Reviews T Manga Amp;

Hundred chapters in and I really should rank this lower. This is the second time I’ve reached a similar amount of chapters read, and the desire to push through 250 more chapters is ever fading. This series saddens me in some respects because, as I was reminded growing up, it has such wasted potential. And while I am wholly attuned to the formulaic approach it employed to maintain its standing in a weekly output magazine, I just wish it would have taken a chance, even small, to make the journey with it worthwhile.

To start with I should justify the reasons I even reached a hundred ... chapters in the first place, all the while quieting the voice that pleaded with me to pull the plug. It maintains a brisk pace, which is to its credit but also its discredit. While chapters were relatively quick to get through, which I thoroughly appreciated, I also wish panels would have been allowed to let the characters breathe more without the unnecessary exposition or uninspired dialogue. See, for its speedy approach it leaves the characters undeveloped and the environment very much feeling like a cardboard backdrop.

Oh, this world could have been so very much more interesting with art that illustrated such depth but then went unexplored. I have no interest in comparing this series to others before it but to illustrate the point quickly I’ll mention that even at One Piece’s arguably lowest and least interesting point when it meanders around Fishman Island, it still portrays a culture and place distinct in its universe with all the appendages of political, racial and social threads that breathe life into the world. On the other hand Black Clover’s own underwater world could have been placed on the moon for all the knowledge we gain about any of the race of people that inhabit there. What we are served is a quick entry in, a forced contest that goes nowhere and a sudden emergence of an outside threat that is handled all too easily with a slash slash slash method of our protagonist. Perhaps I’m underselling the connection we are supposed to feel for a brother sister pair who want to sing or dance and are promised a recovery of their limbs and voice, but for the brief attention that the cast of characters we follow give them I will allow the same attention here now.

Primarily while I admit the character designs are quite well defined and inspired some hope in me for this series, ultimately its the one we are made to follow in Asta that really steers this series into the realm of forgettable. His purpose in becoming Wizard King, his brash nature, his repeated need for friends and rivals out of anyone he meets, his almost meteoric rise from the slums to being tasked with the most important battles of the Kingdom feel so uninspired and vanilla. The traits in and of themselves don’t bother me in so much as they are forced down our throats to be swallowed like medicine and we are supposed to expect things will be fine. Eventually as a reader I developed an indifference to the dialogue out of his mouth and to feeling any interest at all in his struggle. There was but a brief one or two panels where there is Asta sitting on a rock, back to us where I felt for him for just a moment. I wished wished wished this pain he was feeling could be felt just a little bit longer to make it just a little more impactful, but again he delivers the same basic dialogue that made him a caricature in the first place.

I may eventually walk the path of continuing this series and reaching some destination with it. But like any journey in life not taken out of interest in the unknown, I will go along ploddingly, complaining all the way and forgetting most of what I see, and eventually reaching the end just wanting to get back on my phone instead of relishing in the moment of where I am and appreciative of the experience I have gained from it.

SPOILER FREE REVIEW - I could talk a whole lot more if I was to reference anything specific but I want people to experience it properly!

People are quick to jump on the bandwagon with Boruto hate. I get it, their favourite characters aren't what they used to be. However, these same people also forget to mention that this series and the original Naruto are different stories.
That being said. This is one of the series you have to come to your own conclusion for. The general fanbase of Naruto are haters for how they 'nerfed' their favourite characters. (quotations because its not nerfing if every ... villain is stronger than the strongest villain of the original) Anyone who enters Boruto with an open mind and accepts that this is more like a faster paced original Naruto story and not like the way shippuden develops, often has a better enjoyment of the series. Its also 81 chapters that's a few hours at most to read.

Anyway for those who like a full review:

Boruto has a great opening scene to get you hooked. It does the job and captivates the audience. It's then shoved backwards to a rather annoying version of the MC and I understand why people turn off of the series. Manga wise it's around 15ish chapters to cover the Naruto to Boruto movie. Chunin exams and momoshiki. We don't get to see 'new' content until after that arc finishes. BUT that's where the story really begins!

Story: 8. few mild issues but overall enjoyable. typical shounen

Because it's centred around the Ōtsutsuki clan, there are a few issues with the storyline however this is the same in the original. The whole war arc generated so many plot holes for the naruto-verse I can't even begin to talk about them. This is about Boruto though.
The development and change of modernising the village with scientific ninja tools is different. It does take away from the heavy hand signal use we were so familiar with but its good how they show growth of Konoha and the land of the Fire. You can't have a new storyline that references old characters but everyone is just doing the same thing as they were in Naruto. No creativity. People dislike change apparently. I much preferred the taijutsu over anything else in the series. might guy and rock lee both have some of the best fights in the whole show and neither use jutsu. This series is more taijutsu heavy but it mainly centres around the new powers we learn that aren't jutsu (which I wont talk much more on as its a spoiler). Karma is different to what we know but one of the coolest things we have seen.

Characters: 9 (would be a 10 if choji didnt exist)

The characters of Boruto are similar to their counterparts. It's almost like it's their parents so they're going to be similar. I personally like the mild differences of the characters we grew to love over a 700 chapter/episode series. The development of the MC starting as a little bratty kid to respecting his father and the village's beliefs. All while being shoved into the deep end fighting gods at age 12. Kid Naruto gets smoked by kid Boruto. Until young Naruto loses control and goes berserk and whatever, then Kurama wins the fight.
The story truly develops once you are introduced to Kawaki. His design and story are amazing.
The villains all gradually increase in difficulty and strength, really showing how far the characters come.
Mitsuki is such a cool character. moreso at the end after seeing what he can really do. My only annoyance is how early this is revealed in the anime vs the manga due to the anime cannon episodes/filler. I can't talk much about him because he's very mysterious for a while so it's all a spoiler.
Sarada. mark my words she's gonna be the strongest Uchiha to exist. All she gotta do is train for her mothers signature 100 healings and her future mangekyo sharingan blindness from overuse will be negated. Her parents made an OP hybrid and I can't wait to see what happens with her character in Two Blue Vortex.
Sakura is not useless anymore. maybe that also causes hate because everyone wants to hate sakura.
Sasuke is still the goat, biggest hindrance to the Ōtsutsuki clan pre kawaki and boruto level up.
Naruto has the best fight of the whole entire series vs Ishikki. That's all that needs to be said.

Art: I mean kishimoto talks for himself on art so I'm not even entertaining a rating for this.

Really in summary, I would recommend anyone who actually enjoys the naruto universe and not just the characters of the original to read this. It is a whole lot nicer than the anime (and significantly faster). Anime only has about 60 episodes that reference the manga material. It does have a few good 'anime canon' arcs though which provide a little more information about things.
I will also die on this hill because Boruto is a good series!

So, it went down on a really traditional comedy/romcom path. The usual moves, usual character behaviour and even desing. By looking at a distance it really is nothing original. Which it isn't meant to be because of how short it is.. I mean, it is a 4 volumes manga, of course things have to happen fast, and in such short storyline you must have an original thing going and the rest doesn't really matter, and that original bit is literally the manga's title. She wants him to notice she likes him. And everything is basically built around this. Both jokes and love bits, they are ... built around what they could do to affect their relationship, and that's where it really surprises.

People might get the wrong idea of what kind of manga it is, which is why I think a lot of people might get offset by the first chapters. But it takes a 180 quite quickly. In a Nagatoro kind of way, it really goes from teasing and ecchi to cute and wholesome. The ecchi mostly disappear quickly and the romance really kick off early.

And this is why it is worth a shot. I mean, it is really a super cliché romance manga but for what it tries to be it really does it great! It never promised (either in the title or synopsis) anything too crazy or out of the oridnary, it was just a short romance story with a tiny tweak that was well executed.

I have read the light novel before reading this so my expectations and what I have seen of this manhwa so far have been in sync. It is a flawed story with strange ideas scattered about. The story is more suited to a light novel rather than a manhwa because it can go by faster and hide some of the flaws within while also having a funnier tone. But, the manhwa has problems stemming from a source material having thousands of chapters, while also being particularly difficult to tell in a more visual medium. Honestly, the story is bad. That comes from someone who has ... read the light novel for over 1400 chapters. I think the art is good but the story is so long that the art becomes incredibly difficult to maintain a high standard. At a point, the entire manhwa becomes rushed. Nothing feels right, not just a manhwa not filling the shoes of a good light novel but a manhwa that is just uninteresting.

The character development in Grid is awkward, the story feels like a slog, and everything is not worth continuing with. The tropes of a virtual reality game with an overpowered protagonist have been done before. However, the Overgeared LN was one of the first to do it. That fact is irrelevant. The manhwa has to stand alone and be enjoyable and it is not. The fight scenes are cool but pointless. Because like every other overpowered protagonist, there is no danger or tension to most fights. Overall a mixed bag of elements that do not mesh together. I can not recommend this to most people.

5.9/10


I have a poor track record with mangas that contained guns, so I didn’t have the highest expectations form this, and I didn’t get much — through and through, this manga is so deliberately cringy from the introductions to each plot point, character, and development.

The plot is very poorly established, as the first chapter was a train wreck on sporadic introductions to get the plot moving, and the second chapter was the explanation, but the explanation, which reveals the mc’s purpose, was so half-@ssed that it was laughable. Everything done in the manga was progressed and laid out to have the mc have his ... glory moment, flexing his guns.

Speaking of gums, this manga just has an irresistible urge to go on a long tangent about every new gun that is added into the story, only to fill out pages and never be mentioned again. At some point in time, I’m just waiting for the mc to pull out an airsoft nuclear bomb, since anything can happen with how loosely tied the plot is.

The characters are rather basic, and they only serve to glorify the mc or accompany him on his adventures in the most non-obscure way possible. As for the villains, they are undoubtedly heavily forced onto the plot, since they are all disposable and serve no other purpose but to be a mini boss.

This manga is somewhat enjoyable if you decide to shut your brain off and skim through the pages, however, the cringe from the guns got to me, and I couldn’t tolerate it for any longer. Not like this manga had much redeeming qualities that made me want to continue anyways, but it was still disappointing.


Reading Rankings (Portnoy inspired + A Huang-Teizan Original)
10 - God’s penmanship
9 - Must-read. Drop everything else.
8 - Instant bookmark
7 - Entertaining
6 - Good to pass time
5 - Why are you reading this?
4 - Bad.
3 - Typical garbage.
2 - My head hurts.
1 - Retirement is a thought.
0 - “Did they even give you a story?!”

