AS PROMISED~
Seriously, though, I've read an unreal amount of stuff since the last time I posted any reading updates in this thread (which was clearly way too long ago), LOL
, so prepare for a very long scroll...
7 Seeds chapters 1-154 (so far):
This is a manga from the same author of the classic
Basara. Now,
Basara was a legitimate masterpiece, and while
7Seeds is definitely excellent, I don't think it *quite* reaches
Basara's level just yet (but there's still a ways to go yet in its translation, so we'll see
). However, it is indeed quite gripping (I seriously couldn't put it down!
), and very well-done. It's a completely different genre-- post-environmental-apocalypse survival-- and features no real singular protagonist (there are multiple groups of people involved in the survival project, and the POV cycles between them). The survival elements are *really* well-thought-out, and the later-revealed clinical yet downright horrific actions of certain people in creating the survival project itself is extremely chilling. Plus, the eventual interactions of the people in the groups are as varied and alternately heartwarming/heartbreaking/edge-of-your-seat-unpredictable as they are in real life. And even all of that description doesn't even really do it justice. (Have I mentioned that this series is excellent?
) ...Now, all that said, there is some content to be aware of: There are a few instances of detailed upper female nudity (not for fanservice reasons, though); attempted (but thankfully unsuccessful) rape; brainwashing + psychological torture; mass murder (complete with some sickening 'utilization' of the corpses afterwards...
); and some other rather disturbing things (giant mutated insects + mutated environmental/animal/disease scariness in general, etc. etc.). However, none of it felt gratuitous, and the story itself is so darn gripping that it's worth it anyway, so I do still recommend it.
Alive: The Final Evolution volumes 1-21 (complete):
This starts off as an interesting sci-fi thriller-- with some sort of sentient alien 'virus' (well, not quite, but the full reveal comes later) causing people to instantly turn into either blissful suicide cases or extremely homicidal psychopaths, with only a rare few of the 'infected' disobeying either 'order'-- and then for some reason it quickly morphs into a rather-less-interesting battle shounen.
Don't get me wrong, some of it was definitely interesting; however, it just as definitely had flaws. For example: Certain leaps of logic (and time) were a bit... well, illogical; a couple of characterization threads don't really go anywhere; and the MC's love interest is not only pretty much useless/used against him throughout the entire thing
, there also wasn't really any chemistry or reasoning for why they become a couple in the end other than the MC just saying that he liked her once.
So, yeah, it started out with some pretty great potential, but ended up just kinda meh for me in the end. *shrug*
Ao no Flag chapters 1-33 (so far):
This is a very heartfelt romance/drama series with a very unconventional love square. (Along with the many for-now-presumably-straight characters in this series, there are several prominent LGBTQ+ characters as well {one character is gay and another is lesbian}; however, it is treated sensitively, is not for fanservice at all {indeed, nothing actually happens with them anyway, either 'onscreen' or off}, and is not dwelled on more than necessary for realistic characterization.) Some discussion of certain personal and societal perceptions (such as the school beauty being furiously fed up with everyone's completely false assumptions about her, which they base solely on her image; one of the female MC's having never liked herself, with acknowledgment that there's no quick fix for that; etc.) was a pleasant surprise; the art often shows more than tells (as a lot of feelings are conveyed much more through actions, expressions, body language, and character gaze rather than speech); and despite the LGBTQ+ character presence and an occasional (but rare) cliché, so far I've found it rather refreshing for a school-set drama/romance. Now, granted, I have no idea how it's going to end (two of the for-now-presumably-straight MC's just started dating, but given their respective characterizations so far + the somewhat-subtle undercurrent of unconventionality this series seems to have, it's anyone's guess if it'll last; for example, the two guys could still end up together, or everyone could end up single for that matter, and none of it would feel out of character, so who knows? *shrug*); but everything has been fairly well-written up to here, so I trust that regardless of any of the outcomes it will be as good a read as it has been so far.
Beastars chapters 1-89 (so far):
...Oh boy. Well, basically, if
Zootopia was more anthropomorphic, *far* darker, rather twisted, and made specifically for mature audiences, then you'd have this.
