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Aug 30, 2019
A second-year transfer student, Watanuki Chihiro struggles to make friends but eventually finds connections to her classmates through her seat neighbor, Yugami Yuuji. With an atypical yet likeable cast of characters this manga captures the fleeting memories of high school life and subverts the norm of the slice-of-life genre.
A true slice-of-life to the core with a touch of sports and subtle suggestions at romance, this series was relaxing to read and brightened my day. I'm thankful that the manga was motivated to progress at a moderate pace and not overstuffed with filler chapters and moreover that the manga was allowed to come to a
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natural conclusion. Even in the most trivial of moments, I felt like there was a clear intention behind every panel. If you're looking for a romantic, rose-colored life I don't think that this series is for you, however, I do think that this manga is very realistic and relatable and there's a romance in that.
tl:dr I highly recommend this series.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Feb 28, 2019
A volume composed of three one-shots by Kaneyoshi Izumi sensei.
1. Ni no Hime no Monogatari
A prequel to Joou no Hana, it tells the love story between the legendary premier of Kou, Seisui, and the second princess of Kou, Ninohime, briefly alluded to in the manga. Very similar in style to its sequel, the difference in the character's personalities is refreshing and pure. By leagues and miles this is the best one shot of the tokuban and worth a read if you enjoyed Joou no Hana.
3.5/5 would recommend to fans of Joou no Hana and to other readers
2. Circuit no Joousama
A terribly told story of
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karma and catharsis, it follows Ei through her rise and fall as a Race Queen (whatever that is? and is poorly portrayed/explained) and the romance that is tacked on as an accessory to the story. The characters are one-dimensional, predictable, and wholly unrelatable. There's no character development. I'm honestly hard-pressed to find a manga as horrible as this one-shot.
0/5 a waste of my time
3. Chijou 20m de Aimashou
So badly written I don't even want to write this review.
0/5 As horrible as Circuit no Joousama
Reviewer’s Rating: 2
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Jan 26, 2019
A mature depiction of the Japanese idol/talent industry through following the journey of a young, lost university graduate, Haruka, who struggles to find a job and is reluctantly pulled into the talent business. Despite her original dislike of the profession, Haruka is able to find her own desire and passion that drives her to pursue success through the support of all those around her.
Although there are some plot aspects which I personally did not enjoy, the overarching storytelling was incredibly interesting and I found myself unable to stop reading. It was enjoyable and satisfying to watch Haruka's rise in the entertainment world and to
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see her develop and overcome the setbacks thrown in her path. Through the perspective of the main character and through that of various side characters in different professions and roles in the business, the work was able to portray a cut-throat environment where only the strongest and most determined survive.
Initially written in 2003, Haruka 17 has an art style reminiscent of the early 2000s and reminded me particularly of that of Subaru by Soda Masahito-sensei. Especially in the early sections of the manga where Haruka has a lot of glamour/swimsuit shoots, the fan service is well-warranted and never crossed the line to becoming a gimmick.
Notwithstanding, the character development of Haruka is greatly written and well paced, in addition to the colorful cast of characters that support the story and act as foils. A quick, one chapter picture of character backgrounds allowed the reader to take their actions in perspective and built your connection to the character based on these feelings. The connections with these characters was so significant in some respects that I felt like more time could have been spent on them and that some of the actions of key characters was poorly explained in select cases. Although I felt like the end of the story was brought to an end in a way that felt slightly rushed and that a more extensive epilogue would have been more satisfying, I also appreciate the focus that was kept on the story of the main character.
tldr: 4.8/5 it's great, please give it a shot
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Nov 13, 2018
An isekai manga set in a fantasy-medieval time period about an old dragon who is reborn as a human in his next life. Despite the positive attention that this manga series has received, I feel like the plot suffers from pacing issues and uninspired dialogue. This of course affects the development - or lack thereof - of the characters as well, which remain stereotypical and shallow at this point in the manga, in my opinion. Other than the slightly better than average art style for this genre, I don't think this manga has been executed well thus far and brings nothing new to the table.
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
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Nov 10, 2018
A tragic romance that unfolds in retrospect from the very first chapter, Kimi no Suizou wo Tabetai is a story about the complex relationship that develops between the main character and Sakura, who is suffering from a terminal illness.
The story is touching and accomplishes its goal of putting a unique perspective on life through dynamic dialogue between the main characters. Although I felt that the pacing of the story was a bit rushed, it was easy and satisfying to see the characters grow with each other. That being said I feel like there are other alternatives that accomplish the same things and that are
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better executed in terms of art and storytelling (i.e. Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso). As a consequence of how short the manga is, the story focuses almost entirely on the main characters and leaves little room for building outside relationships which I think is an important supplement to the relationship between the main characters that is overlooked in many shoujo manga.
