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Aug 25, 2023
Right off the bat, I want to emphasize how incredible the art is. The mangaka has a very detailed and dynamic style that works great for horror. While their artwork does suffer a bit from "same face syndrome", the characters are distinguished enough that it does not have a significantly negative impact on the story. Their usage of panels and scenery is absolutely top-notch as well, with many 'transition' scenes reminding me of Murata's redraw of One Punch Man. The mangaka is not afraid to include graphic details (for better or worse) and each page is drawn with plenty of little details to notice.
Unfortunately, the
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art is just about all the praise I have for this manga. The characters have interesting premises that are never fully developed. Early on, there's a contrasting dynamic established between the main characters Yuu, an optimistic hero-type character, and his younger brother Tora, a more pessimistic anti-hero-type character. While this dynamic is brought up every few chapters, it is never expanded upon, leaving the characters feeling very flat and static. The manga introduces a multitude of characters but they barely have any presence, with the most prominent examples coming to mind are the main character's numerous younger siblings. These characters tend to suffer one of two fates: they are neglected, left as little more than background characters; or they are killed off after a couple of chapters. Character deaths are not inherently a bad thing, and the mangaka certainly tries to use most of them to play up the drama and create some more worldbuilding. However, many of these deaths feel rushed - neither the characters 'nor us, the readers, are given time to process the deaths or the implications surrounding said character deaths.
All of this results in a beautifully drawn manga with a decent premise that is never fleshed out. The characters are not particularly appealing and the world is uninteresting. As I finished the final chapter, I was not compelled to take a moment and think about the series; it felt like another uneventful occurrence that you see and move on from. And frankly, it's rather unfortunate. The mangaka clearly has the artistic skills and their writing isn't terrible. I feel that if they had more time and support, Bougyaku no Kokekko could have been much more developed and become a solid B-rated horror.
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
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Aug 17, 2018
The manga has a great start with an interesting focus on "innocent devils", murderers who kill simply because it is the most optimal solution and thus, lacking an intent to kill. Quickly on, we are introduced to our two interesting main characters, and the cast continues to grow and... That's it.
Jumping right in, I have to say I adore the artwork. It's incredibly beautiful to look at, and the character designs, although a bit odd, are appealing and unique in their own ways. I especially adore how the artist draws each characters' eyes. Each character is distinguishable from the others, and the artist takes care
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not to reveal any gore or erotic content, despite all the heavy action. The pacing of the manga was decent; while it wasn't rushed by any means, I didn't feel compelled to turn the pages. The reason for this is the main characters.
Innocent Devil suffers from what I like to call "Twilight Syndrome", in which the supporting cast are all incredibly interesting and well-written, but the main cast is not. Touko Kamijou is a genius researcher who's studying innocent devils, but due to her childish appearance and nature, is not taken seriously by the academic society. We learn that she is very talkative about her research topic, but struggles at other conversations; and quite indecisive. That is all. Her character does not progress at all throughout the story, despite being a main character.
Akane Shinkai, on the other hand, is an innocent devil who kills her parents at a young age and is taken under the wing of Touko. A contrast to her guardian, Akane is mature and disciplined. We learn early on that she wishes to understand herself better, and grows to have a self vs self conflict between her child/innocent devil self, and the self who wishes to live normally as a non-devil. Akane's character is all laid out, and her personal conflict sets as one of the main driving forces of the story. Unfortunately, the author appears to have forgotten about it until the last second, where it's shoved in as a weak way to conclude the story.
Continuing on with the story, it's weak. Characters are introduced and given importance, and while we learn about these side characters, there is no real story for them to partake in. Each chapter feels relatively episodic, and the overall flow of the story is difficult to grasp. I am especially upset about Kanna Tousaki, who, despite being a very fascinating "morally gray" character, is thrown to be used as not only Touko's backstory material, but also the conclusion to Akane's long-time self-conflict.
Overall, a summary:
+ Great art
+ Interesting side characters
- Poor story
- Static and uninteresting main characters
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
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Jul 27, 2018
First things first, I absolutely loved the world that Spirit Migration shows us readers. It's a fantasy world with magic, a mix of old European/medieval-esque culture, monsters with all sorts of size and stature, and best of all - adventurers!