And while I wholeheartedly ship the adorable fox/rabbit couple in
Zootopia,
Beastars is definitely *NOT* a Disney flick
, which means that the 'relationships' *this* series' rabbit has are actually pretty darn unsettling (and intentionally so). Indeed, there is actually quite a fair amount of both sexual and violent content in this that (purposefully) disturbs (there is a black market for meat, for example, and its portrayal is exactly as horrifying as it sounds-- even up to and including an herbivore essentially engaging in actual cannibalism, which is pretty stomach-turning just in concept; plus all of the other carnal/seedy stuff that you'd expect from that kind of district {strip clubs, prostitution, etc.}). That said, personally, the payoff has been worth the unpleasant content so far. Legosi, the wolf MC, is a wonderful character, and when his attitude/philosophy/etc. 'levels up' in a sense, it's a thing of beauty to behold. As for the main plot thread that winds its way through the series (though it is purposefully only in true focus at specific times), the reveal of the original culprit (once it finally occurs) is surprisingly abrupt, but makes a little more sense later on once said culprit's (very broken, but expertly disguised) personality is revealed. (On the other hand, the reveal of
SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Legosi's grandfather was a bit of a stretch for my suspension of disbelief, as it literally wouldn't be possible, biologically speaking; however, since all of the animals are much more anthropomorphic here than one usually sees in fiction, it wasn't too hard to let it be. So, anyway, overall, this one is unfortunately difficult to recommend due to the level of content, but is well-done nonetheless.
Dead Mount Death Play chapters 1-16 (so far):
...First things first: I unfortunately cannot recommend this to hardly anyone else because of a certain bit of content in chapter 5-- namely,
SPOILER: Highlight text to read: a yuri sex scene that leaves *nothing* to the imagination.
Thus, only if one could handle that-- *plus* other occasional unnecessary fanservice *and* some fairly disturbing violence
-- would I even dare mention it. Those unfortunate points are very irritating indeed, because when it comes to storytelling, Ryohgo Narita-sensei
*never* disappoints, and true to form, even the first chapter of this series already lived up to that rule. This series brutally (and brilliantly) twists every initial expectation one might have upon first reading it-- from
SPOILER: Highlight text to read: actually *reversing* the 'isekai' trope (which is very rare nowadays in comparison to the 'normal' way) to completely destroying the assumption of which character actually made that trip (as well as any assumptions one might have had *about* said character in the first place)-- and the story/worldbuilding as well as his trademark super-messed-up characters are all fascinating (and occasionally chilling) as heck. Still, despite the man being one of my all-time favorite authors, and despite the positives I just mentioned, I cannot in good conscience recommend this at all due to that very unnecessary bit of content early on.
Demons Of Shanghai chapters 1-4 (complete):
This was a cute and comedic little miniseries (with great worldbuilding, too) by Hiromu Arakawa-sensei (the mangaka of
Fullmetal Alchemist and
Silver Spoon, among other things). Unfortunately, it must have either been a pilot or prematurely cancelled, because not only does it not really 'end,' but there was clearly so much more story to be told.
Oh well...
The Heiress And The Chauffeur vol.'s 1-2 (complete):
...As you might be able to guess from the title, this fits the 'pseudo-historical forbidden-love-across-social-barriers' stereotype to a T. It wasn't actually *bad* or anything (in fact, there was really nothing about it to dislike); it was just really, *really* average, and didn't attempt to be any more. So, while I didn't really mind reading it once, it also isn't something that I'd ever take the time to read again, either, LOL.
*shrug*
Itsuya-san vol.'s 1-2 (complete):
This was a neat little miniseries featuring some unique, slightly-dark-yet-whimsical magic and a touching story. Worth a one-time read.
Kare Kano: His And Her Circumstances vol.'s 1-21 (complete):
This was... er...
interesting.
At first, it was better than I'd been expecting-- said expectation being that the premise would get dragged out. To my pleasant surprise instead, the 2 MC's are actually already officially dating by volume *2,* and the 'rivalry' doesn't really go anywhere serious, either. It delves a lot into personalities and masks, gleefully dismantles the school festival trope, and was generally quite good for a while (despite some horrific flashbacks that are not easy to get through). However, later on, some issues did unfortunately arise. Namely: Some of the psychological and relational issues get worked through quite a bit quicker than is realistic... plus, even more importantly, multiple side-couples are varying shades of problematic-- one, which is at least somewhat credible (in terms of their feelings, I mean, not its actual resolution), involves (100% *not* related at all, though, thankfully) step-siblings, which I know is a turn-off for many; another stretches disbelief with an adult-teen relationship that is *not* delved into deep enough to be credible; and, to top it all off, I honestly have no idea what the heck the mangaka was thinking with the
SPOILER: Highlight text to read: 'soulmate' for Asaba thing at the very end
-- I mean, age gap in fiction isn't an issue for me as long as it's a (...wait for it...)
credible relationship on both sides, but this went far beyond even just "*not* credible" to outright "holy *crap* that is creepy, what the genuine heck??!