7.7/10


A small being apart of me tells me that I should not like this manga, but it’s unironically enjoyable due to its humor and decent execution despite the cliche plot and apparent plot armor.

The plot doesn’t contain the most unique developments out there, however, they are unironically enjoyable due to the ridiculous developments that are used for the sole purpose of humor and some character exposition. There’s also some issues with the mc’s plot device of being so lucky, however, it doesn’t take anything away from the storytelling due to it being an “unserious” manga.

The characters also aren’t the most profound, since I skimmed ... through it again for this review, and I forgot most of the side characters even existed, but for the momentary developments they provide, it is enjoyable. As for the main cast, their relationship is pretty wholesome and comedic, so that’s always a positive.

This isn’t the most profound nor well-written manga you will ever read, but it is a damn good enjoyable one sheerly from its humor, and the slow developments that don’t rush the mc’s power.


Reading Rankings (Portnoy inspired + A Huang-Teizan Original)
10 - God’s penmanship
9 - Must-read. Drop everything else.
8 - Instant bookmark
7 - Entertaining
6 - Good to pass time
5 - Why are you reading this?
4 - Bad.
3 - Typical garbage.
2 - My head hurts.
1 - Retirement is a thought.
0 - “Did they even give you a story?!”

This manga is about a 35 years old woman and a boy that is 18 years old named Shoutarou falling in love. Shoutarou fell in love with her since elementary and proposed to her, but the woman(who is also his sensei during this time) suggests that only when he gets older(18). Shoutarou grew up and once again proposed to her. However, she reluctantly refuses. So, Shoutarou continuously proposes to her.

The main character, Shoutarou, becomes very mature, but the person he loves treats him as a child even though he's 18. He is very faithful to her. He has received multiple confessions ... before, but he rejected all of them. According to recent chapters, it's revealed that he wants to become an airplane mechanic.

Art: 8/10:
The art is decent, but not groundbreaking.
Story 7/10:
Just the average wholesome story of two people.
Character 8/10:
Good characters that aren't too annoying.

Overall score: 7.67

Althought the story itself isnt really anything special the way its executed is absolutely beautiful,its so engaging it sucks u right in.Every character introduced from the main cast is very charming in their own way and each one has an amazing journey(of development) and dont get me started about the mc,his seer determination to be the best, his courage,his unyielding spirit and his drive to work day by day, minute by minute all fueled by his genuine desire to improve as a musician and achieve his goal , plus his development as a character throughout the series is from the best i have ... ever seen.Definetily one of the best series i have ever read,im gonna check out the sequel,the movie and more of the authors works

If there is just one thing that i could point out about the series its gonna be the art which wasnt actually bad and delivered when it had to but it felt lacking in some points,still i believe the excitement and feelings of the characters were transferred to the reader through the art which mattered for me the most

GOOD BITS: Great characters. There is depth to each of the main trio and layers that get peeled off as the story progresses. Lee Eul (the magician) is so mysterious and intriguing. Each of the main three give some kind of insight on how wealth can affect people.
The story is quite laid back but is still quite forward moving, enough to make you continue reading at least.
The paneling is often outstanding. While it does peak early on, Ha Il Kwon is still so imaginative with the space and magic sections.
The message and themes really hit hard. They provide judgement on society's expectations of students ... and the well achieving, as well as the trials and tribulations the poor have to go through to do even basic tasks like buying food.

BAD BITS: The art is simple. Characters are simply designed and outfits rarely go beyond a school uniform or suit. The focus is more on the paneling rather than the artwork itself, not that great art isn't present, just that it isn't the focus for most of the story.
No spoilers, but the ending is a bit weak, it would've benefited from another chapter or part to explain something: but it doesn't ruin the story or anything bad like that.
The theme of poverty takes a bit of a backseat to allow wealth as a whole to drive the story. It's a shame because it's argueably the most interesting and emotional part of the story.

OVERALL: Great insight into wealth and those affected by it while still having some good fun. You'll come for the creativity, but stay for the characters and message.

Interesting plot, starts off a little gimicky but develops on itself over the duration of the read. Animals have gained human faces and basically become self-aware. Understanding the line between being an animal and being human. They revolt and contribute to a new world order so to speak in where animals hold domination over humans as opposed to the other way around. Animal power amiright!

The main characters seem to be representatives of their faction, ordinary people, zookeepers & animal lovers. But this can quickly get blurred into this one big struggle for survival. Where everyone they face, you question what impels them to survive and ... I think this manga does that quite well.

The dialogue in the manga does lack a bit of charm/charisma at points and can lead to some characters (which have interesting context in the first place) feeling a bit drab and one dimensional. Dynamics between characters

The art style is an interesting one, I love the design of the human faced creatures this is done super super well. Grotesque and uncanny are two words to describe that. You are often left imagining what other animals (that aren't in the manga) would look like. In ways that some of the scenes are

There are many sadistic and quite morally questioning scenes that I feel like have only been delved upon in this manga making it a unique read. (Also doesn't go into a lot of SA which is good )

Unfortunately it looks like a due to lack of interest that this manga never reached it's ending and the later chapters of this manga seem rushed.

My Final Score for Jinmen - 7.0

We, as humans, basically stop the passage of time. An instant, a wink, millions of years pass if there's nothing there to perceive it.

This ending, this story, it was everything it had to be, that it should be. The end of all ends, the moment the universe changes. It's the moment these two girls reach the end of their journey. Every time I see an ending like this, I can't help but feel it. An explosion of thought, of emotions upon the end of not just a story, but of everything. Hell, I'm still overwhelmed by the moment I flipped to the last page, ... and this story can't get more simple. “Reach the top, we'll think about what's next later”.

Two girls begin a trip towards the highest level after the potential end of the world. A quiet story, where life's all about getting to the next fuel station, getting food, water. What's the point of a story entirely composed of two, bubbly idiots bantering about whatever they can? They go on to have conversations about what is what, about how the world doesn't make much sense from the perspective of someone who's there. The things we take for granted, or what chocolate is. They'll never know if what they got was the real thing, or an imitation. Even so, they're content with the lack of purpose in life. After the war, after humanity crumbled, we get a real depiction of people that care for each other in an environment which shouldn't be able to sustain that. It's positive to an unfathomable degree. We don't usually get that sort of message.

It hits hard because of the way it's made. The designs have this adorable nature to them, the characters act like they should. “The world is over, but I mean… I need food, and food is good, god I love food”. It goes through a process of enjoying the ONLY things you have to look forward to. A bath, warm water, a beer, a nice can of fish, the company of each other, a hobby which won't be shown or understood by another soul, ever. Is having only that a reason to despair? Absolutely. People despair for having way more than that, but the fact that we see it as a heartwarming moment, just fills me with a special kind of hope. Even if every other character decides that life could continue, we don't fault them for thinking or doing otherwise.

This is a special kind of manga, it never happens twice, and it's weird that it works as well as it does. All the while, causing the most powerful rush of emotions at the very end. Maybe it's the similarity it has with my favorite manga, “Fire Punch”. I love this kind of ending, of storytelling, characters, banter, realistic situation, and even more realistic desperation when it needs to happen. Even if it's the end of everything, let's hope we have a friend we can walk with, towards the inevitable end of everything. Live, for that's all you've got.

10/10. I love reading things that make me break down.

Though I believe the series wouldn't be ending anytime soon, I feel like writing a quick and concise review wouldn't do any harm.

Mairimashita! Iruma-kun is a fantasy(?) isekai(?) shounen-like series that takes place on the demon world. The main character, Iruma, was sacrificed by his parents to a demon, and somehow through some absurd circumstances he became a demon(principal) grandson and goes to his demon school with unique powers and yada yada yada he gets some demon acquaintances and friends through encounters, fights, fate and yada fucking yada. Usual premises that you've heard before, sounds boring, and you're probably not interested.

The earlier chapters ... deal mainly with Iruma connecting with everyone on the demon world with his likeable and straight personality, while the later chapter (right now around 320) is surprisingly the same, with a sprinkle of power-levels and battle arcs!

Now stop. Listen to me. I'm going to explain why does people love this series so much, and the charm of this series lies on the depth and relationship between each character. I've said that Iruma has a likeable and straight personality, but that doesn't apply only to Iruma. How Nishi-Sensei is able to introduce a wide range of characters with ACTUAL personality without fear of doing nothing with them in the future is beyond me. That teacher in the background without any real use? Let's make her the theme of this chapter while developing the other characters, which are not even the main protagonist! With countless of well-designed characters and loveable personalities interacting with each other, it naturally builds the foundation to a great series.

By all means you can still see some of the usual anime-tropes like harem or power of friendship there (which I assume some people don't enjoy), but the actual depth or bond made it so, that it's absolutely tolerable and entertaining to read. My favorite theme from the whole manga would be the term "ambition" and how each demon see them differently, with the main character Iruma fully misunderstanding the term before his encounter with one of his romantic interest, Amelie. Occurring themes like this happens slowly throughout the manga and it makes you understand more how does the demon side feel about these emotions. Family, demon friendship, teaching, greed, you name it. Sometimes it's comedic, sometimes it's serious, sometimes it's very much absurd. I really enjoyed every chapter, even the long battle/character arcs, which bring me to the next point: Story.

Basically, it goes like this. You get filler chapters, then long battle chapters or characters arc, more fillers, short arcs and repeat in random. Even though the first few battle arcs felt out of place, it never really gets to the point where it gets illogical and weird. The story felt planed and smooth, while the filler part does it part best by focusing on side characters. I get how people would be turned down because of the battle arcs being quite long, and could devolve into feeling that the whole series is a bit inconsistent. Depiste those feeling, it pays off with the development of a character and satisfying ending, I have emphasized many times already: The characters are the charm, the story is fun as it is; but it is by all means not perfect.

As for art, I can only say that the wide panels and full panels are breathtaking. May it be cliché transformations or battle roars, Nishi-sensei sure understands what make those things invigorating and create goosebumps.

I don't know where will this series go, how will the series end, and what are Nishi-sensei plans for the upcoming years, but that was an enjoyable read, and I would recommend it to everyone who craves fantasy shounen alike. Don't mind the rough start, it will get better for you. Hopefully.

Heartbreaker arc was amazing and I require more Gaap chapters.

