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Jun 6, 2016
In anime and manga, love and family are often binary relationships. As a writer, it is easy classify these complex as something positive or negative in the story line, but rarely do mangaka characterize a familial bond without falling back on unconditional love/forgiveness or outright disownment. That being said, Kyou Kara Yonshimai or Four Sisters Starting Today is an incredibly underrated manga that challenges these preconceived archetypes, but falls flat when it comes to leaving a lasting impression. In my opinion, this manga is very unique because it confronts these issues in a linear story without resorting to standard manga conventions of
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story lines and drama.
Kyou Kara Yonshimai follows a interesting premise of a family of four siblings abruptly changing to a family of four sisters because of the change in gender identity for the eldest son. It is a simple premise that could have been used for a comedy, but was I pleasantly surprised that it was used for a tenderly sweet slice-of-life. At first, the story is diabetes-levels of sweet, but the overall tone shifts as characterizations are revealed and the characters confront the issues in front of them.
In fact, the strength of the manga are the flawed characters. The characters are realistically selfish. They make decisions based on what they want and the family of four is forever changed because of these decisions. If you accept the characters strictly as they are portrayed, you fail to realize the complexity and frightening realism that each character has. Their worries and struggles may or may not be relatable to each and ever reader, but they are very human. The ending is undoubtedly rushed and its a shame to see a manga with so much potential either cancelled or ended prematurely for whatever reason. The bittersweet outcome serves as a disheartening but empowering story of family and sisterhood. Although transsexualism and transgenderism are prevalent themes in this work, it is primarily a story of family and relationships.
The art in this manga is solid, but not outstanding. Sometimes, I found myself mistaking characters of the same hair color as each other because they are sometimes drawn uncomfortably close-up. In general, the art quality was acceptable and I had little complaints.
I discovered this manga after rereading Ichigo no Gakkou, a work by the same artist-author pair that shares a parallel theme of irrevocable decisions as determinants for relationships. They are both bittersweet stories with undertones of positivity and tenacity. This artist-author pair excels at developing melancholy stories with a plot that is not fully fleshed out. In doing so, they create artistically ambiguous manga with a just a hint of romance and drama. Because of this, their manga are perfect for annual rereading and I encourage everyone to give this manga a shot.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Oct 17, 2013
In real life, child raising is one of the last things I would ever expect to be doing in the near future. Moreover, I have no experience whatsoever when it comes to children and infants. Many of my friends would be surprised that I would ever even approach a seinen manga on such a subject. Simultaneously, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the manga and felt compelled to write its first review.
Yoningurashi is an extremely light-hearted slice of life manga that centers around the simple life of a wife and husband and their two kids. To be
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honest, I am surprised that such a plain manga could even be published. There's nothing particularly interesting or hilarious about their daily lives, yet this manga has a unique charm that makes it altogether satisfying.
STORY:
The story is quite simple: there is none. It's simply child-rearing between a somewhat dysfunctional couple. Admittedly, this manga is also more unique in this regard; most manga with a similar storyline are focused on the troubles of a single parent or someone who found themselves in odd circumstances that required child-raising. Yoningurashi is a simple and refreshing twist to the overly complicated plots that are often present in this genre.
ART:
In hindsight, the art is my only complaint for this manga. The art is extremely simple and barebones. Although there isn't necessarily anything wrong with it, the simplistic art style pushed me away initially. However, the manga does benefit from the art by depicting the children to be quite adorable. Moreover, the childish simplicity of the art is very suitable in comedy scenes involving the children's innocence or naive stubbornness.
CHARACTER:
Now we get into the meat and bones of the review. The characters of a slice of life genre anime/manga determine whether or not it is enjoyable. In this manga, the characters are not complex nor do they make you scream in their adorableness. The characters in this manga are realistic and pleasing. They appeal to some of the more minor emotions such as nostalgia and content. With their straightforward personalities and realistic attitudes, these are characters that the reader can easily relate to.
ENJOYMENT:
And thus, this brings us into the next topic. Usually when it comes to manga, I am a binge reader. I start in the afternoon and read for hours until I finish the series. Typically when it comes to slice of life, I tend to drop the series or avoid them altogether because their is simply not enough to compel me to keep reading.
However, in Yoningurashi, their is a mysterious atmosphere of relaxation and nostalgia that didn't let me tear myself away. The experiences of the two kids reminded me of my own childhood and the two parents revealed to me my own parent's struggles as they tried to raise me. The situations that arise due to childishness made me face-palm, yet I couldn't help but laugh.