" real fast
... which, as one might well imagine, kinda put a pretty big damper on the whole thing.
So, yeah, this one wasn't a keeper in the end, unfortunately.
Kigurumi Guardians vol.'s 1-3 (so far):
I'm not gonna lie, I'm hooked on this. It's a beautifully-drawn (and unexpectedly dark on occasion) series featuring psychological warfare, giant fluffy transforming extra-dimensional mascot-like aliens, viciously-ripped-out-hearts, and a lot of kissing.
(No, really, the kissing is what temporarily transforms the aforementioned mascot aliens to and from human form.
) ...Ahem. As you might possibly have gathered, there are two distinct tones present here-- light-hearted and dark-- yet they somehow work together so incredibly well that it just seems right. Now, that said, as for content: Other than some surprising (but not overly graphic) violence and some fanservicey clothing on occasion on the enemies' part, the one thing that I really do have to mention is that this does contain some likely shounen-ai at times (there are two straight pairings and two m/m pairings; one of the m/m ones seems to have been previously established before the start of the series and are pretty much implied to be a couple as far as I can tell, and the rest are all very likely heading towards being romantic as well... though they were all originally just partnered up purely for fighting-power compatibility and nothing else, so it is by no means certain that any of the other three pairs-- including the other m/m one-- will actually be romantic in the end); however, that element is actually quite light (nothing occurs beyond the transforming-kisses), is also balanced by the equal amount of straight pairings, and the story well more than makes up for it; so unless something egregious happens later on, I have no problems recommending this so far.
Kimi wa Boku no Taiyou one-shot (complete):
...MY HEART!!! <3 So short, so sweet, so perfect! Saying anything more would spoil it, so please just trust me and read this.
Kiryuu-sensei wa Renai ga Wakaranai., a.k.a.
Dousei Sensei wa Renai ga Wakaranai., a.k.a.
Miss Kiryuu doesn't know what love is., chapters 1-6 (so far):
Don't be fooled by the typical-sounding title, nor the series' first 8 pages (as that's actually the purposefully-cliché *in-universe* manga that the MC writes, and which she promptly {and rightfully} derides right after!
). The reason I decided to read this is because I'd heard that it featured one of the first openly-/directly-confirmed-in-canon asexual protagonists in a manga (that I'm aware of, at least).
Plus, she's an adult in her 30's, is actually fairly extroverted when not anxious, and firmly stands up for accuracy and faithfulness in the (in-universe) anime adaptation of her work (which I dearly wish more real-life mangaka would do as well, TBH
). It also seems very well-researched in terms of the MC's orientation, experiences, and frustrations with societal expectations in general, as well as the consequent reactions of all the sexual (of whatever type) people around her-- indeed, I very much suspect that the mangaka must be ace themselves, otherwise this wouldn't be such a passionate, ever-present, and important facet of the story. I personally really appreciate this, as I just recently came to the realization that I myself am asexual-- more specifically, a *romantic* ace (...said very-belated realization-- as I approached 30 years old!
-- precisely because I've always still felt aesthetic and romantic attraction, it's just separate from/devoid of any *sexual* desire/attraction {a concept which I know is often very difficult for a sexual person-- which is of course the vast majority of the population
-- to even wrap their mind around, and which in fact I myself didn't even realize weren't the same things until I looked it up and got an accidental revelation about what I felt [long story short, I was actually trying to figure out if a character in another fiction series I was reading before this was ace-- and then realized that the info I was looking up actually described me even better instead, LOL!
]}), so as long as this stays respectful to the MC's orientation and choices (since aces can obviously still *choose* to engage in romantic-- and even intimate-- activities, even if they don't feel the innate desire or drive to do so), then I'm all for having some romance in here ('cause, y'know, still romantic
).
