Well I don’t know about you but a few years ago when we were all on lock down, and couldn’t go out side to press any pennies I was on the look out for some new activities to take up my time. First was Lego which I always enjoy but holy cow some of those sets get pretty expensive. The second was of all things Japanese Manga which looking back on it now probably wasn’t much cheaper than those lego sets with all the volumes I’ve acquired.

What is Manga? Basically they are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Manga stories are typically printed in black and white, and for us in North America may have a bit of a learning curve when it comes to reading these in reverse from right to left.

Now you may say, why not just read Marvel or DC comics? In the past I have, but I just find that recently with all the Marvel movies, and TV shows I’m kind of worn out on those characters and stories. Manga offered a whole new cast of characters, and gorgeous artwork that I was completely unfamiliar with.

So what does this have to do with pressed pennies, well I found out that there are some elongated coin designs featuring many of the popular Manga and Anime characters available throughout Japan. Thankfully I was able to get in contact with a very sweet collecting friend name Betty who lives in Japan and was more than happy to help pick up some of these coins for my collection. Let’s take a look at some of my favorite Manga series and the elongated coins.

Jujutsu Kaisen

Jujutsu Kaisen is written and illustrated by Gege Akutami. The story follows high school student Yuji Itadori as he joins a secret organization of Jujutsu Sorcerers to eliminate a powerful curse name Ryomen Sukuna of whom Yuji becomes the host.

Attack on Titan

Attack on Titan is a hugely popular series written and illustrated by Hajime Isayama. It’s set in a world where humanity is forced to live in cities surrounded by three enormous walls that protect them from gigantic man-eating humanoids referred to as Titans. The story follows Eren Yeager who vows to exterminate the Titans after they bring about the destruction of his hometown and the death of his mother.

Spy Family

Spy Family is written and illustrated by Tatsuya Endo and follows the life of Spy Lord Forger, who has to build a family for one of his missions. He adoptions a young orphan girl named Anya, and marries a woman named Yor Briar. However, unbeknownst to him Anya can read minds and Yor is a professional assassin. Neither Load nor You are aware of each other’s true identities, or that young Anya knows their true professions.

Demon Slayer

Demon Slayer is a manga series written and illustrated by Koyoharu Gotouge. Tanjiro and his fmaily live in the mountains of Japan. He travels to a nearby village to sell charcoal but upon his return discovers his family was attacked and slaughtered by a demon. Tanjiro and his sister Nezuko were the sole survivors of the incident, with Nezuko being transformed into a demon, but still showing signs of human emotion. Tanjiro is recruited to start training to become a demon slayer, beginning his quest to help his sister turn into a human again, and avenge the death of his family.

One Piece

One Piece is written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. It was originally published back in 1997 and continues the story to this day. It currently has over 1000 chapters of manage and anime episodes available. The story follows the adventures of Monkey D Luffy and his crew the Straw Hat Pirates who are in search of the mythical treasure known as the “One Piece” in order to become the next King of the Pirates.

It’s always fun when two of your hobbies can cross over into each other. I’m still exploring new Manga series and will be on the look out for more elongated coins from Japan as I think they are just really well designed. Do you have any favorite Manga or Anime series that you think I might enjoy? Be sure to let me know down in the comments below.

Keep exploring new hobbies, and as always Keep on Pressing!

---