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Dec 31, 2015
There are a few revenge related manga's out there right now, but by far this is one of the worst ones I've read (and I don't make that claim lightly).
The only positive thing I can say about this manga is that the art is decent. It's not great art, but it's not bad and the character designs are actually well done (I hate manga where there are so many characters that look so similar that I can't figure out who is talking).
Other than that, everything from the plot, to the characters themselves, to the pacing of the manga is terrible. This really feels like
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something that was conceived with the idea of making an anime or a long serialization since the entire manga revolves around the idea of Inugami and Sarutobi having a series of matches (which often include punishment games) in order for Sarutobi to become the heir of Inugami's family.
Now, the problem with this is two fold - First off, Inugami is actually a fairly likable girl despite her naivete. She's smart, athletic and a hard worker who is kind to people. Her grand father, the man who proposes this challenge scheme in the first place really comes off like a bastard because if he's doing it for her sake, then there are much better ways to raise a kid. In fact, he could merely give HER some challenges - or anything, or even explain things to her in a way that might motivate her if he was really concerned about her ability to lead that company. Anything. Instead, he engages in what is essentially a form of emotional abuse of the grand daughter that loves him. But yeah, I'm sure it's for her own good. Great guy.
The second problem is Sarutobi-kun. He's absolutely disgusting as a character. Oh, he's physically attractive, but his personality is terrible and it never really improves. In fact, in the very late chapters of the manga you can see that the mangaka realizes his mistake and tries to rectify this by giving Sarutobi a "tragic backstory" and mellowing out his character some (even doing an about face on his proclaimed motivations). But by that time, you've endured well over a dozen or so chapters of this guy basically being a bully. You see, it's not enough for him to beat Inugami in matches, he has to do his best to taunt her or otherwise push her into embarasing or humiliating her. The worst bit being when the result of a match causes Inugami to lose her best (and probably only) real friend.
I'm positive that this manga was axed early because of the two above issues. Go ahead and read the first few chapters if you really must, but each one will just leave a bad taste in your mouth. The problem only gets worse going on since the majority of the content revolves around matches instead of developing the characters (Like I said, obviously it was set up to be a gimmick for a long serialization of continuous matches).
In my opinion this manga is what happens when you get an author and some editors together to try and create what they think will be a marketable manga or serialization without actually producing anything that has any heart to it. It's hollow, off putting and ugly. Not worth anyone's time.
Reviewer’s Rating: 3
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Nov 22, 2015
A short, but brilliant manga that combines horror, mystery and romance together in an awesome package. Perhaps the most refreshing thing about this story is that the protagonist is a relatively smart and decisive type of fellow - he doesn't sit back and let events happen around him only to be drawn into them, instead he figures out what it is that he wants to do and then pursues it. After reading so many crappy romance manga with wimpy or sad-sack protagonists, Muo from Sugar Dark is the type of guy that you really want to cheer for.
I particularly loved the spooky atmosphere of
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the earlier and middle arcs of this manga and how the mystery around everything unfolds at a steady pace. I never felt like the story despite being short was too rushed, and while I did predict what the ending was going to be, I felt satisfied seeing it play out.
If you're looking for a good short read, I highly recommend this manga. You won't be disappointed by it.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Nov 22, 2015
Shinwa Ponchi is a comedy/harem style manga with a semi-interesting plot that never quite picks up the steam it needed to avoid being eventually axed. The main character Deigo is an odd fellow who wants to be left alone which is where most of the conflict comes from considering he has a plethora of goddesses around him trying to keep his "curse" in check. In a way this is kind of refreshing because he isn't a normal wimpy protagonist, but still there isn't enough conflict between him and the girls that is believable enough to make the series funny.
That aside, the romance aspect
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of the manga is very light. There are some subtle hints of romance between Deigo and Soroko and some of the other girls, but this is never really developed in a way with any drama so it doesn't become a compelling part of the story.