Kon no Ki Konoha one-shot (complete):
This was a bittersweet little one-shot that is somewhat reminiscent of the
Hotarubi no Mori e one-shot by a different author, but this has enough of its own unique flavor to be its own thing, so I can't really compare it too much. Now, bittersweet stuff can be hit-or-miss for me at times because I'm a romantic, LOL, but if it's written well I can approve, and this certainly was (and thus I do
). It was somehow descriptive enough that you could mentally 'see' the blue color in certain things despite the black-and-white medium, and it definitely made me feel emotion; so, yeah, it was good.
Liar Game vol.'s 1-19 (complete):
Ah yes, the semi-famous psychological series. Let's start with the female MC first: Initally, despite being in college, she is *extremely* innocent, childlike, and naïve; cries at the drop of a hat; and is 'rescued' by the male MC constantly.
*However,* she is not actually stupid (well, not really)-- not only does she learn (although it takes more 'betrayals' than one might expect until that occurs
), and not only does the male MC genuinely do his best to try and help her understand the depths of human nature (except in the rare case where her not knowing would actually help the current cause, but in that case he does always still explain immediately afterwards), but she can actually pick up on certain things-- and by the end of volume 3, there's already an interesting twist in perspective on the entire purpose of the 'game' thanks to her innate ideals (and, indeed, it later becomes obvious that those are actually integral to surviving the rounds), and the manga *really* gets good overall starting from vol. 4 onwards. Also: Each round in the game is extremely different, both in the designated activity itself as well as the subtle point of it (always examining different aspects of human nature and interactions); and the intentional loopholes left in each one by the creators make for some very clever (and occasionally even hilarious
) strategies. The only really annoying thing is that the gamemasters' commentary can get *really* tedious/repetitive/filler-y at times (particularly in the fourth round, which makes that particular section take way too long to get through, IMO). Otherwise, much of it was interesting. As for content, there's not really anything of note other than some swearing and the ugly selfishness of human nature on full display; but there is one character who is apparently both trans and nonbinary (he was originally male, then got some... er... physical adjustments in the other direction
, but is still perfectly fine with both presenting as either gender and being referred to with any pronoun), so there is that. Oh, and not a content thing, but man, that ending... what the heck? It just...
SPOILER: Highlight text to read: ends??? I mean, I understood the vibe it was trying to give there, but still, some closure of any sort would have been nice.
Good enough one-time read, though, I guess.
Lying Mii-kun And Broken Maa-chan: Precious Lies chapters 1-5 (complete):
This was a quick little thriller with *very* broken MC's (hence the title, LOL). Nothing special, but a decent short time-killer.
Maid-Sama! chapters 1-85 (complete):
The nice thing about this (other than the humor, of course
) is that the female MC is both physically and mentally very strong-- and not 'naturally,' either, but instead through much hard effort-- never backs down from a challenge, and works 10 times harder than anyone else. (And her initial antagonism towards men softens as she grows, too.)
I also loved the fact that it gleefully turned the awful 'almost-rape' trope completely on its ear towards the beginning with the female MC totally taking them out
(...though it was a bit unfortunate that the male MC did have to save her from a similar situation with the spoiled rich boy later on {although, judging from his personality, he probably wouldn't have gone that far anyway, but still}; however, other than that, while the male MC does stand up for the female MC and support her often, it's very clearly shown that she can handle herself perfectly well on her own in the vast majority of situations, and is usually the one doing the saving anyway, LOL, so yeah). As for the story/humor/etc. itself, I will say that some of the situations are a bit ridiculous and some suspension-of-disbelief is required, but it so heartily runs with its own premises to the fullest (which even leads up to some very funny situational punchlines much later on when you're not expecting them
) that you can't help but be drawn along anyway.
Plus, while not a true trope-twister, it does play with expectations at least a little bit later on (such as with the
SPOILER: Highlight text to read: characters in the rich school-- yeah, they tend to look down on those supposedly 'lower' than them, but when the male MC finally transfers there and thus you're expecting a full-on fight, it turns out that they're really just more like eccentric kids trolling for fun on occasion than actually dangerous or even truly mean; indeed, they end up causing both of the MC's laughter rather than tears, and even 'help' the female MC towards the end {well, purely for the one rich boy's great amusement + business interests, but still }). As for content (aside from what was already mentioned above): The (very straight) male MC gives another guy a quick kiss for spoilery reasons (but suffice it to say that it literally means nothing at all, LOL {in fact, in context it's actually pretty hilarious, TBH
}); there is a 'teacher' who is very openly a lesbian (despite being in an {arranged} engagement with a guy) and falls for the female MC (but the MC handles that situation perfectly well by herself); and two male side-characters sort-of seem to eventually be implied to be a couple (but very ambiguously so?). TL;DR: It's not a *great* manga, but IMO it was a decently *good* one, and I quite enjoyed most of it.