Summary: A sweet story that I would recommend if you want something short but if you're willing to read a little more I think that Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso is executed better than this manga.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Sep 9, 2018
Hori-san to Miyamura-kun is about the high school life of two individuals who have a different side to them in private and through some circumstances are able to share this private side with each other.
Hori-san to Miyamura-kun was originally written as a 4-koma manga so their isn't much of story per se - it's truly a slice of life manga and the OVA's portray that style accurately. In particular, I thought that the voice acting was very well performed.
Although the art is simple, I think it portrays the piece very well and the animation is really smooth. It definitely stands out from other anime
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of this type but it might not be to everyone's taste.
I would recommend you to watch it if you enjoyed the manga, if you haven't read the manga yet I'd recommend you to read it first to fully enjoy the OVAs.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Sep 9, 2018
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is really a testament to the original work of the manga. Although the details from the beginning of the series were omitted (these episodes are covered in Fullmetal Alchemist 2003) in all other respects, it is a faithful retelling of Hiromu Arakawa's work.
The story has a rich cast of characters whose lives become increasing interwoven with the journey of Edward and Alphonse. The story is incredibly cohesive and many of the characters introduced throughout the series remain relevant and actively play a role in the final climax of the plot, which I find particularly impressive.
There is a lot of depth
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to each of the characters and the anime does a good job of accurately portraying their quirks and motivations throughout the series. The animators make it possible for you to deeply sympathize with the characters and makes the impacts of the themes of justice, determination, and perseverance even more stark and relatable. You can especially see Alphonse and Ed go through a lot of character development as you visibly see them grow up through the series.
The action scenes are very well choreographed, and the art style is very classic in my opinion and has aged well. The opening and ending themes were fitting and well animated as well.
In Summary: The story and characters are really what make this anime shine and a favorite of many throughout the years. This is definitely worth a watch if you enjoyed the manga or even if you haven't read the manga, this anime is outstanding on its own.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Apr 23, 2018
I read the manga first before watching this.
It's common knowledge that the Fullmetal Alchemist anime has a different storyline to that of the original work. This being the case, whether or not you've read the manga first can be a large factor in your experience.
The story is extremely cohesive, leaving few loose ends and wrapping together nicely at the end if anything, a tad rushed. I found that I preferred the storyline of the manga more, however. Several significant themes and social questions are raised and well addressed in my point of view, and although there are many light moments in the anime,
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these aspects can make it quite dark as well. I enjoyed the way that moral questions were raised in this anime much more to other occurrences that come to mind, such as in the ending of Parasyte.
The anime focuses on a narrower cast of characters than the manga, although it fleshes each character out in more depth than the manga did - especially for the stories of the villains. The attention to character gives the viewer a strong understanding of each characters' motivations and a reason to sympathize with them. I also found it interesting that some of the side characters from the filler episodes in the beginning reappeared or played a bigger role in the finale, however for many, their final role either felt insignificant and unexplained or shaky in the flow of the plot.
Being a 2003 anime, the art style is not this anime's strong point. Some of the action scenes could be said to be well choreographed; however, the vast majority were poorly cut to maximize cost efficiency.
In summary: I thought that it was an interesting take on the FMA universe, and I appreciated the time invested in the characters and the story (even if the details of the story weren't to my taste). If this is your first experience with FMA I would recommend just watching FMA: Brotherhood which is newer and follows the original story dutifully. If you are a fan of the manga, I would be mindful that this anime is different before deciding to watch.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Mar 22, 2015
The Wanted! Tanpenshu is like its name implies, a collection of Eiichiro Oda's one shots/short stories before One Piece. If you're not a One Piece fan you probably won't find this worth reading, however, if you are a One Piece fan, the progression of the mangaka's art style and growth might prove interesting.
UH that up there was the review, this stuff down here is my thoughts as I was reading the tanpenshu so maybe you wouldn't want to read these.
Wanted!: Wow, the art style here doesn't look like Oda-sensei at all. This is really the art of the previous era, the sharp pointed
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features, the I don't know it just feels old. IT FEELS LIKE YU YU HAKUSHO. It has the same spirity plotline, the bad, unlogical plot flow, it even has the same humor. The main characters also have the same attitude. I'm not a big fan of the Wild West theme; I'm glad this didn't become serialized. Also there was minimal background, not as bad as Bleach, but not as detailed as normal.