An Unexpected Gem.
I have read so many mangas bl or otherwise and I gotta say for 6 (+extra ch) chapters story both the MCs are properly introduced and we really like them instantly. They don't just instantly sleep together like in so many other BL mangas I read.
They are adorable, awkward, nervous, excited. I love how real they felt. Neither of them felt like your typical Uke and Seme dynamic we find in mangas.

I would definitely recommend this to anyone who is a fan of BL genre, who wants to try BL genre or just are a romance fan who wants to read two ... working adults faliing in love with each other with no unnecessary drama whatsoever.
If only it was longer. I wanna see where their relationship goes.

The only Supporting character is a female co worker of the Office Worker and she is great too. Giving proper advice to our MC.

The Art is really nice.

Afro Samurai is short and sweet manga that allows you to experience a simple, yet captivating story in an afternoon or so. In some sense, it reminds me of classic Hong Kong martial arts/action films - very clear and simple premise, but it's the amazing execution and visual spectacle that make it worthwhile.

Afro Samurai is the stereotypical anime story. The main character is this stoic edgelord badass who barely speaks, he carries a massively oversized sword, he's incredibly strong, he has no remorse for killing and his entire life is defined by revenge for his daddy issues. The fights are over the top and ... dramatic and there is plenty of bloody gory killing. The universe is a mesh of feudal Japan, with katanas, samurai and ninjas galore, but it's also futuristic with rocket launchers, killer robots and cybernetics. There are a lot of clichés, but this never hinders the story, because it's very well constructed, flows nicely and by the end, explores some deeper and more thought provoking themes. It never failed to keep me engaged until the very conclusion.

The most striking thing about Afro Samurai has to be the visuals though. Relying a lot on brushed textures, the artstyle is very grimey and dark. Everything is heavily stylized and seemingly in perpetual motion. The bodies of the characters and their weapons bend and twist as if they are made of rubber and the hair, headbands, clothes and beards of the characters flow in almost magical ways. All of this gives an excellent dynamic feel to everything and the flow from panel to panel and the experience of reading each page is thoroughly enjoyable. The inclusion of red blood alongside the black and white make it pop even better. For someone who isn't really a mangaka, Okazaki-sensei did an amazing job. My only minor criticism is that because of all the brushed splotches of black, the art can sometimes be a little too murky and it can be a bit difficult to understand what is happening. The flowing linework, wild poses and shading make the art very nice to look at and full of energy, but it can do a bit better in the visual clarity department. Oh, and be advised that despite being Japanese, this manga is written in the Western style, so you need to read it left-to-right. Just a heads up.

Nonetheless, if you like samurai, if you like anime, if you love comic book action, or if you're just looking for some dark and edgy fun, you should definitely check out this bite-sized gem! It's too good to pass up on!

DO NOT READ THIS MANGA IF YOU HATE !SEXUAL VIOLANCE! ESPECIALLY WHEN THE MAIN CHARACTER CHANGED INTO UGLY BASTARD!





IT SHOWS THAT THERE IS A PIG BOSS OR I SAID UGLY BASTARD THAT RULE ALMOST THE STORY THE MAIN CHARACTER IS USELESS AND CHANGED THE PROTAGONIST MOSTLY WITH THAT UGLY BASTARD THE AUTHOR COMPLETELY APPEALING

the sex scene shows nothing only shows behavior of underestimate woman the men is everything create women is a sex doll if that was the real thing is ok but the MC is TRASH he is just show his anger rather than kill that ugly bastard so the author was dope######################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################

...


DON'T READ THIS MANGA IS ENDED WITH TRASH ENDING!

I'm not really sure how to review this because there isn't much to this, the artwork of the Pokemon like Charizard, Blastoise ect are fucking really interesting because they're almost realistic which isn't a art style you see in Pokemon material that often, Mewtwo looks great but other than it just being really cool to look it it's not worth it for a regular fan, It's only One Chapter but what it is it's Fine like there isn't any story just a short brief of the beginning of the movie


I give a 6/10 if you want a decent Pokemon Manga the adventure series is worth ... looking into

There isn't a review of this Novel yet so I'll just be the guy who leaves one, this actually was a decent read and I highly recommend it if you are a Law Fan or One Piece Completionist, if you guys need the link to the English translation it's right here, I don't remember who Fan translated it into english but show them support because it wasn't anywhere else online at least to my knowledge


Just keep in mind these don't appear to be canonical events in the story so this isn't a necessary read to understand anything Manga/Anime related


https://archiveofourown.org/works/50591599/chapters/127800388

It's one of those series with multiple one-off realities that start off strong, but the author starts to slack on his standards and the story drags on about useless one time plot threads while also being severely underdeveloped in the core storyline.

The art isn't strong enough to keep people drawn, while the story and characters that were the key attraction started losing their luster after about the 3rd-4th reality/dream.

The author likes to keep the mystery of many things, and has insight to how people might react to them but his biggest flaw is never actually developing them in a timely fashion.

After the inital hit ... of interest, disappointing and tiresome are the words I would use after wasting my weekend reading this and reflecting on it.

It's not good. This is the manga equivalent of an exploitation movie. You're here to see one thing and one thing only, violence. I'm 50 chapters behind and have no way to get caught up to tell you of anything interesting happens. What have seen in the 160 chapters I've read is scant and miserable. What plot does exist just drags on and has too many characters for it's own good. Star Wars didn't have this many assholes running around at one time in a galaxy spanning war and this is a micro nation that every world power has somehow missed.

"We are aliens that have come to invade Earth and enslave humanity," an analogy from Usogui representing one of its main themes, Perfection vs Imperfection. Toshio Sako's Usogui is a rollercoaster ride with peaks that continuously reach higher heights the longer it lasts, even being praised by one of the most influential manga authors, Hirohiko Araki, the mangaka of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. Usogui is an extreme high-stake game/strategy game/psychological gambling manga with the most intense yet enthralling gambling death mind games that’ll keep you hooked and hungrily crazed more than crack could with its many daring characters who'll bet their lives for their selfish wants. ...

Storytelling: 9/10

Madarame Baku is the protagonist of Usogui and his aim in the series is to become the leader of Kakerou, a powerful underground gambling organization by manipulating everything and everyone. Throughout Usogui there are 11 main story arcs, each consisting of one insanely suspenseful and outlandish gamble, that continuously builds up from arc to arc to challenge the leader of Kakerou to take over Kakerou. The gambles aren’t some puny traditional gambling games either, they either have a grim twist on traditional gambling games to make them hair-raising or could be quite literally anything like rock, paper, scissors and shadow boxing. And if you don’t understand the gambles, they are heavily explained with a set of rules in the beginning of each gamble and are touched upon on when mentioned or occurred in the gambles. The great narration throughout the whole series will always make your jaw drop in amazement with how mind blowing and thrilling all the gambles are, so thrilling that the word exciting is an understatement. What makes this a 9/10 is that the physical brawls sometimes are uninteresting and unwanted at times.

Art: 6/10-10/10

From what starts from being bad to mediocre art, it is impressive how much Toshio’s art has evolved throughout the 11 years of making this manga, so much so that Usogui’s art at its peak can even give Berserk and Vagabond a run for its money. Having developed his skill and his style for over a decade, Toshio has had the same dedication he did when illustrating the very first chapter and the last chapter proved by how Baku retains that same devious smile and devilish presence throughout the entire series which shows that Toshio is a masterful artist with true dedication from the very start. Because of developing his style whilst creating this manga, each arc has a slightly different art style but gets more defined throughout the series. From the second major arc (ch 80-146), Toshio just keeps on cooking. However, when the last 2 arcs are reached (ch 429-539), Toshio becomes an ‘alien’ somehow for every panel he cooks up, Usogui’s art is now at peak performance consistently. (I wish I could show some of the panels in the review because bro OH MY GOD HE IS THE GOAT). Toshio masters how to illustrate his sick facial expressions and gazes and his menacing and devilish presences with excellent shading that impact how all the characters give off their cold presence of how advantageous, dangerous, cunning, devious or guileful they are. Many distinct poses at VERY incredible angles are prevalent in Usogui, used again to evoke a feeling of whatever the Toshio wants the reader to sense, whether it’s used in the crazy brawls where men just have insanely brutal beatdowns (another aspect of Usogui, there are physical fights really similar to Baki) falling down towers or cliffs or trying to kill each other in a 10 second deathmatch with only their fists which also reach one of the highest peaks regarding the level of heat in Usogui. A key role in the identity of an Usogui character is their hair, Toshio becomes a master at drawing hair on his characters and I don’t just mean the stereotypical every anime character has different colored hair but rather the way their hair flows and its unique shape to their respective characters. All these practiced details are staples of Toshio’s art which create his own recognizable style in manga and how he sways readers making him one of the best illustrators in manga.

Characters: 9/10

The cast of characters in Usogui are great because they’re memorable by their unique gimmicks, important backstories and what they’ve done by furthering the story. The protagonist, highly intelligent and cunning Madarame Baku is one of the most compelling and best protagonists ever in manga. How he carries his plans by manipulating everyone into his palms with his devilish charisma, steadfast ruthlessness yet carefree demeanor using trickery, pure intellect, proficient predictability, mood-reading, deductive skills, and more to become the leader of Kakerou is beyond entertaining. Whilst also being a mentor yet friend to the deuteragonist of the series, Kaji Takaomi who started off as a completely average dude in massive debt who later even had his own character arc for development and became just as quick-witted as Baku. Many characters exist and their roles are what make them great whether they are on Baku’s side in gambling or protecting him or turn their backs against him in helping or stopping his ultimate task of becoming the leader of Kakerou. Lastly the main antagonist of the series is the “alien” leader who is deemed as perfect (also there aren't any aliens in the series). The main antagonist, also being one of the best written antagonists in manga too and is prevalent throughout the entire story and not just poorly brought up in the end. The leader and Baku have such great rivaling themes, there’s even a backstory arc regarding the two of them which makes them the best written characters in the manga and having one of the best dualities ever in manga. The only reason I’d give this section 9/10 is because they are maybe just a bit too many characters.

Writing: 9/10

Usogui’s writing is “alienlike”, its ideas and exposition represented by the main characters, diction, setting, metaphors and hyperboles (The whole Baku and leader arc is literally a metaphor), foreshadowing from the very beginning, no plot armor nor plot holes, the characters and their representations of themes and symbolism (Perfection vs Imperfection, Creation vs Destruction, Existentialism vs Destiny, Sacrifice) are "ideal” (An Usogui reference haha) in expressing how his story is built and ultimately avoiding stereotypical manga tropes and creating an unpredictable original work.