Magic Knight Rayearth parts 1 & 2 (6 volumes total, complete):
...Well, as you might know if you've read a lot of their works, CLAMP can be surprisingly hit-or-miss at times. On the one hand, their good stuff is *SUPER* good; on the other, their not-so-good stuff is... pretty darn mediocre, LOL.
So it's kind-of a toss-up whenever you try out another series by them as to which kind it'll be. (But it's worth it, because, as stated, their good stuff is *excellent.*
) So, of course, the question then becomes, which kind is
MKR? ...Well, the mediocre kind, unfortunately, LOL.
It's one of their earlier series, and it shows, in both art and plot-- especially in Part 1. Part 2 does better in both areas (although the action scenes can sometimes still be a bit inscrutable in terms of what is going on), though. That said, I can understand why this series was a big deal at the time-- it being one of the earlier RPG-like isekai manga, all 3 chosen legendary knights being female (wielding both magic and mecha, no less), having love interests but only rarely being rescued by them or anyone else other than their fellow female knights, and having a more pleasantly-surprising ending than one might be expecting. (Also, I have to admit that-- having read CLAMP's later multiverse-crossover series
Tsubasa... before actually getting around to this-- the reveal about
SPOILER: Highlight text to read: what (the pale-colored) Monoka supposedly really was was a twist that I definitely did *NOT* see coming, LOL.
Mostly a forgettable read nowadays though. *shrug*
Music Of Marie, a.k.a.
Marie no Kanaderu Ongaku, vol.'s 1-2 (complete):
This features a whimsical world far in the future, where technology only goes so far but is wonderfully imaginative despite its lower level. I can't say much more than that without getting into spoiler territory, but I will add that the art is also surprisingly detailed, and the worldbuilding is top-tier.
Plus, the unexpected
SPOILER: Highlight text to read: choice that the male MC makes at the end combined with the downright brilliant gut-punch of
SPOILER: Highlight text to read: an unreliable narrator twist afterwards provides great re-read value, besides. ...Now, that said, there is some content to be aware of; namely: Male masturbation, detailed upper female nudity (though not of a real person), and a worldwide religion unfortunately worshipping what is essentially just an extremely advanced bit of technology (this last of which is an actual plot point, so that religious aspect does have quite a heavy focus). If you can handle that, however, it is a pretty amazing piece of work that will rightfully linger in your thoughts afterward.
Please Save My Earth vol.'s 1-12 (complete) + its sequel
Boku wo Tsutsumu Tsuki no Hikari vol.'s 1-15 (complete):
First things first: If you read
PSME, you *MUST* also read the sequel-- because so much closure happens there that it's no mere add-on, but rather might as well just be called the second half of the story proper (more explanation on that a little later). And second things second: I do have to note all the content right away, because unfortunately there's a lot of it.
