestdrive.blogspot.com/2025/09/revi...

Review: WILD 7

Let's cap off this month with another 1960s gekika title, albeit one focusing on people fighting crime instead of committing them. WILD 7 (...

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The Manga Test Drive @mangatestdrive.bsky.social · 14d

There's no challenge when it comes to supporting The Manga Test Drive. All you have to do is join our Patreon: www.patreon.com/cw/MeganD

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The Manga Test Drive @mangatestdrive.bsky.social · 14d

Gon might be one of the more challenging manga I've ever reviewed, but the challenge is worth it to talk about such a wonderful and unique manga.
mangatestdrive.blogspot.com/2025/09/revi...

Review: GON

This series might be one of the most challenging old-school manga to review, but who am I to back down from a challenge? GON, by Masashi Ta...

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The Manga Test Drive @mangatestdrive.bsky.social · 19d

It's hard out there for every creator, but especially for bloggers like myself. You can support us for as little as $1/month on Patreon and every dollar helps: www.patreon.com/c/MeganD

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The Manga Test Drive @mangatestdrive.bsky.social · 19d

Kamikaze Girls is a 2000s shojo manga adaptation with a surprisingly long shelf-life for a stand-alone volume, but there's a lot of good reasons for that: mangatestdrive.blogspot.com/2025/09/revi...

Review: KAMIKAZE GIRLS

Let's talk about an old but beloved little one-volume wonder from the glory days of Shojo Beat. KAMIKAZE GIRLS ( Shimotsuma Monogatari ), ba...

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The Manga Test Drive @mangatestdrive.bsky.social · Sep 3

We don't need a gang of thieves to get money, just our generous Patrons. Won't you join them?
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The Manga Test Drive @mangatestdrive.bsky.social · Sep 3

It might be a little later than usual, but it's time once more for our annual Old-School Month! We're starting with the original Lupin the 3rd manga, which was very much a work-in-progress in its early chapters.
mangatestdrive.blogspot.com/2025/09/revi...

Review: LUPIN III

It's time once more for Old-School Month here on the Manga Test Drive (even if it's a little later than usual), and we're starting with one...

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The Manga Test Drive @mangatestdrive.bsky.social · Aug 31

You'll never miss a single review if you sign up for our Patreon. Support starts at just $1/month and every dollar helps.

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The Manga Test Drive @mangatestdrive.bsky.social · Aug 31

Let's finish up the month with Maid War Chronicles, a shonen adventure series that at the very least uses the maids in the title like characters and not just as fanservice fodder.

Review: MAID WAR CHRONICLE

I wanted to end this month on a tidy and hopeful note. I don't know if I entirely succeeded with this choice of manga, but it's probably as...

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The Manga Test Drive @mangatestdrive.bsky.social · Aug 27

You can feed your cravings for regular reviews from The Manga Test Drive by joining out Patreon for as little as $1/month:

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The Manga Test Drive @mangatestdrive.bsky.social · Aug 27

The Food Diary of Miss Maid is a perfectly calm, pleasant food manga featuring a maid adrift in Japan...so why did it leave wanting something more substantial?

Review: THE FOOD DIARY OF MISS MAID

We could stand to read something more pleasant after that last review...perhaps a nice, soothing food manga? With a maid? THE FOOD DIARY OF...

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The Manga Test Drive @mangatestdrive.bsky.social · Aug 20

I don't need obsessively devoted robot maids fighters or anything like that, just more generous Patrons to help support our reviews:

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The Manga Test Drive @mangatestdrive.bsky.social · Aug 20

Steel Angel Kurumi is the tale of a wimpy boy who accidentally gains his own devoted robot maid protector, but it's also proof that Kaishaku were hacks from the very beginning of their career:

mangatestdrive.blogspot.com/2025/08/revi...

Review: STEEL ANGEL KURUMI

We go from isekai maids to robot maids as I dig up this forgotten bit of nonsense from ADV's manga division. STEEL ANGEL KURUMI ( Kotetsu Te...

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The Manga Test Drive @mangatestdrive.bsky.social · Aug 14

As always, these reviews and more are supported by our generous Patrons, and you can join them for as little as $1/month: www.patreon.com/c/MeganD

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The Manga Test Drive @mangatestdrive.bsky.social · Aug 14

We're back! And we're going to be looking at some maid manga while we get things back in order after our long summer absence. We'll start with the tale of a maid-obsessed Japanese girl who gets all she wants and then some in Heroine? Saint? No, I'm An All-Works Maid (and Proud of It)!

Review: HEROINE? SAINT? NO, I'M AN ALL-WORKS MAID (AND PROUD OF IT)!

Alright, time to tidy things up after that long, unplanned summer absence, and that means it's time to cover another round of maid manga. HE...

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The Manga Test Drive @mangatestdrive.bsky.social · Jul 16

Remember, if you want to support reviews like these and more, you can do so via my Patreon. Support starts at just $1/month and every dollar helps.
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The Manga Test Drive @mangatestdrive.bsky.social · Jul 16

Disaster Report is back at Renaissance Josei, and this time we're delving deep into the world of little sister romance. We're covering what may be the last and least of its cursed kind: 2018's My Sister, My Writer.

Disaster Report: MY SISTER, MY WRITER

Is there any anime trend more regrettable than the imouto (little sister) romance? It ...

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The Manga Test Drive @mangatestdrive.bsky.social · Jul 13

Thank you all for your patience. We're looking at getting the regular reviews back on track as well as soon as possible

a girl with long blonde hair is wearing a sailor suit with a blue bow

ALT: a girl with long blonde hair is wearing a sailor suit with a blue bow

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The Manga Test Drive @mangatestdrive.bsky.social · Jul 13

I HAVE RETURNED! And I do not return empty-handed. My latest Disaster Report will go live later this week, but those who subscribe to my Patreon at $5/month or more can read it right now: www.patreon.com/posts/sneak-...

Sneak Peak: My Sister, My Writer | Megan D

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The Manga Test Drive @mangatestdrive.bsky.social · Mar 24

You know what's not poorly written? Our reviews. That's why you should share them around and support them via our Patreon:
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The Manga Test Drive @mangatestdrive.bsky.social · Mar 24

Of course there's plenty of horny nonsense shonen manga out there to talk about, and Mayo Chiki! is nothing if not that. It's a story involving a secret lady butler, a fear of women, and a lot of terrible writing.

mangatestdrive.blogspot.com/2025/03/revi...

Review: MAYO CHIKI!

Of course, I can't talk about shonen manga without some sort of horny nonsense, and boy does this one live up to both parts of that phrase....

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The Manga Test Drive @mangatestdrive.bsky.social · Mar 15

Our reviews are far more original than this series, and you can help keep them coming by sharing the link and supporting The Manga Test Drive on Patreon:

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The Manga Test Drive @mangatestdrive.bsky.social · Mar 15

Rave Master was one of Tokyopop's very few shonen hits back in the day, but it's hard for me to imagine how this was a hit when everything about it feels so derivative.

Review: RAVE MASTER

During Tokyopop's prime, they struggled to get their hands on big-name shonen manga titles. They really only managed to do so twice. One o...

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The Manga Test Drive @mangatestdrive.bsky.social · Mar 6

The only thing more XTREEEEME than motorized roller blades would be for you to join our Patreon and financially support the site:

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