OVERALL:
Personally, I am not an expert in this genre or area of manga at all. However, the simplicity of the synopsis paired with the relatively enjoyable first chapters made me keep reading this manga. There's no surprises or drama or parts that will leave you dying with laughter. But what it does have, is some sweet and heartfelt moments about a couple raising their children that may make you chuckle along the way. Overall, this is a great manga is you are looking for a slice of life that isn't quite as outrageous about its way of presenting itself.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Jan 30, 2013
Vampires, temporary mothers, and protecting the human world? The synopsis for this slightly obscure manga gives a first impression of a fantastical realm of child rearing and villains on a global scale. If you prefer that type of epic manga, I am sorry to say that Kenketsu Rush is not for you. Instead, Keketsu Rush offers an enjoyable romance with a demonic and vampire twist. And fortunately for me, I much prefer this vampire romance in a vampire genre that is dominated by smut and melodrama.
STORY:
The story of this manga is pretty plain to be honest. Exactly as the synopsis
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says, a high school student is suddenly forced to care for a vampire child and their relationship grows from there. Along the way there are some pretty interesting reveals about the characters' pasts, but overall, it feels somewhat generic and out-of-place at times.
Luckily, the the lackluster in storytelling is really balanced by the romance. The romance truly was heartwarming and I loved seeing relationships develop. Ultimately, I really am a sucker for romance, and the straightforward romance was a winner for me.
ART:
There really isn't much to say about the art. It certainly is better than your standard shoujo art. As much as female shoujo fans love themselves some bishounen, I enjoyed the look of the male protagonist. Not overly bishounen, but definitively shoujo style.
CHARACTER:
Admittedly, the characters are pretty forgettable and, besides the male protagonist, there is a noticeable lack of depth throughout the entire cast of characters. The supporting cast is interesting but irrelevant throughout much of the manga and I honestly don't recall any particular moment that I fell in love with a character. Despite this, the cast of characters is suitable enough for the telling of the story. They were perky and enjoyable, but they weren't enough to leave a permanent memory.
ENJOYMENT:
This is going to a slightly awkward transition, but I truly enjoyed this manga. Contrary to how I portrayed myself in the character section, I had great fun reading this manga. There were a few dull moments, but I found myself immersed in the romance and developments. Furthermore, there was nothing truly mind blowing yet, somehow, when I finished the manga, I was legitimately thirsty for more. I wish I could have had a more conclusive epilogue, but this thirst was more because of how much I enjoyed the manga as a whole rather than my picky attitude towards endings.
OVERALL:
At this point there isn't much else to say. This review was kind of impromptu; its solely for the sake of filling this empty manga page of a manga that entertained me. Its a shame that it isn't marked as Vampire genre, because this is one of the more impressive vampire romances that I've read. A truly enjoyable manga for anyone looking for a romance, a vampire manga, or a light read.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Nov 26, 2012
The manga Choku! faces a severe disadvantage in advertising itself. The synopsis certainly doesn't do this manga justice and implies this manga is just a generic shounen romantic comedy. Admittedly, it's premise and plot really are generic, but I truly enjoyed this manga more than any other manga that I've read in awhile. I love this manga because its humor is crude and hilarious and the protagonists are cute and appealing.
STORY:
Perhaps the biggest fault in this manga is the complete lack of story early in the series. The reader is literally thrown into a scenario and pulled along a series of
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random events of no correlation whatsoever. The "supposed" romance is actually nowhere to be seen until the near the halfway point. Despite this, I don't think that this harms the manga in any way. More importantly, the light-hearted and comedy-centric beginning is what made the eventual plot far more attractive to me. The romance does come eventually, and it is very satisfying in my opion. In fact, I believe it is becoming increasingly rare to find a manga such as this one that uses calm rather than melodrama to cause the reader to appreciate the romance.
CHARACTER:
Luckily, even without a proper story, I think this manga would still get a very solid score from me. I am very biased, but I absolutely adore socially awkward characters and the two protagonists are extreme cases of my adoration. The number of sub-characters is extremely lacking, but this the uniqueness of the protagonists more than makes up for this. The male protagonist, Nao, is a your generic passive ecchi shounen hero. There's a slight twist in his characterization in that he is rather feminine (HE'S A TRAP) and his pervertedness is surprisingly tame. His female counterpart, Serika, is the most unorthodox female personality I've encountered in a manga. In fact, she is the source of all the crude humor which leads into the next topic of...
ENJOYMENT:
Indeed, the entire basis of this manga is the humor. The comedy in this manga is very hit-or-miss. It is especially important to note that if you dislike the nose-bleeding early in the manga, it becomes less and less gruesome (is that the right word?) as the manga continues. Rather, I'd like to emphasize how the author's humor is primarily crude in nature. Toilet humor. If you don't like that type of stuff then you certainly won't enjoy half of the jokes throughout this manga.