Much like the amnesiac-protagonist, we start off knowing nothing about this manga or what it has to offer. What information we do learn comes from our protag's interactions with other monsters and humans. This is fantastic as it helps us better understand the world of Spirit Migration, but leaves just enough mystery that we remain curious.
The author utilizes a similar method when introducing readers to the
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characters: each of them are unique in their own rights, and while we learn about both major and minor characters, there are still just enough unanswered questions and blank spaces to keep us engaged and feeling that yes, these feel like genuine, believable characters.
The story is very solid and flows smoothly from page to page. Each chapter ends off on an interesting cliffhanger - it's not so intense that you feel the need to resolve it, but more of the kind that plays to your innate curiosity. Unfortunately, given its short runtime, this does not work very well in Spirit Migration's favor.
Overall, a summary:
+ Fantastic world and characters.
+ Great story flow, a fun read.
- Rushed ending due to serialization being canceled.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Jul 17, 2018
A supernatural romantic comedy, Renai Kaidan Sayoko-san will leave you laughing one moment, laughing another moment, and laughing even more. The greatest strength of this manga is its well-written comedic moments. The story does not feel forced and flows well, although as a slice of life manga, there are not too many notable developments. This is not an issue, as the development focuses primarily on the characters and not the story or world.
Starting first with the characters, we have your generic but believable protagonist, Inaba Den. One thing I like about seinen romances is that no character is perfect, and acts in ways that are
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similar to a friend you may know in real life. Inaba definitely has many traits which I see in my friends all the time: reusing plastic bottles to put your own tea in? Check. Being incredible dense to his own romance, but relatively sharp regarding others? Check. Not believing in the occult but being too nice to say otherwise to someone who does? Check. Meanwhile, we are introduced to Sayoko in a slightly negative light - she's a strange character. And while she retains her quirkiness throughout the manga, we see - once again - many of these real human traits within her. As we continue reading, it is difficult to not relate to Sayoko's troubles in pursuing Inaba, and we feel a strong desire to support her efforts. For sure, stalking your crush is definitely on the creepy side, but I think many of us have also happened to "coincidentally" run into their crush before. Or perhaps you've also felt flustered and avoided your crush after confessing to them. Although it may be difficult to relate to these characters on a personal level, there are many personality traits and events which make you think, "Haha! I had that happen to me before, I know how exactly that feels." Unfortunately, with these types of characters, that also means that few of them particularly stand out. Although I do like the characters in this manga, if you asked me to pick a favorite, I would not be able to choose any of them.
Moving onto the artwork, as another user has mentioned, Renai Kaidan Sayoko-san has a more shoujo-y feel to its art. It is not dark and sketch-y like many other seinen manga, but I do not feel that is particularly an issue. One thing I particularly like about the artwork is how the author uses different sections of a pattern for different sections of Sayoko's kimonos - instead of using one large pattern for the entire kimono (looking at you Boku Girl). The characters are all distinguishable from each other, although some of the female characters share similar faces. Even the less-frequently-seen side characters are easy to identify. The only exception to this are the many spirits which accompany Sayoko: although they vary greatly in their designs, many of them appear only once or twice and are quickly overshadowed by the main spirit-cast. Aside from this, my main complaint with the artwork is that frequently, the author draws the human characters' hands as being far too thin and/or elongated. Sometimes the anatomy exaggeration is played for comedic effect, but it can be quite distracting in more serious scenes.
Overall, a summary:
+ Great comedic moments.
+ Realistic and varying cast of characters.
+ Easy to get into, little investment needed.
- Mediocre story, slow paced.
- Does not leave much of an impact.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Jul 12, 2018
A dramatic romance featuring the themes of reincarnation and immortality! Jumping right in, Yaotsukumo introduces us readers with a common tale of a mortal who wants to live, and an immortal who wishes to die. The story is intriguing and there are many elements that set it apart from every other story about immortals. ...Right up until the end, where it falls completely flat. Whether it is due to the author's poor storytelling ability or whatnot, the fact remains that Yaotsukumo starts off with a great amount of potential, but is unfortunately not utilized to its full extent.