Enjoyment: 9/10

I truly believe this is one of the best manga to exist and will probably be my favorite manga forever. It took me 11 months to finish but that’s only because I’d read 100 or so chapters and then stop multiple times not because Usogui is bad, even though it did sometimes bore me, c'mon its 541 chapters long obviously there’s going to be slow burns, but I’d always come back to read it. Almost everything in this manga is done right IMO and this was the most enjoyable manga I’ve ever read. Considering that there is a sequel confirmed to be released I’m excited and even if the sequel will not finish, the main series is definitely way more than enough.

Overall: 10/10

Toshio Sako’s unrelenting dedication led to the execution in creating a near perfect manga with insanely compelling and intricate storytelling and characters and his evolution of his own art style from the very beginning all the way to the fulfilling climax. Read Usogui or don’t.

This manga was an interesting read. I thought of it as a parody of shoujo romance tropes and in some ways it is. The plot is Anzu loves her cat way too much, loves video games, and chocolate. Her parents end up going away due to 'reasons' and from there a magic being/fairy with the goal of a project has setup scenarios 'or so it seems' to get her to find love. If she does I won't say. If you think the fairy is like Be Gata H Kei annoying, I'd say they could but they aren't narrating/repeating what event happened in that way. They ... appear less often and 'when necessary' in Volume 3 & 4, vaguely I think in Volume 2 a fair bit and well Volume 1 is getting started so they have to serve their purpose there. With 39 chapters it's well besides a few side chapters a pretty solid 8-10 per Volume.

Don't take the population element as a focus, if you do your looking way too into it. It's not the point of the manga at all it's just setting the scene/whatever the fairy project 'goal' is.

Volume 4 is where that question matters, Volumes 3 hints at things but most moments are mostly fun moments (Volume 1 & 2 fun or setting things up still) or backstories (more Volume 3 has it's fun moments as well) as it goes along. I recommend reading the afterwords in Volume 3 & 4 between chapters they give a lot of context. Volume 4 gets darker due to the character dynamic/situation they want to focus on. I did find some aspects lack. Some serious are fine, some of the darker stuff in Volume 4 do drag on, their fine but not the most amazing. The afterwords 'help' but you can still think oh ok then for the tension, the character dynamics to put them in situations of, or the writing ideas the creator had but some of it does feel rushed or a checkbox sometimes. Some are very checkbox like, but you can tell they tried to work around deadlines or 'how they wanted to portray it' besides how it's written.

As it goes along you see different backstories or more depth in the romantic partners Anzu has. Many fit tropes of the cool guy (even though he ignores most girls but he trusts Anzu), the friend who was overweight but changed and is part of a sports club, the rich guy and his bodyguard (who starts to understand normal people things/live on their level), you have Saki one of Anzu's friends, and a bunch of others along the way from the cool guy (Kazuki)'s sister, mother/father and more.

By Volume 1-3 it's pretty good, by Volume 4 it goes a bit darker and tries to add a bit more to it. The ending possible to predict too. I get why the creator did it as well it suits the character and well even if things change

The project the fairy is part of becomes more clear as things go on, some of their rules, that the fairy Riri has less control than Anzu thinks they do they are a guidance not a controller. They can't overstep some boundaries which in Volume 4 is made clear but only some details of blending in as human happens in Volume 2 or 3, setting Anzu up on some dates or pushing the rich guy, the childhood friend that had a transformation until eventually they all just bond, 2 under Anzu's house due to circumstances. This is all clear by Volume 1 and 2.

So if you think oh no it's about the population limits well in the beginning for setting the scene yeah but as it goes on you can tell especially in the afterwords of the volumes after even certain chapters not just the end of each volume so a lot more behind the scenes is explained 'why' the characters and scenes were presented, cut short or so as they were and why they felt the characters and situations were presented that way.

The concept sure isn't much but the fact they started with 'I got this idea' and to make Anzu not want love, to stand out. I liked that, it's also what drew me to the anime/manga in the first place and kept reading the manga to it's end. Not because 'oh who will she pick' in a reverse harem way even if that is kind of a question the viewer/reader may have.

I think each character gets a time to shine, I think as you read along they have enough details to them in a back story, in a focal chapter or more as each volume goes along. Some can seem like oh just magic at work but then more is revealed.

It's not the best thing in the world but it's very fun to read/watch I found. I haven't read or watched enough shoujo manga or anime yet but of the few I've got into and reading this many of the tropes were made clear. It isn't exactly a parody fully but you can tell some parts are as such because they wanted the character to not just fall in love that easy, be bent by the fairy's goal and the company the fairy works for and why their rules are what they are and why the project and limits they have aren't what they seem as you read on in Volume 4 then the subtle details in Volume 3 but less clear in Volume 1 & 2.

It's a fun read, characters are fun, moments change and flow well. But some are darker for tension or just character goals as it goes on (remembering more from Volume 4 without spoiling).

I wouldn't take the fairy part that seriously as it is just fun moments to enjoy for most of the series of the way Anzu thinks/acts and the guys are there in situations, some reactions to other friends of theirs do come up as well, some funny and serious dialogue surrounding it of them noticing each other years later and the project the fairies have is in the background until Volume 3 & 4 where more is detailed.

It's a fun ride but some parts are a bit off.

What Danganronpa Gaiden: Killer Killer suffers most from is being a Danganronpa Gaiden. It's garnered a harsh reception in its time and if you ask me, that is largely because it is tied to the Danganronpa name and thus wasn't what people were expecting it to be. It's not Danganronpa enough for them.

But set aside Danganronpa for a minute, and what do you have?

You have a pretty standard mystery/detective series about an antisocial, eccentric detective who, in spite of his weirdness, is great at his job, and his easily excited amateur assistant who isn't as good as him but is just as excited to solve ... mysteries and is learning along with the audience. Also, because the leads are male and female, there's some fun romantic tension (although they don't have to be the opposite sex for that; look at the trope codifier). It's a very traditional setup for a detective story but it's traditional because it works. However, it works especially well here because at the end of chapter one, we learn more about our oddball detective and it takes a very dark turn.

This dark turn is largely what the story focuses on and in works in tandem with the detective work. It makes for an engaging story as it is unexpected of this standard setup of the detective genre and gives you something to really be interested in. It's effective in getting you invested in these characters (which are easily the most interesting part; the relationship and parallels between our detective and another character introduced about halfway through are simply fascinating, although you also have to give credit to the relationship between our male and female leads. It's so fun to dig into the minds at motivations of these characters. It deserves that psychological tag.). The mysteries themselves aren't the most in-depth cases ever, which is definitely something that could be improved upon as a detective story, but they're fun for what they are.

I am of the opinion that it's better for the detective to serve the mystery rather than the other way around, but hey, the other way around isn't so bad either if you know what you're doing and what the story you really aim to tell is.

The detective aspect takes a back seat in the latter half of the story as it starts getting really intense and, in true Danganronpa fashion, the stakes shoot through the roof, but it feels very natural both as Danganronpa and in general. It always was a characters-first story, and that's fine, even if it isn't the best for a detective story. Because really, it's not a detective story, it's a story about a detective, and that's fine too, so long as you know how to balance it well and don't try to be what you're not (looking at you, BBC).

That being said, I also think people are exaggerating about it being missed potential for the Danganronpa franchise. It's a gaiden series for a reason. It's supposed to be different from the main plot. Expecting it to be just more of the main plot is a fool's errand. While it could be doing more to utilize it's setting in the world of Danganronpa, it's still a pretty damn good expansion of the franchise's world and it's building. In particular, it does a lot to explore what the rest of the world is like in the aftermath of the killing game, as it slowly heals. It's getting better, but it's not there yet. Society is once again functioning, but it's still a crapsack. It's an interesting part of the storyline that the main entries never had time to explore. It also weaves the Danganronpa worldbuilding in with the original characters and mysteries seamlessly. Characters from the main series show up, but only just as much as they need to. They don't feel intrusive, or take time away from the main characters. It is just enough to tell a Danganronpa side-story.

It could have been a few chapters longer, because it resolves a few things just a bit too quickly and could have expanded some more on a few others, but that's a nitpick. I do wish they hadn't pushed the female lead aside for the men, but what else is new? It also has some BL undertones (or, overtones honestly) if you're into that but you're a Danganronpa fan, which should answer that question. Personally, I can appreciate it. Oh, also the way the main conflict is resolved is ah...uncharacteristically silly? Even for Danganronpa, which did knock off a few points, but is nowhere near enough to ruin how interesting the rest was.

It isn't the world's best detective story nor is it a perfect expansion of Danganronpa, but when you set that aside and accept what you've been given, it's a fun and intriguing read for Danganronpa fans.

I believe that there are two ways to set an expectation for a series, the title and the early chapters/episodes. If you're coming here due to the title, then you're in a bad place.

The title might make it seems like you're gonna see from the POV of a nobody surrounded by OP Isekai-ers but it's the exact opposite right from chapter 1, and it keeps playing that joke completely straight in a way that never really grab me. From around chapter 1-14, the three Isekai heroes are nothing more than screechers screeching about how amazing and dumb the protagonist is with different flavor. Kirito, Glasses, ... and Girl.

I'm not really expecting them to be completely fleshed out from just a few chapters, but I'm also hoping that I won't be annoyed by their theatrics in a grating and unfunny comedy that I can't even find endearing because of how many repetitions there has been, and how much more there are to come every time I flip the next page.

Still, I believe there is a lot to praise about the manga in a technical term. Very clear and distinct art style and character design, communicating the actions in such a clean manner that I always take for granted for a long time. It reminded me a bit of Fairy Tail and One Piece a bit in that aspect, both in a very positive manner. However, whatever appreciation I have is heavily overshadowed by the feeling of betrayal between the contrast of title and content along with the grating nature of its comedy and story.

...at least, it will be that negative until I reach chapter 15.

I haven't finished the arc yet, but chapter 15 actually give some good character moments for Glasses. Heck, the story even deliver some funny jokes here and there, something I would've thought is impossible until that point. I don't know if this is just a stockholm syndrome where my expectation got so low that anything mediocre will satisfy me, but it did the thing that I thought it would never happen to a bad story with OP protagonist. It improved.

I still don't think it's worth spending your time and money yet, I still believe that 3/4 chapters I've read is bad but wait for a while and check for more reviews or comments and it might be one of those "excellent classics with slow start" that internet randos would recommend constantly.