OVERALL:
I admit that 9 is a little generous for this series, but I don't feel it quite deserves an 8. Basically, if you are looking for a calm, angst-free romance then this is the manga for you. If you are sick of clever puns and proper humor, then try out this book of dirty jokes. If you are in search of a semi-short manga to waste your time with, read this manga. Either way, this manga will either leave you questioning why you are even reading such a deranged manga, or having you fall in love with this manga's charm.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Jul 8, 2012
Recently, I've been endlessly searching for shoujo manga that differ from the standard romance between male and female. I was looking for something dark, edgy, and dramatic. Thus, after finding one manga that fit my tastes, I began reading a chain of manga thanks to the user recommendations until I eventually found this Tobenai Tori. Because it was never reviewed before, I started typing this out of boredom and necessity.
Tobenai Tori is a three chapter romance story with one chapter containing an irrelevant side story and a one shot called Bitter Tears. I'll only be reviewing Tobenai Tori and not the
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one shot.
Although I said I was looking for manga without cliches and stereotypes, this manga does contain some. This plot follows the story between two childhood friends: Aoi and Kaoru. Despite being cliched childhood friends, the this manga deviated from standard shoujo romances with dark characters and unfortunate events. Although I have the past of some of the characters aren't necessarily original, the mangaka does a skillful job of portraying them with an emotional atmosphere in the limited space he has.
In fact, I think the small amount of chapters is the reason why I enjoyed this manga so much. In only three chapters, the manga manages to create appealing characters with a profound sense of emotion. The characters are shown to develop and grow as they overcome their hardships throughout the story.
Ultimately, I think this is a very solid manga. Because its only five chapters in length, it is easily readable in one sitting and can be finished within 30 minutes. For a thirty minute read, this manga provided me with a satisfying romance that was emotional enough to slightly affect me. This certainly wasn't a masterpiece, but I would recommend this to any romance reader with 30 minutes to spare.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Jun 14, 2012
There are two reasons why I began reading this manga. First, my friend dared me to read a yaoi manga, but this was as close as I could approach that genre (no offense to anyone who like yaoi). Also, I started reading this manga after a sudden personal craze for gender bender manga. I was ecstatic when I finally found a manga that almost fulfills both requirements with great art and great characters. However, I thought that the overall plot was a bit cliched and forced throughout the entire series.
Starting off with the positive, I thought the mangaka had drawn the
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characters absolutely beautifully with each character having their own stylistic uniqueness. In particular, the protagonist, Kei, was perfectly drawn to look male most of the time, but female at others. Also, I thought the characters themselves were great in this manga. Although some were cliche, many of the characters were hilarious, unique, and likeable.
However, the reason the score for this manga is a 7 is because of the plot. This is solely my opinion, but I really thought that the romance and the changes that the protagonist goes through were really forced and unrealistic. I thought their was a lack of depth in the romance and it felt as if the two main characters only ended up romantically because they were obliged love each other as the leads of the story.
Overall, its a good manga to read. Although the plot was annoying at some times, the art and unique characters grabbed my attention right away. If you are a fan of gender bender romances, I would really recommend this manga.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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May 20, 2012
This is my first review so bear with me. The only reason why I'm making this review is because all the reviews for this anime are outdated and only cover the first episode.
STORY:
The plot of the anime is fairly plain. Girl and girl fall in love. The best aspect of the story is that it starts quickly and keeps the romance and drama throughout the anime. The drama is pretty well done, considering how the anime only contains 3 actual characters with important dialogue. Also, even though there are 2 episodes, it paces itself nicely with every scene seeming important
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and relevant.
ART:
I read somewhere that the animation and art was entirely done by one person. With that said, he did an impressive job by himself but the art cannot compare to some modern anime. The style is very simple and plain which is good enough to carry this anime throughout the whole two episodes.
SOUND:
Not much to say about sound. I enjoyed the EDs and they were very fitting to each episode.
CHARACTER:
I am a huge fan of character development and complex characters. This anime offers a pretty good cast of three characters with each character being as fleshed out as possible within two episodes. With that said, I feel like the characters weren't as appealing as they could be. The viewers just see the two main characters as two girls who fall in love and have somewhat perverted attitudes and nothing more. Perhaps if we had more episodes, we would have more time to acquaint with the characters.
ENJOYMENT:
This section is what saves this anime in my opinion. If you are a fan of yuri, exhibitionism, and multiple other fetishes, this anime will surely fill your desires. There is fan service and implied sex aplenty; so much so that I felt like every other scene was dangerously approaching hentai levels. Luckily, none of this bothers me and I thoroughly enjoyed most of it.
OVERALL:
Overall, this anime was good. Not great, but watchable and enjoyable. I would definitely recommend this anime if you are looking for a satisfying shoujo ai or a controversial romance anime. If they extended this anime to a full season, it could've been as famous as Strawberry Panic among yuri fans, but it just seems a little too packed in terms of episode count.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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