That being said, Shinwa Ponchi isn't a bad manga for a light read, but it's easy to see how come it got axed. The mangaka basically failed to build up any tension or gripping plot to keep people interested, which is sad because the premise was actually somewhat interesting.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Nov 20, 2015
This manga was much, much better than I thought it was going to be. First off, I'm not one for gender bender stories so I almost passed this one over, but I read the one-shot story and got intrigued by it so started reading the series properly. The comedy in the early chapters is pretty good, but also somewhat predictable considering the setting - however somewhere along the line the tone of the series changes from a regular gag manga into a much more serious and interesting manga due to a variety of sub-plots that get introduced.
To me, this is where "Sekai No Hate de
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Aimashou" really shines - there is a wide assortment of side characters and sub-plots that are truly interesting that keep you engaged with the story as it moves from chapter to chapter. In fact, I would almost say that the relationship between Ryouma and Emillio becomes intertwined with these subplots in a way that makes them the actual driving force in the "romance" part of the manga. In fact, the final long story arc was easily one of the most enthralling things I've read in a while and I was more interested in how it was going to be resolved than I was in relationship statuses or anything like that.
The only complaints I have about the manga is that characters tend to be drawn inconsistently (particularly Ryouma, which I don't understand) and that the denouement ends with a timeskip that while satisfactory in it's attempt to conclude the story, leaves out some important bits of relationship progress that we assume happen off-screen. I don't usually complain about manga's feeling "rushed" when they finish, but this is one time where I will definitely join in on that opinion.
Still, over all, I would recommend this manga to people who want to enjoy a good story of this sort and who aren't bothered by the sex change themes.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Nov 12, 2015
First off - anyone reading this that is expecting it to be a yuri-centric manga, drop those expectations right now. The story clearly focuses on Takashi and his relationships with various women, including the main heroine Sae. Sae herself is obviously bisexual and her meeting with Takashi was through her relationship with Takashi's sister who is an experimenting lesbian. Other than that tenuous link and a few panels of ecchi drawings, the story does not focus on characters sexual orientations at all.
That being said, this manga is pretty good. The art is nice and clear, with panels easy to follow and without overblown tones
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everywhere making it hard to read or look at. The character designs are appealing, but sometimes it's difficult to differentiate some of the cast from background characters. On the down side, while the plot is pretty decent, the main protagonist Takashi is really a reprehensible fellow. He spends the first half of the manga being a philandering selfish jerk and his behavior will clearly infuriate you since it's clear that both Sae and Mariko care deeply for him.
On the whole I say this is an above average seinen romance manga, I struggle to give it more praise than that. For some reason the emotional scenes didn't resonate with me that much and I would say that if you're looking for an adult romance manga, you'd probably be better off reading something like Hetakoi instead.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Nov 10, 2015
This is probably one of the highest ratings I've given to all of the manga that I have read so far, but I feel that it's well deserved. Ashita Double is a great sci-fi romance story that has bits of sweetness, sadness and laughter mixed into it.
It's hard to talk too much about this manga without spoiling the plot because there is a central mystery here that gets unraveled over the 30 chapters that concerns Ashita herself. That being said, the pacing of this reveal as well as the overall pacing of the story is a real treat. It's nice to see a manga
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where things don't feel either too rushed or too bogged down with filler material. Every chapter of Ashita Double is necessary and propels the story forward.
Ashita Double is primarily a romance story, but if you like that as well as science fiction then this will probably be right up your alley. As an added bonus, it has one of the best portrayals of a "Tsundere" stereotype that I've read in a manga in a long time - even if you don't generally like Tesundere's it's hard to not like a certain one in this book.