8.2/10


From first thoughts to a lasting impression, this manga exhibits probably one of the most rational and realistic characters any isekai or “inserted into a game” manga has done before. Start to finish, this manga had me hooked more than ever solely off the basis of the characters, not the trope, which is impossible for a “game isekai” fanatic like me.

To get it out the way, the characters don’t falter to cliche plot devices, and they all act rationally/accordingly to their archetype. Whenever a development occurs, all of their progressive plot points and actions aren’t inconsistent, and they are engaging from their depth and ... how set-up they were. There’s also a decent amount of side characters with their own backstory, however, there’s also a fair share who fall to cliche of “bad for the sake of being bad.”

The plot isn’t anything innovative, as it is the “transported into my favorite game” trope, however, it does take a rather refreshing take due to the characters, mainly the mc. The mc doesn’t go Willy nilly and flex his mc powers over others, and these characters also all don’t suck up to the mc, actually going through progression and rationality before making a decision.

If there was anything wrong with this manga, then it would absolutely be the pacing. The rate of developments for this manga is incredibly slow — in 20 chapters, there haven’t been any significant progressions, as they are only subtle and still in the works; this may be due to the limited amount of LN and WN chapters, but it is quite infuriating to read despite not being noticeable or disengaging.

For the trope, the balance between the mc’s overpoweredness, and the characters, this manga really is captivating despite not having the most intricate plot or pacing of events. When I say I was glued onto this manga, I really was, as I couldn’t put it down before finishing it, and you may be the same as me if you appreciate rational characters and a weak mc.


Reading Rankings (Portnoy inspired + A Huang-Teizan Original)
10 - God’s penmanship
9 - Must-read. Drop everything else.
8 - Instant bookmark
7 - Entertaining
6 - Good to pass time
5 - Why are you reading this?
4 - Bad.
3 - Typical garbage.
2 - My head hurts.
1 - Retirement is a thought.
0 - “Did they even give you a story?!”

For a one shot, I relatively enjoyed this. It was one of those stories that are as good as they can get with being so short. I've noticed in my time reading specifically these short chaptered same sex love manga that there's always a character I like the personality of a lot, and one whom I think falls incredibly short. In this case. I was shocked that I did not really like the class president in this, and rather liked the story behind the school player more. The school player essentially feels like people only like him for his face, and nothing else... which is ... true, up until he meets the class prez. His story and his feelings throughout the manga, at least I feel like, were the only ones with real development and I thought his pining after the class president was really wholesome and cute. The story as a whole was just an eh for me, but if you are looking for something cute, midly fluffy, and fast to read. then this BL is for you.

Just read this, it's a quick read it's basically the characters from Knights of Sidonia viewing a BLAME! TV Show, it's ok if you're a big fan of both series.

Still it's very short, so might as well read it if you can find it. The most interesting thing is seeing Cibo in a weird design, but over this is a very BLAME-y chapter. Other than that there's not much to say, definitely a good extra easter egg chapter with a crossover, though I would've liked a more fan-service-y crossover breaking the 4th wall but it was just some charaters viewing TV. Don't take this ... as cannon though!

First of all I wanna say that I have never read a "Yandere manga" before so this is my first time reading one. Initially I thought it had a pretty interesting premise, I mean everyone who's normal would be freaked out if they found out that there is a yandere that is overly obsessed with you and stalks you. But this was not the case with the protagonist of this manga, he rather sees it more of a "thrill" and even went to date her.

This manga is addictive, even with how strange it is it's very addictive. Every chapter just always have something exciting going ... on and I'm always very interested in what Kisaki is about to do. Funnily enough she wasn't even the most twisted character in the manga, it was rather the protagonist Haruka. I've seen a lot of edgy protagonists in animanga but I've never seen one this emo before, I don't want to go into spoilers but his intentions are very dark and edgy. Despite that his unpredictability is what makes this series super exciting.

So if you asked me whether this manga is worth reading or not my answer would be yes. Go for it, it is very strange and can sometimes come off as "corny" but it's weirdly addictive and very exciting!

Nabi is fundamentally flawed, narratively warped, and deeply seated within its false notion of nonlinearity. It is structurally incompetent, and regardless of whether or not one can follow the storytelling with hyper-focused attention, warranting that level of investment without the corresponding satisfaction is unfair to the reader. Admittedly, it is in part the fault of translation quality and the team's inability to use autocorrect, but beyond that, writer/artist Yeon-Ju Kim does not have the tenets of her story outlined with clarity. Throughout the greater part of the mid-section, it's borderline impossible to follow the interactions on a contextual level, rather all the unmemorable dialogue is ... akin to word padding. There's indeed a great deal of text, although, in terms of legitimate thematic value, not everything said deserves a spotlight. In hindsight, there are instances of contemplative thought that are rephrased and rehashed more than necessary, or perhaps it's needed because the reader is rarely sure how the current conflict plays a role in the transpiring events.

The series suffers from its large cast, and a combination of same face syndrome and designs choosing bizarre visual representations of shock or intimate conversation. Often, characters will be drawn with different hair colors, closely resembling another member of the cast who also happens to have similar facial features. This issue branches into many areas of storytelling setbacks, and it's apparent that Kim does not fully utilize the strengths of the medium. There are various instances where indicators of some sort would only serve to benefit the effectiveness of the many moving parts of her narrative, and she loses the reader quickly during the countless monologues that segue into flashbacks. The exposition is simply not framed well enough within the bounds of flowery language alongside a slightly unclear timeline. At certain points, a character will be referred to by their former name or a new translation of the original one, and while the scans are a matter of circumstance, denoting a visual shift is not. Refusing to use a narrator or construct a streamlined focus does not create a more compelling experience and on the contrary, it should disguise character intent, not our ability to distinguish them.

The manhwa's merits are frankly few and far between, especially scaled against the self-created clutter. However, beneath the facade of complication, the premise is relatively simple once one has caught on to the similarities across character arcs. Their respective growth treads the same pace as Nabi's political power struggle, another case of something not particularly layered being depicted with unnecessary uncertainty. Kim's grasp on the personalities of the protagonists and multiple deuteragonists is strong, remaining consistent in personal development as well as in plot roles. The story's shoujo-esque style is its primary appeal, maintaining the standard for emotional prose throughout. Internal monologues are purely poetic, and while I didn't find them all to have a convincing purpose, the painterly imagery accompanying these pieces is noteworthy. The art has fantastic spreads in the latter volumes and consistently impressive establishing shots at the cost of severely lacking paneling during action sequences. For fans of the demographic, there's minimal enjoyment unless one is solely interested in the medium itself. A rarely cohesive yet lyrical tale of grief, strife, and revenge.

While stumbling like I do upon similar words used in titles for my MAL searches I like many probably came across this from the similarities at first glance of Kanojo, Okarishimasu (or the rental girlfriend type dynamic/trend/trope I guess) but this manga has some interesting details of it's own I find. It's not a copy cat by any means. If you are interested in a Rental Girlfriend manga with some differences I'd say give it a read.

If you don't want a character/drama around many corners that's got more drama/particular scale of they struggle to talk to women and well is more out there (Hoshino-san is ... very much your self insert or safe or quite guy type not the more levels of struggle to keep a relationship, panic and such, this manga is just focused on the day to day stuff and is very happy then balancing happy and drama)/but in a more less dramatic way I'd say pick this up.

Kanojo, Okarishimasu can be pretty particular on how it approaches drama/silly situations or tension. This manga is not like that. It's more happy, but if it has changes to characters for them to deal with then it solves them by the next chapter, not making them an arc for a few chapters with other characters. It does what it needs to with the 2 main leads and has the other 2 appear on occasion and they don't effect the main duo at all they are just there to bounce dialogue off of. I don't want to say it's safer but just more focused on the fun characters and dates/other characters then chaos happening. The rental girlfriend dynamic without it blowing up.

I put it a 7 as while it's good I don't know what else to say. It felt yes on topic, but average. I don't expect much drama but I also didn't find it that outstanding either. It was enjoyable I never hated any scenes at all. Even the bonus chapters were pretty good. Some moments are chuckle worthy or funny. I do think it could have a bit more though. Then again if a series doesn't annoy me it already gets some good high ratings in it. But it did feel lacking I just can't put my finger on it.

The last bonus chapter surprised me with the what they were doing/where they were going (they only had to go likely a few streets but it exaggerated and that was just great to see). XD Was very strange but funny I found. Others are just charming moments due to Tsukita and her liveliness/silliness/quirks. Could she be annoying, probably to some people but to me she was a lot of fun to see what she would do/say/think next.

It follows a male office worker Hoshino-san, the rental girlfriend Tsukita (not that important spoiler: her real name not her Rental Girlfriend profile name does get revealed at some point) he goes on dates with (she is very particular and she doesn't get many clients, but that's what makes her charming as a reader I found).

You have Hebihara the co-worker of Hoshino-san you see sometimes not often, finally we have Hoshino-san BFF you see also rarely that they talk about some pretty close topics Hoshino is thinking about.

Most chapters will be about Tskukita and Hoshino going on a rental date. Others Hoshino thinking something. Others with Hebihara (the one with her helping Hoshino while he's dazed is pretty enjoyable).

Tsukita has her quirks, is very happy and from going to different places, having manholes and other things to collect digital coins to walk to places for an app I vaguely remember details about.

She does change sometimes based on her other clients or what Hoshino plans but changes happen between both of them. Hoshino changes due to his experience and Tsukita is lively but at the same time understand things from her clients, the few she gets a least.

For 20 chapters I wasn't sure what to expect but it covers a fair amount of details/situations of rental girlfriend but not as extreme of drama as Kanojo, Okarishimasu. It fits more in line with they are a rental, and if they do feel something but it doesn't spiral into many other situations it's still fairly on topic.

So it goes through probably as many situations as the mangaka could think of and that's totally fine. The ending isn't anything that outstanding but it makes sense for the journey Hoshino was on. It was also clear who of the two (or if they introduced another character but they didn't who he would get with).

The Hoshino's friend and Hebihara part in a later chapter was a surprise but I won't say anything else. I'll be vague there. :)

It's an enjoyable short read of 2 volumes and 20 chapters with mostly date scenes, Hoshino adjusting to Tsukita/communication in general, some with his friend and some job scenes/his co-worker.

The writing sucks ass and the main couple is stupid as all hell.