First, this series' entire premise is based on reincarnation (with memories intact), and not always to the same gender, either (...indeed, one of the male characters in the present is very confused for quite a while because he was previously female in his past life, and the man she was in love with then is now her/his best friend in the present. Neither of them are gay (indeed,
SPOILER: Highlight text to read: the formerly-female-now-male character actually gets engaged to a girl later on, and they end up quite happy together); however, once the formerly-female character remembers his previous life's memories, the love reawakens for a while at first {though it's obviously even more doomed this time than in his previous life
-- and that actually becomes a plot point later-- but despite all that he does still try giving the other guy a kiss anyway [which is quite soundly rejected
], and would clearly have been willing to do much more if the other guy had accepted it [though he didn't], so I did have to mention it}). And that's just the start. Beyond that, there are some panels depicting detailed upper female nudity (almost all of which are actually completely innocent on the character in question's part due to her upbringing, though there is one sexual instance as well); there is a very... unusual (and suspension-of-disbelief-breaking) age difference with the main couple (not that the gap itself is too large out of context, but
where the starting ages are is... *really* low, if you catch my drift
) due to the time difference between the deaths of the characters' past lives
, although it's *slightly* mitigated in the male MC's case due to the whole
SPOILER: Highlight text to read: having-adult-mind-and-memories thing... however,
SPOILER: Highlight text to read: he still gives the female MC (who is a 16-/17-year-old at the time) a kiss that he really means at a body-age of around 8/9, proposes getting 'immediately' married when he's body-age 13 (although it turns out that they don't actually do so until he's 18, despite having a kid earlier than that, for some reason ), and (as just mentioned) already had a kid with her when his body-age was no more than 16 (i.e., he was body-age 15 at the time of the act, and it was the at-the-time-24-year-old female MC who pushed for it), so... yeah, that's definitely an issue ; and, topping it all off, some quite heavy stuff happened in the past lives, including
SPOILER: Highlight text to read: a male character raping a female character (which is a complicated event, because the female character had actually gone to be with him willingly at first, then very definitely changed her decision once she realized why he really wanted to sleep with her; but he forced her to continue against her will anyway, hence indeed rape). That in itself is pretty unpleasant, obviously, but what makes it rather problematic even in a storytelling sense is that-- at first-- it seems as if she forgave him immediately and even fell in 'love' with him despite the violation, which obviously leaves a really bad taste for the reader at the time; in reality, however, it just takes quite a while before you finally see her perspective of all the events and so understand her true personality + what her real feelings were and the disconnect between them and what she said to others + etc., and it's all far more complex and a tad more realistic than that first flashback made it seem to appear. Indeed, in the end-- once everything is finally revealed in full-- the 'relationship' they had in that past life was not portrayed as anything other than a tragic and *very* mutually-destructive one, not positive at all. But it is still rather distressing to read, especially before that reveal (but still so even after it). Now, that said, the story itself is rather interesting; and, honestly, the continuation/sequel
Boku wo Tsutsumu Tsuki no Hikari is what makes it all worth it, because it's leagues better than part one-- it's got *immense* amounts of closure and character development (indeed, so much so that it eventually becomes vitally necessary to the entire story, as mentioned above), plus the original MC's son (who is the new MC here) is just about the most adorable thing in the entire world. <3 There is one minor plot thread introduced in part two that doesn't really go anywhere, but apparently a part three was made that will hopefully be translated at some point, so I'm sure that will be addressed there; there's so much other closure though that you almost don't even notice anyway. So, TL;DR: YMMV on whether this is really worth it in the end, since only the continuation/sequel is truly good, yet the not-so-good initial series must still necessarily be read to even understand said continuation in the first place; but it was for me, so take that as you will. *shrug*
Queen's Quality vol.'s 1-3 (so far):
This is the (merely renamed) continuation of Kyousuke Motomi's
QQ Sweeper, and ohhh man... I was already enjoying it before, but it's only getting even better now.
The plot reasons for keeping the MC in the dark (so to speak
) about her past (and thus also forcing poor Kyutaro to not say anything) actually make a lot of sense, and permanently endear Kyutaro to your heart at the same time. And it's not like it's even staying that way, though, as she fairly quickly begins to learn some of it anyway. Speaking of which: Things are getting pretty serious in terms of her dark side and the baddie trying to activate it (and holy crap, that one flashback/returned memory was horrifying...
) As for lighter things, though, the MC's official 'weapon' was priceless.
Looking forward to more~
Ran And The Gray World, a.k.a.
Ran to Haiiro no Sekai vol.'s 1-7 (complete):
This was a very... er...
*interesting* series.
On the one hand: The art was gorgeous (and featured very detailed backgrounds/spaces that felt unusually well-lived-in, besides); the characters were a lot of fun (...well, most of the time
); the magic was at times wondrously whimsical, and at other times rather horrifying (in a good way, though, LOL); and the ending was sweet.
On the other hand: While apparently not entirely human, and despite her transforming magic (which allows her to appear much older at will), the MC is still only a mere 10 years old, which makes a certain pseudo-relationship that she has for a time super-duper creepy/wrong
(although it's *not* ever
SPOILER: Highlight text to read: official, thankfully, but that's definitely not for lack of trying on the guy's part.
I mean, you can kinda understand it from the guy's perspective *at first,* since he's a huge playboy and the MC's older form is genuinely stunning, and he thinks she's like around 16/17-ish due to her appearance {which, given his own age, is still not great, but...