Overall this is a great, fast read and I highly recommend it.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Nov 10, 2015
None of the summaries I've read of "Fukigen Cinderella" have really done it any justice. Despite it's short length as a series, it's a very well done psychological drama. The thing that really stands out to me is that the pacing right up until the end feels very tight and key components of the plot are revealed with key precision. To give you an example of what I mean, initially the reader will likely detest the main character Haruhiko because of his behavior, but just as when you're about to entirely give up on him, something about his backstory is revealed that makes him more
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sympathetic. This is really good writing because most mangas that play with the "jerk ass" stereotype of main leads really tend to get this timing wrong.
If I have any complaints it's that the ending was obviously rushed because the series got canceled (at least it got an ending). That being said, the ending isn't "bad" but it's obvious that the mangaka created a really rich story and that there was a lot of content that didn't get explored. This is a hallmark of a good manga to me - You're happy you read it, but you wish there was more.
I definitely give "Fukigen Cinderella" a thumbs up. It's short enough that most people should be able to read it in an hour or so and it's an hour well spent.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Nov 8, 2015
"Velvet Kiss" is basically a hentai/erotic manga dressed up with a corporate thriller plot. The sex scenes aren't bad, but they are for the most part fairly pedestrian. On the plus side, unlike a lot of hentai manga, some (but not all) of the scenes do actually serve the plot or at least make some sort of sense. The overall plot of the manga centers less around the growing relationship between Kanoko and Niita and more about the machinations that are happening around them in the back ground until it all builds up to a head. The resolution comes on fast and furious, too fast
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actually for it to be satisfactory, but still it's interesting to watch unfold.
That being said, this is the type of manga that if you look at a character and say "Yup, that's going to be a bad guy" then chances are you're going to be right. I suppose given the brevity of the series this is probably for the best as there really isn't a lot of pages to waste complicating matters.
Overall, I think this is a good manga. Without spoiling it too much, the denouement is kind of unrealistic and make little to no sense. I like both happy and sad endings, even ones in between, but I can't handle ones where you look at the characters and can't understand why they are making the choices they are making. Some people may like the ending of Velvet Kiss, but I felt it was rushed and dissatisfying.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Nov 7, 2015
I just couldn't get into this manga. For starters, each chapter is pretty much a self contained story and each one is incredibly short which means not very much happens. Then there is the entire premise that for some reason these middle school students can't reveal that they are dating or that they like each other - unless there is a law against this or this is back in the early 90's in Japan, I don't see how anyone would really care. There's literally no reason ever explained in what I read that makes any sense here.
On top of that, there's no real overarching plot
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that draws you in. Each tiny chapter feels more like a chance to put up a few pages that supposedly leads to an "awwww" moment or something, but most of them are cutesy rather than romantic and few of them have any sort of emotional impact at all.
Honestly, I feel like this is the manga equivalent of girls looking at pictures of cute puppies or kittens on the internet and probably not worth wasting your time over unless you really enjoy that kind of stuff.
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
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Nov 6, 2015
"Living Game" is an enjoyable romance drama based in the early 1990's that combines an age gap couple, issues with maturity and growing up as well as the individuals search for purpose in life. As the title might suggest, the plot itself centers around the various living conditions of the main couple - their first meeting and initial living situation being caused by seemingly two random acts of real-estate terrorism. As the story progresses the changes in living situations start to portray the characters quest to find a place for themselves, or more succinctly, a place where they belong.
On the whole the plot and
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characters in this manga are solid and the constant themes make it enjoyable to read because it helps you understand the reasoning and thinking behind the leading couples various decisions. I wouldn't say the plot itself is anything particularly deep, but it's executed with loving care and honesty.
Being an older manga the art style might be a little out dated for some people, but I found it pleasant and most importantly the pacing of the panels were easy to understand with the entire work flowing smoothly and at times I found myself appreciating the fact that due to this being written in the early 1990's that there was more of a focus on telling a plausible romance story than a trope ridden mess that seems to be all too common these days.
Overall "Living Game" is a great manga from the last century that's greatest strength is it's ability to make you understand and feel the motives of it's characters.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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