With every new chapter that comes out Dan loses more and more braincells each time and becomes nothing but the type of slave maid bimbo you'd find in a bargain bin light novel about a dark lord. He's not really meek or anything, unless the "romantic" scene demands for it, but he becomes so relient Jaekyung and develops stockholm pretty much instantly.

How should I describe him...he's kind of like a fusion betweeen Kazuya and Chizuru from Rental Girlfriend, that is not a compliment mind you. He swoons so often for Jaekyung for the ... smallest of things and it's pretty much clear that he's fallen in love already...even though their romantic moments suck. They suck so bad.

The scene with the grandma made me cringe so hard.

Anyhow, the other main lead:

We basically know NOTHING about Jaekyung yet for the 40 chapters except for:
-He is a dick
-He has a big dick

That's it, I am serious. We get a few hints (If they can even be called that) once a "rival" character arrives but it's not at all enough to make me interested in this dickhead. By the way, I wrote rival with quotations because that shit gets dropped so quick that I was left wondering why the author even bothered with it.

Am I dissapointed since I'm a big fan of the author's previous work, BJ Alex? Yes. However, the extra comics are leading me to believe that this will be a much longer and slower paced story. So, WHO KNOWS, the writing might become better...I hope. Because I do like the art.

It's definitely not a bad manga. It's short with a somewhat good romance. However, the story is a little lacking. You won't get much development for a short manga, but I feel like the story could have been better. It focuses on how the FMC tries to change who she wants to be and how she meets other people who will help her go through tough road. The characters are good, and, in my opinion, the FMC's boyfriend is somewhat pathetic. He didn't get much development but I expected some massive development from him but unfortunately, he only got a little and all the boyfriend ... did was accept who she was and give himself some strength to move forward in his own life. Anyway, the manga was great, and I enjoyed it. The story really catches my attention on how society expects you to be like everyone. Basically, be part of the majority and not the minority, or do what everyone around you is doing.

4.6/10


Sometimes I wonder why mangas like these exist where it’s the same rinse and repeat concept each chapter where the characters are so generic and stupendous; however, I then remember the sheer amount of wish-fulfillment and fetishes that people can derive from its existence.

The characters are all so basic — there are your typical main characters who are too popular and loser-like for their own good and are filled with inconsistencies in nature and attitude — these characters then act accordingly for plot’s sake, which is some of the most infuriating interactions on planet earth. As for the side characters… There are none. Yup, ... enjoy! Surely you won’t get burnt out of this manga with just two characters.

Like the characters weren’t bad enough, the plot is literally the same embarrassing situation repeated over and over again in a different form each time. Also, the plot seems clever, but it’s the most roundabout way for the fmc to ever make anyone fall in love.

With all things considered, chapters 3 and 4 weren’t that bad, but the introduction is god-awful, and this manga is lucky that I read chapters 3 and 4 after I went to sleep, since this would’ve gotten a much worse score than it did. Don’t read this unless you’re into the whole “prince-charming fmc dominates and obsesses over loser-like mc.”


Reading Rankings (Portnoy inspired + A Huang-Teizan Original)
10 - God’s penmanship
9 - Must-read. Drop everything else.
8 - Instant bookmark
7 - Entertaining
6 - Good to pass time
5 - Why are you reading this?
4 - Bad.
3 - Typical garbage.
2 - My head hurts.
1 - Retirement is a thought.
0 - “Did they even give you a story?!”

Yk I read this when I was on my scary, gorey, horror manga craze during the pandemic but ngl. This story is kinda ass. I will give props; the art is amazing, and the level of detail is really good, especially for the fights. You can tell the illustrator, Kensuke Nishida, knows how to draw monsters well. seriously! Look up a panel of the manga, and you'll see what I mean. I'd recommend this manga for the art alone! Now onto the bad stuff. The characters are bland. I'm talking really boring. This manga was good for the first 10 chapters, but then it took ... a nose dive soon after. It was honestly a bit of a slog trying' to read it. Overall, it's a pretty average manga with above average artwork. But who knows maybe it'll appeal to someone.

Another typical regression manhwa with an MC that is OP. Also with a game system with concepts of levelling up, learning skills and receiving rewards. The author uses these typical tropes yet still manages to construct and interesting and exciting storyline, and only in the first 30 chapters. Any reader that favours these tropes are likely to like Max Level Player's 100th Regression as well.

As seen from the title, it's the MC's 100th regression. He's successfully conquered all the games and made it to the last level, only to discover he needs allies. This is why he knows exactly what he needs to do every ... step of the way to achieve maximum efficiency. What stands out is that his knowledge isn't overly complicated, or any hidden elements aren't overly strange. He takes simple steps to achieve his goals one at a time. The MC also doesn't bother hiding his abilities, making it more fun to watch as he absolutely dominates everyone else.

Since it's only at 30 chapters, not every member of the cast's characters can be seen clearly. However, the actions of the MC already reveal quite a few of his personality traits. He is weary of the regressions, but determined to push on. He acts cold, but is still emotionally-driven (especially when it comes to his little brother), and he displays this in a methodologically cruel fashion. While the MC appears to take actions that would lead to the best outcome, readers can still question his morality and judgement.

The art of the manhwa should also be pointed out. The style is clean and the art during fight scenes should be particularly commended. Every character is also drawn nicely, especially the character expressions. Another plus point is that the MC is handsome (similar to YJh-type handsome)

Story-wise, it is not particularly exceptional. Something that stands out is that the story is carried out across both the 'game' world and irl world. While the MC's actions in the two haven't coincided yet, the story appears to be headed towards that way. There are definitely steps towards interesting interactions in the future.

This manhwa is definitely recommended for anyone that likes the regression trope.

This manga is a reverse haram with serious undertones showing us glimpses in the future and past of our FL.
First of all it opens on a time skip in the year 2030 and we see the FL alone reminiscing on her past in high school with her group of male childhood friends in high school. This is where the main story plays out starting in the summer of 2020. Like our 2020 there is a pandemic going on school events being cancelled and the group of friends and trying to peruse the glory days of their youth while in it. Because of the covid ... factor the typical high school shojo tropes / activities are not taking place which makes this stand apart while also leaving the reader sad for the group.

The writing is really good at making every one in the friend group loveable and the FL is sweet. You can feel the love everyone has for each other both romantically (even in the early stages) but also platonically. This time skip is a bit stress educing because as a reader you want to know who she ends up with if anyone?! It feels like there an impending doom reading it for some reason.. There is weird foreshadowing for something more dramatic than a break up among childhood friends. On the fun side there is an ikemen Olympics happening in this manga. Seriously beautiful art work and writing.

As someone who doesn't like slice of life manga in general, this is just the perfect go-to manga you will ever read in your life.
Even though it may seem simple because it tells the daily life of a small child, it actually has a story that can attract and entertain anyone who reads it. I think it is one of the very rare manga that gives the same effect not only as casual reading but even when read continuously. The most important thing about the manga is that even though you are not used to it at first, after a while you start to become ... a child with her.
As someone who re-reads this manga from the beginning when she gets bored, the only negative thing I can say is that the chapters are not updated frequently. However, this is not a big problem because it can take a long time to write and draw such a masterpiece, so we all can understand.
Also, as the chapters progress, Yotsuba's drawings become more and more round and fluffy, making her more adorable.

The story, the emotions, the art... it's all there and it shows so much love and hatred in this story. The way the story is slowed and takes its time during only 21 chapters. It may seem short but if you understand the whole meaning then it feels long and worth reading. The sadness and happiness two children can experience in such a ruined and cruel world is just so beautiful. This story shows us that we should look at life in a different filter and imagine our loved ones with us. This story is presented as a work of art in text and dialogue.

We ... should cherish life and its every moment to the fullest because it can be taken away from us in an instant as this story lesson portrays. Life is beautiful and so is this masterpiece. I recommend that people should read this to understand their emotions and understand that going through pain and suffering results in an after-effect of beauty. Thank you to whoever reads this and I hope you take your time to read this beautiful story.

10/10
Kuroui is love Kurou is life. Best boy/girl/them ever.
Ignore every other girl.

It's definitely haremshit and there's way too much fanservice. But. Kuroumaru. It's a pretty run of the mill shounen and it can be a bit hard to read if you've never read negima but. But. Kuroumaru. At some point the series just turns into a crazy sex story but that's fine cause Kuroumaru. The characters are all pretty interesting too. But still. There's Kuroumaru so what else are you waiting for. It's Kuroumaru she's so cute. UwU. Is the story unique? yeah definitely. The art is pretty. The subject material is often a ... little sus. But it's excusable because Kuroumaru.

10/Kuroumaru can recommend. More Kuroumaru.

For a story about anthropomorphic animals, Beastars says a lot about humankind and the importance of communication to break through differences. Although the concept and themes of Beastars are strong with philosophical and psychological layers to unpack, the series isn’t always sure of it's own identity. During the mid-way point of Beastars characters and plot lines are all too frequently forgotten for new ones- I understand the need for the story to go past Cherryton Academy for the larger message of interspecies relationships but main characters are barely in the story anymore. The character writing of Beastars was a strong point, each character had great ... themes exploring their insecurities with their animal identities in different ways but after a while this development goes in circles. The conclusion of their archs doesn’t feel right despite having a lot of meaningful matter. That aside, the good still significantly outweighs the bad. Beastars is still a great manga that could have been one of the best, it just lost its way but there was never a time I thought it was outright bad nor undeserving of a read. The analogies for twisted parts of our own human society are Beastars strong suit and make me wish I could score it higher.
Beastars is a constant battle of brain vs brawn and it’s still worth your time.

After reading this from start to finish I finally complete my first ever manga. I've never finished a manga from reading from the start of the first page to the last and with this first hand experience I can say that it was not a waste of my time.

In all honesty you might not like all the charcters in the manga but honestly i don't care because I'm focusing on the 2 main characters. With this mindeset i can say this manga is one of the best romance out there. If you don't like this manga then I suggest you to give it sometime ... to grow on you or watch and read other romance series to compare them to show how good this manga and how different it is from other series.

Arioto is an incredibly written story about Aya Fuwa, lesbian loner, paying popular "straight" girl Marika Sakakibara ten thousand yen a day to make her fall in love... with another girl!? 😳

While on the surface it may seem like a stereotypical predatory lesbian preying on an innocent girl who secretly likes it, the characters have more depth to them than that. Aya lets her emotions get to her while Marika puts up a mask to shield her true self not only to others but to herself. The core of the series, however, is the sexy scenarios cooked up by Aya pay-for-gaying Marika. By using ... the initial framework of a stereotype of a lesbian chasing a straight girl, Arioto is able to simultaneously create an enticing dom/brat relationship for those who enjoy it and a mystery of why Aya is so obsessed with toying with Marika. Arioto eventually moves on from this plot to be about the relationship between the two girls and their inner lives' changing due to it.

