There is something beautiful about learning the passions of other people. Having just a glimpse of their lives outside of what they do is something that is so intimate, and I am so pleased to be able to have such amazing people to get to know. I say that with great sincerity, and I do this with the purest of intentions.

This series is important to me because it gives all of us the opportunity to know new Youtubers, and it also gives insight to their creative processes and seeing their growth behind the scenes.

The Q & A

What is the origin of your name?

Hahaha! Well I actually started MommaLuvsManga on Instagram before starting my channel. And I think MommaLovesManga was either already taken or it was too long so I shortened loves to “luvs”. Otherwise, the name is pretty self-explanatory. I’m a momma who loves manga and it sounded cute.

What was the inspiration behind you starting your channel?

So I used to have a channel called SkinnyGirlFatHair that began as a wig review channel and evolved into a general lifestyle channel. I shared so many things I was into including manga. The problem was that my audience there didn’t really read manga! The engagement on those videos was low and it was frustrating because I wanted to talk to people about what I was reading. I decided to start MommaLuvsManga in hopes of cultivating the right audience… and it worked!

What are your hobbies aside from reading manga and watching anime?

Dance, specifically ballet, is my biggest hobby aside from manga. I have taken lessons now for around 7 or 8 years. It’s been so long I’ve lost count! Currently, I’m obsessed with Animal Crossing as well. Ha!

What was your favorite anime or manga growing up?

Funnily enough, I was already a young adult (20) when I first started reading manga. My first manga was Fruits Basket and it still has a place in my heart to this day. However, I also started reading xxxHolic by CLAMP at around the same time and it’s my favorite series to this day.

You have a substantial Clamp collection! How long did it take to build up?

Years!!! I started with xxxHolic around 2007 or ’08, started Chobits in maybe 2010, and I completed my collection of their English-translated works last year (2019).

Your Thirsty Thursday videos are not for the weak at heart. Can you tell us your favorite volume covered on the series?

They surely are not for the weak at heart! My favorite volume so far is Intimate Days by Ikuhana Niiro. But I’ve also read and covered some amazing short series available on Fakku that definitely earned a place on my favorites list. One is The Tanuki’s Lover and the other is Office Sweet 365! (That’s not a typo!)

You have been featured on Viz’s social media a few times. How did it feel getting reached out by them? Is there a sponsorship in the works?

So when they reached out to me the first time at the end of 2018, I was shocked. At that point, my channel wasn’t even a year old and I had less than 500 subscribers if I remember correctly. I thought it was fake at first. Lol! I was even more shocked when they reached out to me again… and again… and eventually we entered into an official partnership. I’ve talked about this in a video because I do think it’s important for me to be transparent. But early this year (2020) I became a contract creator for them and will be for at least a year. I’d love to see that contract renewed when the time comes! So to answer the question about sponsorships… every time you’ve seen me on their socials I was paid for those videos. I wouldn’t do all that work for free and I urge other creators to make sure they’re being paid for their work!

Is there a mangaka that you would love to meet?

I would love to meet Fumi Yoshinaga. Yoshinaga-sensei wrote one of my favorite series (Ooku), she gave us some great BL titles, she loves food… we should be best friends.

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Hopefully, VIZ is able to make that meeting with Yoshinaga-sensei possible!

For more of MommaLuvsManga and reviews on the manga’s mentioned, check out her channel!

Buckle up and settle down with her Thirsty Thursday Playlist!

Her VIZ reviews!

Her website!