This time around I’m here to announce a couple bits of information related to the podcast I’ve been doing. I just want to reassure people that I’m not planning to end the show. I’d like to keep doing this as long as possible. However I realize that I really do need a break from Cafe Manga. Just to make this a proper post for people, I’m just briefly discussing a couple things related to this decision.

I’ve come to the conclusion that I really need to go on a break. I’m aiming to release the next episode on October 20. People who are subscribed to this publication will obviously know when the next episode comes out. However people listening to the podcast from elsewhere might not know. So I have to make a very clear note about the return date in this week’s episode.

Typically I like to write and record in small batches when possible. This gives me some flexibility with my time. Sometimes I have free time and/or inspiration to create content back to back. However recently I’ve hit a small bump in the road. I’m actually struggling a bit to produce content for Cafe Manga/Talk Nerdy to Me. On top of that, I also am working on season 2 of my other show, The Westerosi Primer.

As you can see it’s pretty clear I need to take a break from doing the show. I think being away from the show for about 3 weeks is what I need. For one thing, it gives me a little breathing room to work on the other show. But also I can gather up some material for the podcast when I do return.

I realized that a big reason why I’m struggling to come up with material for the podcast is because I’ve been doing basically reviews of stories I’ve read. I think I’ve gotten to the point where it feels like I do enjoy reading stories, but I’m just reading stories at a certain pace for the sake of having material to do episodes about. I’ve come to the realization that while I don’t mind doing reviews, that’s not the only thing I want to talk about on the podcast.

So after some consideration, I decided that as a way to vary up the topics I do I will be doing more than just reviews. I’m going to use my earlier Dr. Stone episodes as an example and do some Read/Watch with Me type episodes. So depending on which story I’m doing, I’ll be doing an episode per volume of Light Novels or Manga. In some case I’ll talk about 2 episodes if I’m doing an anime series.

This is more than just “stretching out” content for the sake of producing episodes for listeners. I feel it’s also a better way to appreciate the stories that I’ve been reading and watching. I’ll apologize for any readers or show listeners who are annoyed or disappointed with the change. I’ll understand if you choose not to listen to the show any further.

However if you do stick around, I appreciate it. In the meanwhile I will continue to produce written content. Not sure what I’ll be writing about, but it’ll be something related to Korean and Japanese stories as usual.

Thanks for your continued support. Please share your thoughts. What are you reading and watching right now? Leave a comment below!

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cafemanga.substack.com