That said, the series has plenty of hot & steamy action between girls. Too many good scenes to list! Scenes where Aya plays with Marika in an attempt to get her to see the light of yuri are as erotic as they are creating interesting character moments. In tying sex to not only character interactions/motivations, but to personal enjoyment for the viewer, Arioto creates a sensual atmosphere that makes you wanting more.

On top of that, the series is so funny! Marika repressing as hard as she is can only bring me laughs, as it comedically exaggerates and satirizes societal conformity towards treating same-sex attraction as nothing serious. As a lesbian who went through a phase denying my attraction towards women, I adore this cathartic look at my inner younger self. Lesbians comfortable with their sexuality reacting to Marika's over-the-top comphet is also hilarious!

Those put off by fiction playing with controversial subjects beware! The characters are teenagers and the sexual scenes are of dubious consent. This does not bother me, however, as they are fictional characters in fictional scenarios. In the immortal words of Marika in chapter 2: "at the end of the day, it's just fiction... if you read a manga with murder, do you get homicidal urges?" It's doubtful any minds can change on this, but the "controversial" elements of Arioto are enjoyable to me, and that's what matters in my review :) also stockholm syndrome isnt real

All in all, Arioto is a fun, if not beginner friendly, yuri series about realizing your true gay self. Highly recommend!

god i wish that were me god i wish that were me god i wish that were me god i wish that were me god i wish that were me god i wish that were me god i wish that were me god i wish that were me god i wish that were me god i wish that were me god i wish that were me god i wish that were me god i wish that were me god i wish that were me god i wish that were me god i wish that were me god i wish that were me god i wish ... that were me god i wish that were me god i wish that were me god i wish that were me god i wish that were me god i wish that were me god i wish that were me god i wish that were me god i wish that were me god i wish that were me god i wish that were me god i wish that were me god i wish that were me god i wish that were me god i wish that were me god i wish that were me god i wish that were me god i wish that were me god i wish that were me god i wish that were me god i wish that were me god i wish that were me god i wish that were me god i wish that were me god i wish that were me god i wish that were me god i wish that were me

There are stories that are utterly forgettable, and ones that makes you ponder about the characters and yourself in relation.

This is a story about a barbarian tribesman with no qualms about killing in a fictitious world not unlike our past, during age of exploration. So seeing myself resonate with the character was the last thing I expected.

It is NOT a dark fantasy, but a bloody action adventure but is laden with gentle philosophy.
Reminds me of an earlier Tokien or GRR Martin style work.

It mirrors questions most people will ask in their lives yet it is kept optimistic because of the MC's talent and outliook.

I can't believe it. I just can't. I finally found a story that doesn't drag the consumer out to a long bullshit tangent and straight its story. This is probably my all-time favorite manga ever. Aside from Bunny Girl Senpai and Kimi-Zero (Manga Vers.).

Just a quick summary, assuming you don't want a spoiler. The main protagonist, as you see in the title, is named Asahina Wakaba. She is a so-called, loner and gets bullied a lot. One day her bully decided to do something that they thought was a good prank to do to Wakaba and another student in the school, which is a gross ... fatty otaku, Iruma Haruto.

Without spoilers too far, turns out Haruto was an angel and even got praised by his classmates for how he handled himself a lot.

I swear, I can't spoil you too much but I just can't. At least I want to share with you my favorite panel, which is chapter 15 on panel 16. Oh boy, I love that panel so much.

Overall I love this manga, straight to the point and it's up there with my favorite Webtoon called Flawless.

Overall rating: 9.8 (It's not perfect but it is a very good read)

(BTW, if you want to read it and don't understand the panel that I was talking about, read the manga through MangaUp or read the hard copy of it, it's easier to understand because a panel is a page.)

In short, the entire mdzs universe is worth it for the donghua. At the beginning of the manhua the art is really bad. Then, it improves a little, but not enough, since the story is poorly adapted compared to the donghua. The manhua in general, and sex chapters specifically, are childish and this causes the loss of all the solemnity, mystery, and delicacy of the story.

So disappointing that this manhua is not up to par the story. And probably it's the same for the original novel. To sum up, the great work have been made by the creators of the donghua. Long live ... the good yaoi!!

PLOT TWISTS - THE STORY (MAIN REVIEW IN SPANISH, TRANSLATED)

Manhwas, and particularly webtoon, are not usually a recurring source of analysis since they tend to have a much more casual orientation, aimed at a more specific demographic sector that seeks more visual pleasure than a story that entertains and engages. Even so, the platform has been able to deliver me products from time to time that are outside of that range, and this is one of them.

The title is not very encouraging at all, at first sight it is impossible not to compare it with "Squid Game" (even more knowing where it comes from), but ... I never expected to find a story of high school girls facing a dictatorial system disguised with a false democracy in their own class . That is essentially the summary of the story, but the most interesting thing is definitely the how and why; At first the premise may even seem a bit absurd (more so for our Western perspective), but it makes sense relatively as the series progresses.
One of the things that stands out the most is the number of almost constant twists in the plot. There is practically no status quo, the situation changes all the time and with it the context in which the protagonists move, so the series does not feel stagnant or monotonous at any time. The dynamics of the characters are also very interesting, new ties, enmities, alliances, subordinations and new harassments are created all the time; so with one or two exceptions, you are always seeing new and fluid interactions.

Continuing with the above, the characters are a whole thing themselves. Almost all of them are women, not only the students (this high school is exclusively for girls) but also the adults, with only two specific exceptions, a father and a teacher. The characters are all very consistent, which is difficult to achieve in the aforementioned changing context; their thoughts, reactions, alliances, betrayals, interests, manners, treatments... from the protagonists to the secondary ones maintain a line in their way of being, thinking and acting throughout the series, where their way of reacting is also explored in different circumstances, their defects, how they let themselves go or seek, either actively or passively, a change in their situation. Suji as the protagonist is quite interesting (especially as the protagonist of a webtoon), she is selfless, reserved and calculating, but also extremely flexible, chameleonic and a very good liar. More than a noble heart, what leads her to go against the pyramidal regime is to see herself in a situation of obeying or being a victim of the system, being completely in the hands of the creator of the game, Harim. The bad thing is that at the end of the day, Suji ends up being quite a "mary sue", although at the beginning she is taken by surprise, logically, as the chapters go by everything simply turns out well for her; she always has something to respond to the antagonists' initiatives, she always seems one step ahead, and she is also "the savior" of the good girl in the manhwa. Speaking of the good girl, Jaeun is out of harmony with the rest because she is the sponge of abuse, even I wonder if she is a masochist, because she even seems to seek to suffer so that others don't have to. Even so, she is the character who evolves the most in the series and who experiences the most complex feelings of all, being key in the outcome. Finally, Harin ends up a bit blurred, but she is a great antagonist, especially in the first two seasons, where she is that figure of authoritarian power, exercised indirectly through her privileged people.

The best and most interesting thing is what happens around the pyramid game itself. The manhwa itself explains that it is based on the Stanford prison experiment, but I consider that it has many elements of its predecessor experiment: the Milgram experiment, not to mention that it also adds a very particular new element: voting. As a result, the characters begin to act as a sub-society with internal rules, completely isolated from the rest, where the rank given by the popular vote was the main thing. This makes the manhwa, especially at the beginning, even uncomfortable and difficult to read due to the cruelty and explicit cynicism towards the lowest rank, practically dehumanizing them. It clearly establishes the privileges and deprivations of the students according to the ranks, the role that a specific rank must assume, how they seem "trapped" but at the same time they participate without raising their voices because they are not directly affected and the most interesting thing: what they are willing to do each of them for one vote, to avoid falling into the lowest rank. At this point the secondary ones shine: since the protagonists tend to act more as opposing forces, representing "tyranny" and "revolution", the secondary ones are the pawns on the board, the tools to sustain/destroy the system. They are constantly subjected to moral dilemmas and every last drop of ethics is squeezed out of them (there are even references to other sociological studies, such as the prisoner's dilemma and the misattribution of arousal), they all have weak points that are presented at a very good pace by the series and are exploited by both sides to respond to their respective interests. I am not going to overanalyze the story to the point of saying that it is a "criticism of democracy", but I am interested in how it deals with many aspects of it, such as how easy it is to vitiate the popular will or how pressure and/or fear to losing privileges means that what in theory works as a majority government ends up being controlled by a very minority group with more power and influence, harming other minority groups. In the end, the sociological aspect is what stands out the most in the work and what definitely makes it worth reading.

In slightly more superficial aspects, I liked the art direction and color, I thought it complemented well the type of story being told. Characters like Eunbyeol and Yerim give off exactly the vibe they're supposed to give you, but at the same time they're not what they seem.

To conclude, an atypical story for a webtoon, but precisely for that reason I can say that it was one of the greatest satisfactions I have had reading a story that is based on suspense. It really has no waste, it is dynamic, entertaining, satisfying, and although with some errors, it concludes quite well. I really recommend it.

PLOT TWISTS - LA SERIE (RESEÑA EN ESPAÑOL)

Los manhwas y particularmente los de webtoon no suelen ser una fuente recurrente de análisis ya que suelen tener una orientación mucho mas casual, destinada a un sector demográfico mas específico y que busca mas placer visual que una historia que entretenga y enganche. Aún así, la plataforma ha sabido entregarme de vez en cuando algún producto que se sale de ese margen y este es uno de ellos.

El título no es muy alentador, de entrada es imposible no compararlo con "Squid Game" (aún mas sabiendo de donde viene), pero nunca esperé encontrar una historia de chicas de preparatoria enfrentando un sistema dictatorial disfrazado con una falsa democracia en su propia clase. Esa es en esencia la síntesis de la historia, pero lo mas interesante definitivamente es el cómo y el porqué; en un principio puede parecer incluso un tanto absurda la premisa (mas para nuestra mirada occidental), pero encuentra sentido relativamente a medida de que avanza la serie.
Una de las cosas que mas llama la atención es la cantidad de giros de tuerca casi constantes en la trama. Prácticamente no existe un status quo, la situación cambia todo el tiempo y con ello el contexto en el que se mueven las protagonistas, por lo que la serie no se siente estancada ni monótona en ningún momento. La dinámica de los personajes también resulta muy interesante, todo el tiempo se crean lazos nuevos, enemistades, alianzas, subordinaciones y hostigamientos nuevos; así que salvo con una o dos excepciones, siempre se están viendo interacciones nuevas y fluidas.