}. *However,* once it's revealed
SPOILER: Highlight text to read: {...with his dying breath, no less (?!)} that he *still* wouldn't have given up even knowing her *real* age
, that's where I have to draw the line.
Luckily, the MC
SPOILER: Highlight text to read: ends up with someone age-appropriate instead in the end-- but it's implied that even that only happened simply because
SPOILER: Highlight text to read: the older suitor *died*... so, yeah,
yikes ); some of the sorceresses have no care for how much skin they show; and there is nudity (one male shown from the rear {just his butt}, and several females shown from the front {with detailed upper nudity}), both in sexual situations (with one of the aforementioned guy's former lovers, and also with another character's 'mate') and non-sexual (bathing, relaxing, etc.) situations. (Though, interestingly, to me the nudity seemed to feel less like fanservice and more like a genuine appreciation of the female form much of the time; but it's still there, and sex *is* involved with it at times, so YMMV). So, yeah, in terms of art, concept, characters (mostly), and plot (mostly), it was really good; but it also had some really creepy/weird content issues that unfortunately make it pretty difficult to recommend.
-----
(Grouping together the few things I hadn't yet read from Satoshi Mizukami here under his name regardless of the usual alphabetical-by-titles order because it's easier to just put it all in one spot, LOL:)
Sanjin Sadou chapters 1-21 (complete):
This was Mizukami-sensei's very first series; and while that is obvious (it's not polished, and the story is a bit thin), it was still an entertaining short read.
Imasara Fantasy one-shot (complete):
Forgettable, but a couple of minutes of amusement.
Matsuri Connection one-shot (complete):
This was really cute (and rather clever besides), and I enjoyed it.
And
Psycho Staff chapters 1-7 (complete):
Oh my gosh, this was so good!
I loved the fact that the MC is a pacifist, and this was a well-paced, no-fluff, nicely-compact story that was nicely concluded, too. Recommended (as are all 3 of his other longer works {reviewed previously}--
The Lucifer And Biscuit Hammer,
Sengoku Youko, and
Spirit Circle).
-----
Sugiru Juunana no Haru vol.'s 1-2 (complete):
This is a nicely creepy miniseries. It starts off deliberately slow, building up the bizarre personality change of one of the characters + the whole unpleasant family history, then gets more intense in brief spikes as things finally come to a head. It's not fast-paced at all-- again, it is very deliberate-- but it held my interest all the way through, and was definitely a decent one-time read.
Tomo-chan wa Onnanoko!, a.k.a.
Tomo-chan Is A Girl!, 841 pages (...equates to around 8 volumes, I think?) (so far):
This is a comedic 4-koma that (while eventually bound into volumes as usual) is serialized just one page at a time-- hence the unconventional numbering, LOL. The premise of this series is that due to her personality, speech, strength, and habits in general, the male MC totally thought that the female MC was a fellow boy for years; and even now that he knows better, he still forgets she's a girl, LOL, etc. I have to admit, at first I thought that the joke might get stale after a while, but I was happy to be proven wrong-- for one thing, the characters other than the main girl aren't what you originally expect (Tomo's best friend is hilariously devious; the rich airhead is actually *far* more interesting than she initially appears; said rich girl's love interest Is very sweet; and even Tomo's own admittedly-dense love interest is really just more in confusion and denial than anything
)... and, for another, things actually do progress.
Now, that said, it's not the *greatest* comedy around (even of the ones I'm currently reading), but it's been entertaining enough to keep me around for 840+ pages and counting, LOL, so it's good enough.
Toukei Ibun vol.'s 1-4 (complete):
This is a neat little period drama mystery where you only know exactly as much as the MC's do at any given time, so you're constantly trying to figure out how many baddies there are, whether or not they're supernatural, human, or some of each, if any of it has to do with the weird inter-family dispute of a local high-ranking family, and if so, who on earth the culprit(s) is/are, and-- most importantly -- *why* everything is happening. It's also a stealth
SPOILER: Highlight text to read: horror *and* stealth
SPOILER: Highlight text to read: tragedy. Recommended.
Twinkle Stars, a.k.a.
Hoshi wa Utau, omnibus vol.'s 1-4 (covering Japanese volumes 1-8) (so far):
...Wow. Natsuki Takaya really doesn't shy away from heavy stuff, does she (included in this one: implied gang activity in one character's background, bullying, neglect, physical and psychological abuse, personality and mental issues resulting from the previous, and attempted suicide)...
