Mayonaka no Cross Method
"X" Method In The Dead Of Night

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[MILD SPOILER ALERT, BUT COME ON, IT'S NOT AS IF IT'S NOT WRITTEN ON THE SYNOPSIS ANYWAY]

This is generally the type of manga you could sift through the whole afternoon with a cup of coffee at hand. After finishing you would mull over, stare at your laptop, and wonder if there's anything better to do with your life because this manga will leave you mentally blank.

Now there's no question that this manga is not pretty (but the cover is!) and while the horror of the murder did not even made me shudder, the whole atmosphere of the manga has this evident darkness that even I ... had would suddenly jerk around feeling a lingering sense of dread.

Story: 8
While definitely body-switching mysteries are not entirely new, the blatant introduction to the main character's sister's murder flipped me over. Considering I did not read the synopsis, I wasn't prepared for a really gritty mystery. The description of the cross-method really drew in the mystery. I mean, I like mysteries when the whole process of murder comes under unnatural circumstances and the plot will have something to work on for the whole thing. This manga hits it off with a good and clean delivery for deduction. But do prepare yourself for a predictable ending!

Art: 7
Fancy-shmancy. Enough said.

Characters: 6
Okay, this is where it gets hurt. The characters are total (if not at most) cardboard characters that were cut from various manga of the similar vibe. While the main character is calm and manages to stick to rationality, he is humanly incapable to be something better. Usually our idol heroine and our young convict does the work and it's kinda frustrating for me to see the main character this way. Our lady heroine is a tad embodiment of snark (and maybe an ounce of tsundere?) and our deranged (yes, there is justification for me saying that) smart convict is pretty much the same generic smart goody (Ushimitsu, I hear you!) and he's hard to be noteworthy.

Enjoyment: 6
This manga is good. It wasn't something I felt I wasted time with. But my enjoyment dwindles midway because the delivery became dragging, and honestly everything is nearly predictable. The ending made me feel so stupid because obviously there aren't enough characters for the author to pinpoint a murderer and it hopelessly became clear that it wouldn't get any more exciting. I still had a lot of questions in my head and I swore to god there are inconsistencies, but the author manages to flourish it off anyway.

Overall: 7
Mind you, but as much of a queasy mystery this is, Mayonaka is good. The heroine makes me smile and I don't mind the happy ending and the sisterly cheesefest because it came all decently creepy and readable at the same time.

[SPOILERS AHEAD, PLEASE DON'T READ IF YOU HAVEN'T FINISHED THE MANGA]

Story - 6

The story starts off strong with the murder of the MC's sister and the introduction of swapping bodies. Although the plot itself is not original, it's still nonetheless interesting. The speed at which information and characters are introduced is good which allows the reader to digest it in a way that's easy. However, the plot at the end starts to be a little too simplistic and predictable for my taste, with the main characters just using their "abilities" to get through the story. In murder fiction, It is necessary for the reader ... to have the chance to find out the identity of the murderer, with clues that the "detective" discovers (which in this case are the main characters). However, the story fails to deliver that and instead decides to use convoluted plot mechanisms to reach the identity of the murderer. Towards the last few chapters, the author decides to pull a plot twist out of nowhere with a character who we've never seen throughout the entire and only mentioned once or twice in the manga just for a "gotcha" moment. With that, this manga is your typical manga that starts off strong but ends up flat.

Art - 7

The art is good and pleasant on the eyes but nothing special.

Characters - 5

The 3 main characters are simple tropes that show no character development. Although we do get the background of Sachi at the start that develops throughout the manga, the background for Mikuni is rushed in just one chapter with no further explanation. We also only get to fully understand the background of Hiroki towards the end, conveniently answering many plot questions.

Hiroki starts off strong with the fact that she's not your typical cutesy idol but ends up falling off throughout the story. Hiroki is a bland MC who happens to be proficient in martial arts (convenient at times). Sachi is your typical smart character, with his personality explored more with the identity of X being revealed.

However, with that being said, the actions of the characters are consistent with their personalities which is a plus point. I must also say, it would be too much to ask for elaborated character developments in such few chapters, but some form of development would be nice.

Enjoyment - 8

Despite its flaws with the story and characters, the entire manga was surprisingly enjoyable from start to finish. I read the manga in one entire sitting and there was never a moment when I felt bored or wanted to drop the manga. The pacing is good and keeps you on the edge of your seat. Ecchi and romance are also little bonuses with it not taking the entire bulk of the story. Although I was disappointed with the ending, it's still a relatively interesting manga.

Overall - 7

Despite its flaws, it's still quite an enjoyable manga to read especially since you won't have to invest so much time into it.

The Manga starts out with an interesting premise and is quite enjoyable to read. The characters are fun to watch and the mystery unfolds nicely. Also the echii is an eye candy and not too overused. You can't expect too much depth regarding the question what might drive humans to exchange bodies but the author at least tries to touch this topic. More than that, it focuses on a game of identifying persons that entered your body. Unfortunately the last few chapters try to force some implausible / cliche twists down your throat. This leaves you with a bitter taste, since the good impression you ... had turns kinda meh.