At the heart of these stories is a young woman working at a small record store in Tokyo. Each story introduces a new visitor to the shop—each with a unique past, a specific record in mind, and an emotional thread waiting to be uncovered. As the needle drops, so do the walls between strangers, revealing bittersweet moments, long-lost connections, and the smooth healing of sound.

Record Journey has a story and art by Ryoichiro Kezuka. English translation is done by Jan Cash. Published by Titan Manga (May 26, 2026).

Erica Friedman
Rating:

There is a specific kind of slice-of-life manga that relies on a writer's passion for…something…to drive it. Obsession with motor scooters? Sure. The deep love and knowledge of a particular place? Absolutely. Intensely detailed knowledge of a hobby, science, or art? Perfect. Here, in Record Journey, Volume 1, add in an alt-universe element to the tale, and you have a compelling story about the lasting effects of music through physical space and time. Kezuka's manga hits just the right beats for something that feels profound, is deeply emotional and resonant, without quite being real.

The story begins with music that brings a young woman to a deeper connection with the grandfather she just lost. From there, it travels to a time and place that is similar to the USSR during the Cold War, where forbidden pop music could mean prison or death. Then the story takes to the waves, as a pirate radio ship interacts with lives all around this alt-Earth. There are enough similarities that anyone born in the early or mid-20th century—or familiar with the music of the era—will immediately understand the broad references to The Beatles and their famous rooftop concert. Even if you don't recognize the socio-political references, the story might be interesting enough to keep you hooked.

I say “might” because while this story is really about how people affect one another, as their lives intersect, there is an emphasis on the effect, specifically, of music and its accoutrements. The equipment needed to make, record, broadcast, and play music. Since these, too, are characters with which the people who inhabit this manga interact, it definitely helps to be familiar with or interested in the slowly disappearing world of vinyl records. That said, even if the records don't interest you, the journey might. It's a very low-fi kind of manga that's worth a read.