Not that that's a bad thing, of course; I just wasn't really expecting *all* of her series to have a dark edge. (Fine with me, though, if it's written well, and so far this is.
) There is still some humor as well, of course; and I am completely invested in seeing the main characters heal, whether or not any romance works out; so yeah.
Undercurrent chapters 1-11 (complete):
This was an amazingly atmospheric miniseries that really used the visual medium to its advantage.
Literally the only complaint I have is the ending. Like, I totally get (and approve!
) of the MC deciding to 'not rely on men,' etc.; however, the sheer *ambiguity* of what the helper guy did bugged me to no end.
SPOILER: Highlight text to read: He totally should have stayed, for one thing... but, because he didn't actually get on the bus, does that mean he changed his mind and went back after all? Or did he just leave by walking? There's no answer, and I hate that sort of thing. (Seriously, just give me a clue here either way, for closure's sake... ) Otherwise, quite good.
Warau Kanoko-sama, a.k.a.
The Secret Notes Of Lady Kanoko, chapters 1-14.1 (complete) + the continuation/sequel
Koi Dano Ai Dano chapters 1-39 (complete) + the sequel's spinoff
Koinashi Ainashi chapters 1-12 (so far):
Okay... I have completely different opinions on the two main parts of this series.
The first part (
Warau Kanoko-sama) was *not* great.
I mean, the first chapter of it was cute enough, but the chapters afterward used a lot of clichés, and though it *tried* to twist them/play with them a bit, that didn't really work.
(Indeed, it was originally just written as a one-shot and then later expanded, and it's pretty obvious {with not much idea of where it was going in the middle there, and a suspension-of-disbelief-shattering conceit of having the MC switch schools in every chapter
, etc.}.
) However, the MC is a bit unusual in that she's whip-smart, observant to the extreme (well, except in certain circumstances
), takes crap from absolutely no one, and is devious enough to wrap anyone she wishes around her finger, by force if necessary (even successfully blackmailing bullies, for example). So, thankfully, the *second* part (
Koi Dano Ai Dano)--once she stays in one place for good-- is actually not only a lot funnier, but also just a lot more engaging all-around. (Plus, it's there where you discover why she 'didn't notice' the male MC's intentions--
SPOILER: Highlight text to read: because she had tremendously low self-esteem-- and the way he breaks through that is hilariously awesome.
Now, that said, several side-couple threads go nowhere, unfortunately
; but at least the one that *does* is quite satisfying. (Oh, and
Koinashi Ainashi is just kind-of a random spinoff of the second part, featuring stuff similar to the kind of thing usually put as end-of chapter/volume bonus omake; it's not at all necessary, and not great on its own, but not bad for a quick read mixed in as you go throughout the second portion of the main series.) ...So, yeah, in the end, mixed feelings on this...
And, finally,
Yurara vol.'s 1-5 (complete) +
Rasetsu chapters 1-36 (complete) +
Yume no Moribito chapters 1-2 via the usual methods & 3-16 via raws and text translations (complete):
These three supernatural-tinged series--
Yurara,
Rasetsu, and
Yume no Moribito-- are *very loosely* connected... which is a good thing, since while the second and third series are very good indeed, the first one is actually quite bad.
(
Yurara employs every awful cliché there is, has no depth at all {in story, characters, or relationships}, features the worst kind of 'harasser'-type endgame 'love interest,' and the list just keeps going on. Indeed, if I hadn't been using it as an entry in this year's MAL Reading Challenge, I would've dropped it like a rock before I even finished the first volume.
) Thankfully, however,
Rasetsu is *leagues* better-- the new MC is an adult, and has a deviously fun personality; the secondary MC plays off of her and the other characters really well; and the shady rival actually has a really good plot reason for acting the way he does. Plus, their boss is hilarious (and occasionally sweet in a melancholy sort of way), and the one non-powered sidekick is just an adorable fluffball who unwittingly 'heals hearts.'
The story was just the right length for its plot, and both the way that said plot was subtly built up merely by one character's actions as well as the piercing-yet-still-happy ending was perfect. That said, it's not like this was one of the greatest manga or anything, but it's certainly a darn good one.
And the last of the three,
Yume no Moribito, which features the aforementioned boss as its MC, isn't *quite* as good as
Rasetsu, but it's sweet, and I definitely still enjoyed it.