One of the key charms of Yaotsukumo is
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the art style. While others may disagree, I really enjoyed the art style. It is a refreshing change: the author utilizes bold strokes of black with creative angles that give scenes a very intense feeling. This works especially well for such a manga filled with gore and action, and the clean artwork makes it easy for the reader to follow along. However, it is important to note that sometimes the character anatomy is a bit off, and the art style combined with said unique angles makes it difficult to differentiate between what is the author's style (eg: thin limbs) vs. what is anatomically incorrect (eg: heavily elongated limbs).
The two main characters have simple designs, but they are effective and memorable. Side characters tend to have slightly more complex designs, but their main flaw is that they are one-time-use characters. Whether it be Tsukumo's best friend, the servant Mutsuki, or even the tsukumogami Aria, they are all quickly introduced and abandoned just as quickly. There is absolutely no room given for these characters to develop. Even the growth between the two main characters is small and limited.
Overall, Yaotsukumo was an enjoyable read, albeit far too short. The manga pulls you in for an enriching and one-of-a-kind tale, only to suddenly disappear and leave you yearning for more. Unfortunately, no amounts of fantastic artwork can fill the huge gaps within the story of Yaotsukumo.
In short, a summary:
+ Easy to get into, and easy to follow.
+ Unique and attractive art style.
+ Imaginative and heavily action-packed.
- Unsatisfying story that feels undeveloped and incomplete.
- Barely any character development.
- Characters aside from Yao and Tsukumo are never delved into and hold no significance after their entry-chapter ends.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Jan 29, 2018
A short episodic manga about two girls in love... taken to the extreme. Given its length, it's not too surprising that there is little story to work off of, and thus, there is barely any character development.
The characters themselves are relatively bland, but are an interesting take on common animanga tropes. Their intense love which leads to comedic misunderstandings and end with fluttering-sweet moments of reconcile are enjoyable to see as an audience. The author cleverly utilizes common shoujo cliches and turns them around, and there is no drama whatsoever, allowing this work to remain lighthearted and easy-to-digest. One thing I really appreciate is that
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you can tell this is a pure work of yuri fiction, intended for wlw. The characters are never sexualized and the content remains PG-13. It is also very clear that Love Death. contains no scenes of fanservice which is clearly marketed towards the male gaze.
The female characters are all drawn very charmingly, and each are identifiable with different facial and body structures. Although the artwork is a bit sloppy at times and proportions aren't always perfect, it is very clear from their previous works that the artist is constantly striving to improve. I greatly appreciate their efforts.
Overall, Love Death. is a fantastic choice for a quick and easy read. I wouldn't recommend it for those who enjoy heavy, content-filled works. Those who are sensitive to blood and violence may also wish to avoid this particular work, as it contains minor instances of both. In addition, given that this is clearly a work of yuri fiction, marketed towards wlw, the contents may not be particularly enjoyable for certain audiences.
In short, a summary:
+ Short and easy read
+ Charming artstyle
+ Full of comedic and light-romantic moments
- Little to no character development
- Short length leaves for barely any real story
- Each chapter follows the same structure
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Apr 13, 2016
You're a few pages in on the first chapter, the art is cute and charming and you've been introduced to a few of the main characters in a very happy slice-of-life fantasy way. You quickly learn a basic summary of these characters, and as each new character appears, you start to get the feeling that they're all pretty generic archetypes. The sweet childhood best friend, the beautiful and popular school idol who is somehow friends with the male protag, the cool and responsible student council president... Oh man, are you wrong.
The one thing that really stood out to me about Mousugu Shinu Hito was the
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creation, development, and especially the portrayal of the characters. We have Haju Yonesaka, a classic, sweet maiden who is in love with her childhood friend. But as the story develops, she learns of the gruesome deaths that potentially await her and her friends. She witnesses the betrayal of her best friend who suddenly went from supporting Haju's love to becoming a fearsome rival, all in the span of less than one day. And, much to my surprise, Haju did not take this well. She snaps. And Haju is not the only one. All the main characters, even our male protagonist Riku Kominato, goes through dynamic changes. Some changes are more subtle than others, but it's there, and it's so satisfying when you notice the change and connect 2+2 with the story. The characters in this manga deserve a solid 10/10.