God's Present for the Future: I liked the trick at the end! It reminds me of how Nami pickpokected everyone in Orange Town at the end of the Arlong Arc. This was actually pretty interesting. Again, the humor was similar to Yu Yu Hakusho in my opinion, and the main character had the same personality. The art got a bit different, a little bit more round, there was a lot more background in this piece.
Ikki Yako: I would actually want to read this if it had become serialized. The main character really looks like Zoro. It had a good outcome and good potential to be a long story I feel. The character art got a lot better from the days of wanted, their attire is more detailed and their facial structure looks close to One Piece. Or at least close to Zoro. The storyline felt like something that could have come out of One Piece; the shocking coincidences that capture everyone's hearts and make the villain that much more villain.
Monsters: I swear all the main characters look like Zoro. The story line of this story really reminds me of the Arlong Arc. One thing I really like about One Piece is its story and particularly how Oda makes all of his stories so tragic. Unlike other manga like Bleach (lol it's not like I hate Bleach or anything its just so bad now, I really liked it before, I promise), where the goal of the arc is saving the world, saving soul society, saving Rukia and stuff like that; the story goals of One Piece are more "these guys are doing bad things and hurting people so we have to save them". I like how the Strawhats come into towns just looking to stock up on supplies but end up getting drawn into the island's problems. I just feel like there's a distinction between "have to save the world" and "I want to save these people". In Monsters I felt the "I want to save these people feeling", this is exemplified by the fact that Ryuma was framed, and the whole town hated him and he had no obligation to help the citizens but he did it anyway because it was the right thing to do. Also the art when Ryuma cut the dragon was so Zoro, even the blood splatters are the same. Also!! One Piece reference!! This is the owner of the legendary sword of Wano country - the sword that Zoro has now ^_^.
Romance Dawn: Omg the art here is so One Piece. I like how Oda manages to make Luffy look like rubber, maybe not "like rubber" but once you know he ate the Gomu Gomu no Mi, he looks like he's made of rubber (you know that rounded arm kind of look like Popeye). LOL "Your beak made a hole in my boat. Don't move, I plugged up the hole with your butt." This is Oda's humor. I like how Garp still has the same personality, however omg views of pirate life so different. He was a pirate? and he actually wanted Luffy to become a pirate?? AND LUFFY SAID HE DIDN'T WANT TO BECOME A PIRATE?? I'm glad they took out the "Morganeers" and "Peace Mates" concept, I like how it is now, it feels more realistic when everyone is a pirate and you don't know who is good or bad, you just know that there are good pirates and bad pirates yeah this is more realistic. wow in this story Luffy got his straw hat from Garp, I like how he got it from Shanks better.
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
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Mar 22, 2015
Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso tells the story of piano prodigy Arima Kousei and how his friendship with Kaori helps him to overcome his fear and past trauma to love the piano again.
The story accurately conveys the feelings of spring and highschool. I enjoyed how unlike many other shoujo anime, the characters are honest and cognizant of their feelings (at least to themselves) and each character is also driven by motivations that are more complex and personal that simply romantic interest. Although romance is a large and enjoyable part of the anime, it is the strength that the romance gives the characters to achieve
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their own personal goals that feels arguably more rewarding. The story diverts in the second half to include a few more characters that elaborate more on Kousei's past, but I didn't particularly feel like these episodes added much to the story and were a bit of a drawback for me.
I thought that the characters were great and had a lot of depth and strength. There are traits that you can sympathize with in each and they all felt very realistic. The character development is mostly centered on Kousei which I thought was sufficiently rewarding.
I really liked the animation style and I appreciated how closely it adhered to the mangaka's own drawing style. The animator took a lot of effort to animate the characters playing their instruments which was really impressive and rarely done well in other music anime and on the beautiful backgrounds which can be widely appreciated. Many, many people say that the chibi scenes are a negative point of the animations, however I feel like they were well interjected to liven the mood and make things feel a little more realistic and relatable.
The music selection was amazing. Overall I felt like the opening and ending themes were good representatives of the anime's tone and vibe. The music selection (this is a music anime afterall) was nicely chosen the transition sections in the songs themselves were very smooth and represented the original pieces quite well.
In Summary: What makes this anime stand out from other shoujo pieces is the relatability of the characters, the charming description of youth, and the inspiring force of the romance in the characters' lives. The romance, however a large and important part of the series, was not the driving force of the series and that is what love should be. Their love motivated them to become better than who they were and allowed them to move forward with their lives.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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