Another month for the KAORI Nusantara Bibliobattle! The fifth session of KAORI Nusantara Bibliobattle was held on 24 January 2026, in the usual place, the KAORI Nusantara Discord server. Still in the manga-themed recommendation session, the bibliobattle brought 7 participants, including 3 duelists.
If you read the previous bibliobattle report, we are still using the same steps in each session, with either watch-along or silent reading for the activity.
This session recommended two manga with two different tropes. The first one is Ride-On King, written and illustrated by Yasushi Baba, presented by Duelist TwintailDragon. The second one is Genshiken, written and illustrated by Shimoku Kio, presented by Duelist Cakra Bhirawa. The last one is Pop Corn/Seito Shokun! written and illustrated by Yoko Shoji, presented by Duelist Dody K.
“Synopsis: Putin Goes to Isekai to Ride a Fantasy Beast. The protagonist of this manga is the president of a nation that has ended a conflict. The President has a hobby, which is to ride anything and everything. One day The President was attacked by a terrorist group and got isekai’d. Having entered a world where magis and swords exist, he also aims to ride every rideable existence in the new world. This is one of the most well-crafted isekai series that doesn’t lazily explain the backstory of its protagonist.” (TwintailDragon, KAORI Newsline).
“‘A slice of life for a college otaku’, that’s the perfect phrase to describe this series. With that in mind, you’ll immediately understand what the story is about. This series is quite engaging and, for me, inspired me to create a platform for weebs at my university.
At least the slogan isn’t generic like today’s isekai slop. school and campus. A place where weebs can enjoy their hobbies together without any hassle or drama. However, it also doesn’t require us to be “organised” to gain a foundation of experience when entering the workforce. Genshiken answers that question. From how we enter this exciting “world” to finally having successors and facing the realities of it.” (Cakra Bhirawa, The Indonesian Anime Times)
“Seito Shokun!, also known in Indonesia as Pop Corn, is a comic book created by Yoko Shoji in 1977. This comic tells the story of Naoko Kitashiro, also known as Nakki, who has just moved from her hometown. At her new school, Satomi Junior High, she forms a gang of delinquents with her friends. This is the story of Nakki and her friends as they weave their lives together, encompassing all the joys and sorrows, bittersweet moments, jokes and laughter, and the maturation they experience together.
Need a shojo comic to read? Then try exploring Nakki’s life story with her friends. From their time in junior high, high school, college, and then planning their future, everything is told coherently, with strong relationships between the characters and their respective conflicts and dynamics. Nakki begins her story as an energetic, mischievous transfer student, a natural leader, until it is later revealed that she has a complex and heartbreaking past and background. Various life problems, ranging from jealousy to longing for family warmth, romance, and future dreams, to children’s life problems and views of society, are faced not only by Nakki but also by almost all members of the gang of bad boys, who have their own life problems. The maturity of the characters in this comic is evident not only in their attitudes and stories but also in the artwork and character design as they grow older. Oh yes, one fun fact that is also quite interesting: Nakki may also be one of the “ancestors” of the “miracle teacher” archetype who handles troubled children, one of the themes that is quite famous in the world of anime/manga, such as GTO to Gokusen.” (Dody K., KAORI Newsline)
For the Q&A session, we noted down several questions from both the voice chat and the text chat. From the voice chat, the participants asked about where Duelist found the manga. TwintailDragon explained his experience in finding this manga by randomly scrolling through the internet. His curiosity was sparked when he saw the main character, who was inspired by an actual person and a political figure. The story was interesting enough that he continued to read the manga overnight. On the other hand, Dody told the participants he first read the Pop Corn by borrowing his sister’s collection. Pop Corn manga was actually published in Indonesia around 90s with a total of 26 volumes, the Indonesian version also has a deluxe edition.
Ride On, King!‘s protagonist turned out to be an interesting point of discussion, considering he is inspired by an actual political figure. Someone actually asked if there is any other political figure-inspired character in the series. The answer turned out to be “no”. A participant also asked Cakra why he chose Genshiken, and he answered that maybe because he thought Genshiken is relevant to be discussed in a “bibliobattle in the anime community”.
For Pop Corn, another participant asked if the “hometown” in Pop Corn manga is localised into the Indonesian region, but the duelist explained that the “hometown” in the Indonesian version is not explicitly shown. One participant also asked if there were any romance elements in Pop Corn manga, and to everyone’s surprise, the duelist elaborated on the complexity of the characters’ relationship in the manga. In which magazine is Pop Corn published? Apparently, Kodansha Shoujo Friend. Fun fact, Pop Corn comic “inspired” two Indonesian TV series, aired on RCTI and SCTV, titled Mutiara Danara.
With that, the session entered the voting session, which resulted in 3 votes for Pop Corn, 1 vote for Ride On, King!, and 1 vote for Genshiken. But one participant missed the voting, and one duelist accidentally voted for one of the recommendations.
After a 20-minute silent reading session, the participants were encouraged to express their first impression of the manga. The female participants (Shay and me) were exhilarated reading such a literal “banger” of the first chapter. Duelist Dody also said that the manga leans on slowburn story, where the conflict gets more complicated as the story goes.
One of the participants, Halimun, commented on the protagonist’s characterisation in the Pop Corn. “This makes me wonder if the MC of Kamen Rider Fourze was also influenced by this kind of characterisation. Because his character is a yankii type who causes a commotion at his transfer school, and ends up becoming a teacher. If there are characters who move from the countryside to the city, there’s Suzume from Hirunaka no Ryuusei, or Yuu from Attacker You,” he said during the discussion.
So many interesting recommendations in each bibliobattle, which one are you most interested in? Tell us on our social media. See you next session!
The Indonesian Anime Times ┃Article by Vina Nurziani