Siguiendo con lo anterior, lo personajes son un tema en sí. Casi la totalidad son mujeres, no solo las estudiantes (la preparatoria es exclusiva de chicas) sino también las adultas, con solo dos excepciones puntuales, un padre y un maestro. Los personajes son muy consistentes todos, lo cual es difícil de lograr en el contexto tan cambiante antes mencionado; sus pensamientos, reacciones, alianzas, traiciones, intereses, modales, tratos... desde las protagonistas, hasta las secundarias mantienen un línea en su forma de ser, pensar y actuar a lo largo de la serie, donde además se explora su forma de reaccionar en las distintas circunstancias, sus defectos, como se dejan llevar o buscan ya sea de forma activa o pasiva un cambio en su situación. Suji como protagonista es bastante interesante (sobre todo como prota de un webtoon), es desinteresada, reservada y calculadora, pero también sumamente flexible, camaleónica y muy buena mentirosa. Mas que un corazón noble, lo que la lleva a ir en contra del régimen piramidal es verse en situación de obedecer o ser victima del sistema, estando completamente en manos de la creadora del juego, Harim. Lo malo es que al final del día, Suji acaba siendo bastante "mary sue", si bien al principio la toman por sorpresa, lógicamente, cuando pasan los capítulos simplemente todo le sale bien; siempre tiene algo con qué responder a las iniciativa de las antagonistas, siempre parece un paso por delante, y además es "la salvadora" de la chica buena del manhwa. Hablando de la chica buena, Jaeun desentona con el resto por que es la esponja del maltrato, incluso uno se llega a preguntar si es masoquista, porque parece incluso buscar sufrir para que otros no lo tengan que hacer. Aún así, es el personaje que mas evoluciona en la serie y quién experimenta los sentimientos mas complejos de todos, siendo clave en el desenlace. Por último, Harin termina un poco desdibujada, pero es una gran antagonista, sobre todo en las primeras dos temporadas, donde ella es esa figura de poder autoritario, ejercido de forma indirecta a través de sus privilegiadas.

Lo mejor y mas interesante es lo que ocurre en torno al juego de la pirámide como tal. El propio manhwa explica que está basado en el experimento de la cárcel de Stanford, pero considero que tiene muchos elementos de su experimento predecesor: el experimento de Milgram, sin contar que además añade un elemento nuevo muy particular: la votación. A raíz de ello, los personajes empiezan a actuar como una sub sociedad con normas internas, completamente aislada del resto, donde el rango dado por el voto popular era el que mandaba. Esto hace que el manhwa sea, sobre todo al principio, hasta incómodo y difícil de leer por la crueldad y el cinismo explícito hacia el rango mas bajo, prácticamente deshumanizándolo. Se establece claramente los privilegios y las privaciones de las estudiantes según los rangos, el papel que debe asumir un rango en específico, como parecen "atrapadas" pero al mismo tiempo participan sin alzar la voz por no verse afectadas directamente y lo mas interesante: qué están dispuestas a hacer cada una de ellas por un voto, por evitar caer en el rango mas bajo. En ese punto brillan las secundarias: ya que las protagonistas suelen actuar mas como fuerzas opositoras, representado la "tiranía" y la "revolución", las secundarias son los peones en el tablero, las herramientas para sostener/destruir el sistema. Son sometidas constantemente a dilemas morales y se les exprime hasta la última gota de ética (hay incluso referencias a otros estudios sociológicos, como el dilema del prisionero y el efecto del puente colgante), todas tienen puntos débiles que son presentados a muy buen ritmo por la serie y son explotados por ambas partes para que respondan a sus respectivos intereses. No voy a sobre analizar la historia al punto de decir que es una "crítica a la democracia", pero si me interesa como trata varios aspectos de esta, como lo fácil que es viciar la voluntad popular o como la presión y/o el miedo a perder privilegios hace que lo que en teoría funciona como un gobierno de mayorías, termina siendo controlado por un grupo muy minoritario con mas poder e influencia, perjudicando a otros grupos minoritarios. Al final, el aspecto sociológico es lo que mas destaca en la obra y lo que definitivamente hace que valga la pena leerla.

En aspectos un poco mas superficiales, la dirección de arte y color me gustó, me pareció que complementaba bien el tipo de historia que se está contando. Personajes como Eunbyeol y Yerim transmiten exactamente la vibra que se suponen que debe darte, pero al mismo tiempo no son lo que parecen.

Para concluir, una historia atípica para ser un webtoon, pero justamente por eso puedo decir que fue una de las mayores satisfacciones que he tenido leyendo una historia que se basa en el suspenso. Realmente no tiene desperdicio, es dinámica, entretenida, satisfactoria, y aunque con algunos errores, concluye bastante bien. En verdad la recomiendo.

8.1/10


This manga has absolutely NO right in being as enjoyable as it is due to all of the “nots” that the manga executes in the whole isekai trope, but it somehow works through the juxtaposition of the main character and his gruesome world.

Rule number one of a good isekai: have good world-building and make it interesting; well, this manga does the exact opposite of that due to how many cliches it falls victim to — racism, poor power scaling, and “totally unpredictable evil organizations.”

“Ok fine, what about rule number 2?”

Rule number two of a good isekai: introduce a main character and make said ... mc go through progressive developments and explore his backstory. You caught me. This also doesn’t do anything like that — in fact, in to chapters, there was not one backstory on the main character, but it honestly wasn’t a bother to the story.

“Now truly, how could this be a good isekai if it doesn’t even follow two of the most basic rules of an isekai?”

Well.. Though the manga doesn’t employ the most standard and traditional means of creating an investing and interesting world and characters, the manga is instead pure, unfiltered fun through the characters and their chemistry.

There are your typical and usual cliches in the character archetypes, but the main character’s whimsical attitude about the twisted world around him, just makes this manga so interesting. As for the side characters, they become quite essential and important to the story, as they share most of the screen time in the later chapters; the side characters have been more developed and introduced than the main character, but that is fine, since the mc was already “fun.”

Obviously, this isn’t the most intricate and well-built isekai in the world, and it follows the basic plot developments of a fantasy isekai, however, this makes it all the more enjoyable, since there isn’t much intricacy to remember to fully understand the characters and the world, creating a “too enjoyable for your own good experience. “


Reading Rankings (Portnoy inspired + A Huang-Teizan Original)
10 - God’s penmanship
9 - Must-read. Drop everything else.
8 - Instant bookmark
7 - Entertaining
6 - Good to pass time
5 - Why are you reading this?
4 - Bad.
3 - Typical garbage.
2 - My head hurts.
1 - Retirement is a thought.
0 - “Did they even give you a story?!”

Ai no Seikatsu is about an interconnected web of characters who want desperately to love and feel loved, yet are unable to. It is filled with the same melodramatic themes as much of Okazaki's work (post-bubble unhappy teens that have been forsaken by the system, teenage pregnancy, incest, violent outbursts, etc) but doesn't pull them off as well or as intensely as her best works

Story: The plot is made of vignettes of interconnected characters' troubled love lives that mostly rejoin during the manga's climax, ranging from the comedic to the beautifully melancholic. However, it doesn't hit the same peaks as Okazaki's other works, both in ... term of greatness and in term of intensity, leading to the plot feeling a bit run of the mill

Art: I've always been a big fan of Okazaki's simplistic and expressive style, but I'll admit it's not for everyone AT ALL.

Characters: The cast is way too big for the length of the manga. The two brother and sister easily get the most development and are the most compelling characters. In comparison, the protagonist is a bit too dull to my liking. A bunch of secondary characters get a massive chunk of screentime, but the manga isnt long enough for them to individually have that lot going on

Overall, this is a b-grade, slightly generic Kyoko Okazaki manga. Which is not to say it was bad, she's my favorite mangaka and I had a great time reading it. Just, don't expect River's Edge or Helter Skelter going into this

GOOD BITS: The art is breathtaking. Junji Itou really knows how to draw.
The horror can be really quite scary and unsettling. Some chapters are difficult to get through, but that's coming from someone who hasn't experienced much horror.
Some of the mini-stories are fantastic, and most are at least serviceable. They are all exciting and quick to get through.
Without spoiling anything, the ending is very effective at making you feel what the characters do, and is arguably the best part of the whole thing.
The concept is absolutely fantastic, so simple yet effective, it really isn't like anything that came before or has come after.

BAD BITS: ... The characters are blank slates of nothing. They exist only to fuel the horror, which does work very well, but don't expect anything apart from, The nice one, The insane ones... yeah that's basically it. This might not bother some people, but I just did not get attached to any of the characters because they are all blank slates.
The story is... fine. It ramps up in the insanity nicely but it is such an easy to escape from problem until the vey end of the story.
Some of the mini-stories are terrible. They are absolutely nonsensical to the point that they aren't scary and the art stops impressing.

OVERALL: Fine. Pretty great horror some of the times, but the characters aren't effective and the story(s) can get so silly that they lose all impact. If you can look past the characters and silliness you're left with a good horror series.

GOOD BITS: The premise is unique, going through 8 stories to build up to a single fight is a rare thing, and it should be difficult to create interesting and memorable characters when you only see them for a short time. Despite how hard this should be, Satoshi Mizukami makes it work and is able to create multiple stories that take place in vastly different times and settings.
Many different ideas and concepts are presented, such as cult activity or the danger of super-weapons. Each one gets a short but very interesting time in the spotlight and proposes some interesting questions.
The characters are ... pretty good, despite being reincarnations of the same people they are each different both in looks and personality.
The story is very interesting, many mysteries are left unsolved and there is often a brief conversation before entering a past life that excites about what is to come.

BAD BITS: The art is quite bare-bones, there are often simple or no backgrounds present in the story, although it does improve towards the end.
The action isn't very important or focused on, but what is present is pretty mediocre. However it isn't the focus of the story and it's done well enough that it doesn't ruin anything.
While the story is overall very good, it can feel like it's a single conversation or attack away from being over until the midway point. Even then it still feels like it could have ended at the first chapter or any of the others.

OVERALL: Pretty good sci-fi story with quite a bit going on. Many interesting concepts are introduced and the characters and story are interesting enough to see what happens next.