Characters aside, the story is smooth and consistent, and the ending was well finished. It wasn't rushed or messy with many new characters or mysteries added in. Mousugu Shinu Hito made sure to only focus on the main characters and solidify who exactly are the main characters, cleverly utilizing minor characters or key items to advance the story. There is no sudden, "I'm actually the REAL mastermind!" or "The real mastermind is actually this new character who has never even been hinted at before!" plot twist. It's all carefully laid out and well stitched together, from start to finish. There are a few unsolved mysteries here and there, but for the most part, they're quite minor and do not interfere with the overall plot.
Despite using a very moe moe kyun kyun art style, the artist manages to convey the horrors of this story well. It can be quite disturbing seeing a cute, smiling face with disorderly eyes, covered in blood. Hiroki Haruse does not go lightly on the blood and gore, and I truly commend them for sticking strong and with a consistent art style throughout.
Like many psychological-horrors, Mousugu Shinu Hito plays a lot on human emotions and the human mind. If you're able to handle a darker genre, do give Mousugu Shinu Hito a try, and I do hope that you'll enjoy this manga as much (if not more) as I did.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Dec 12, 2015
Pet Diary is more of an educational manhwa, in my opinion. The art is good with few very beautifully drawn paintings (such as the "witch and cat" artwork of Bo Ra and Nero.
However, while the setting and characters are well defined, there isn't much progress. Each chapter is quite episodic and the sudden jump from freshmen (beginning) to seniors (end) is messy and almost feels nonexistent. The characters are well defined with unique traits, but they do not progress much, if at all. Bit Na has the most character development, in my opinion, as she learns a lot about how to care for animals, and
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goes through numerous events which help to develop her individuality and maturity. Meanwhile, other characters such as the student body president, despite having an obvious major-minor character role, stay virtually the same from beginning to end.
While I do think the storyline was very lacking, each chapter was interesting to read, and the author's (and artist's) little lessons were very informative, especially for pet owners (or future pet owners). I feel that if the story left off as just another event in the day of the students' lives (and not post-graduation), then perhaps the story would have flowed a bit better.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Oct 18, 2015
Despite having episodic chapters which barely relate to each other, Maru Maru Seyo!! was a great attempt at a historical fiction manga. The setting is great - famous historical Japanese figures all attending a high school. Albeit cliche, the author was able to (for the most part) accurately depict each character's personality.
The story primarily focuses on Ishida Mitsunari, one of your classic strict, stern, 'no fun allowed' megane-wearing tsunderes, as he tries to uphold the school's quality and standards. Each chapter strays a bit from the classic school life episodes, and each chapter has multiple panels worth a good laugh. However, despite featuring multiple characters,
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rarely does the story go into the perspective of another character, or even the main character. It is difficult to tell how each character feels about one another and their relationships between each other. There is also barely any character development, which I'm a bit disappointed with.
The artstyle is very clean and shoujo-esque. It is very fitting given the school scenario as well as the overall plot. There isn't a lot of flashy effects or tones used, but it doesn't take away from the appeal. Each character is very distinct from each other as well, even in scenes where they are chibi-fied or are in a position where it may be difficult to identify them (eg: lying face-down), I have to commend the author for being able to do this so well.
Overall, I feel as if this manga could've further developed into an amazing series if it were given more volumes/chapters to work with. Even the final chapter doesn't seem very final chapter-like, it feel as if there is another chapter afterwards. But given its short 8-chapters length, I feel as if this manga did a pretty good job of telling its story.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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May 20, 2015
The art style is arguably the manga's best feature. The anatomy is practically perfect, and the shading/toning is simple but effective. The battle scenes are all very interesting, with plenty of movement. The characters each have distinctive looks and details, and the main protagonist even goes through a few wardrobe (and hairstyle) changes! Despite the Ecchi label, most of the clothes are pretty modest. ...Most.
The storyline starts off great, immediately pulling the reader in with fantastical charms. The characters are introduced one by one, each in a very memorable way. The more important side characters - Erodia especially - play a large role in supporting
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Angela, the main character, while being able to show off some of their cool sides.
There are some erotic scenes, and quite a few scenes that contain sexual assault (both attempted and carried through). There is also a tentacle scene, please beware. Nudity is... Quite common, especially when it comes to Angela.
My greatest disappointment with this manga is how it just ended. There wasn't even a quick wrap-up, the story just ends after a major cliff hanger. While this manga may have been based off of another work by the author, I feel that they should've at least attempted to properly end the series, especially since they had a few pages left over (that they decided to use for an omake...)
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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