Manga Quest History: The cold war and beyond by Hidehisa Nanbo

This historical manga leads readers through many consequential moments in modern history. We begin with Gandhi's efforts to lead India to independence from the British. Next is the struggle between the leaders of the United States and the crumbling Soviet Union as tensions mount during the Cold War. The Space Race and Civil Rights chapter shows readers how interconnected the politics of the Cold War became to the exploration of space, and how the civil unrest in the United States was juxtaposed with pride in national achievements. Further chapters bring readers into the modern era. 

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In order to contextualize these real historical moments, Nanbo creates characters and grounds them in each chapter and provides an audience stand-in for us to follow and sympathize with. There are fast facts peppered throughout and other explanations of details for readers, which may pull them out of the narrative as these footnotes happen within the panels, so I suggest waiting until a proper pause to go back and read the notes to avoid chopping the narration. This is written from a Japanese perspective, and the final chapter provides a refreshing and varied look at world events, especially given the climate this is being published into. There are many opportunities for use in classroom discussions and parring with anchor texts, especially using individual chapters along with primary sources in study of history.

Sara's Rating: 8/10
Suitability Level: Grades 7-12

This review was made possible with a digital reader copy from the publisher.

Publisher: TOKYOPOP
Publication Date: Mar 24, 2026
ISBN: 9781427886910 (Paperback)

​Tags: Rating: 8/10, Suitability: Middle School, Suitability: High School, Manga, History, Historical Fiction, Educational, War, Family, Race Relations, TOKYOPOP