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Jan 16, 2023
Hanaizawa-chou Kouminkan-dayori (or Hanaizawa Citizen Centre News in the translation I read) is a series of mostly individual stories taking place in this one small town that has been isolated from the rest of society via a mysterious barrier that appeared one day.
Some of the stories are light-hearted while others are emotionally evocative and more often than not depressing. With the tone of the first chapter, all that come after it have that sense of sadness knowing what happened to everyone in this story. Though it is sometimes comforting to read a chapter where nothing in particular goes wrong, but then you should be
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careful that the next chapter might be really sad.
Many character never appear more than once, but we do receive multiple characters that make several appearances over the course of the manga. The story likes to jump across the timeline of when the town was full of life to when it became empty. The first couple chapters usually in broad terms establishes when the chapter takes place, but this goes away after a certain point, which to me kind of emphasizes how time just sort of vanishes for the people in this town as their lives continue onward isolated from the rest of the world.
I feel like the art is average, but personally I like the style of Tomoko Yamashita.
There isn't really a strong narrative to the manga, so if you want a linear storyline, you won't be getting it. A good portion of the chapters focuses on a single character's perspective and that is the most story you will get. I think this manga is good on a reread cause you can try to piece together the order of events, see if characters appear in other chapters, and get an overall sense of what the state of the town is at.
I gave it a 8 cause overall I really enjoyed it. It's short and it tells a good story, and the experience left me thinking on what life would be like for me in such a situation. No chapter drags on for too long. I left the manga wanting more, but I am content with the ending I received. I feel like this is a story which could have gone on for many more chapters, but the amount of experiences that were put into 20 chapters was still excellent.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Oct 25, 2022
The best of all the currently released Jinrou Games. It carries on the continuity of the first series and introduces interesting twists and turns from the titular "Beast Side" perspective. I love this series because it feels like I'm watching gameplay of Town of Salem unfold in real time.
Given that it continues the storyline from the first series, Jinrou Game: Beast Side feels more fleshed out and developed, with more engagement from the reader on the stakes of the game now that we have characters who have been firmly established and given stronger backgrounds than in other Death Game Manga. The majority of the
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cast are still randoms who have been thrown into the game, but now we get to see a new version of the first manga unfold from a different perspective.
If you've played Werewolf, Mafia, or Town of Salem, I'm sure you agree that the Killer Roles are the most interesting to be, and I think that line of thought continues in this manga that allows it to shine better than its counterparts in the franchise. There are always more reveals and players introduced than in the last story which amplifies the drama. I must admit, despite the love I have for this manga, there is a particular death scene that ruins one of the more interesting characters and is poorly written in my opinion as it removes the greatest threat our main characters face. I suspect they were killed because the writer was likely unsure how to progress the story with such a powerful leader and investigatory antagonist. Besides that, I think the overall story is still as strong as your typical Death Game Manga.
If you enjoy the Death Game Genre, then why are you reading this? Go read the manga instead!
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Oct 25, 2022
Interesting buildup, but annoying side characters and poor ending. I enjoyed the foreboding and terrifying atmosphere and the stark hopelessness of the situation our characters find themselves in, but the ending was poorly put together and a bit abrupt. It gives off the feeling that the series was canceled.
It basically ends with our characters looking out across a snowy landscape. Everyone is dead, but hey our main characters got to see a pretty sunrise. It's a pretty poor way of conveying hope for the future in the final chapter.
All the villainous characters are drawn to look as evil and buffoonish as possible. There is
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this one really annoying teacher that is part of the main group, and he is so openly corrupt and evil that he becomes annoying to see on every page because it's always makes want to skip dialogue till when he's not on the page anymore. I hate these series where the group of survivors are escaping, but they allow this one character who is so selfish and evil it begs the question on whether our main heroes are thinking straight. Every word that comes out of this character's mouth compels me to wonder why he hasn't been written out of the story, and then he survives till the end and is literally on the very last picture of the chapter. This is a bit of a rant of a review, but I stress that this character actively degrades the story once you've gotten annoyed with his presence.
The art is decent, and the apocalypse aspect is well done. I like the way they kept introducing new threats. At the end it sort of starts to feel like the world is being divided between all the various animalistic threats. I liked that the government feels as competent as a government could be in this situation.
If you are looking for a relatively short survival manga then this one would be a good read just to engage with the apocalypse side of the story, but the characters may leave something to be desired.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Oct 25, 2022
Dragon Head is a surreal apocalyptic survival manga where there is nothing but despair everywhere until the end of the series. Before I get into the series further I have to say this series felt like Kicks: The Manga because man these characters are filthy and suffering, but they always got these sweet, sweet sneakers on, in pristine condition and they're always drawn large and prominent whenever they're featured.
The series evokes fear from darkness and death to isolation and insecurity. The art has this gritty terror to it that adds to the atmosphere of each chapter. The series always has this feeling of hopelessness sprinkled
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throughout as you emerge from darkness to more darkness. Something I loved about the manga was the way everything felt dirty and the art is done in such a way that you feel as if you are in the situation with them. You can imagine how horribly dark and terrifying the underground is. You can imagine how suffocating it must be to live in a land of perpetually falling ash.
Majority of the time the more you learn about the state of the world, the more questions are raised. What is happening? A nuclear bomb? An earthquake? An invasion? Why has everyone gone mad? The world has been transformed from the stereotypically sterile and clean japan into a filthy nightmarish world where everyone has lost themselves in the chaos. People are worshipping dark gods, conducting surgery on innocents, mobs sacrificing innocents, and miles and miles of desolate cities. The world always remains dark even when the sun manages to sneak in a few rays beneath the smoke and ash.
I think a lot of the characters are either inoffensive or dislikable. Most characters you meet are just...weird, but hey they got some nice shoes!
I highly recommend this manga to anyone who wants to read an interesting and complex survival apocalypse story.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Oct 25, 2022
I have a rough relationship with this manga. I found the story initially as interesting and engaging, but for some reason this manga was the first manga I've read where I felt like there was way too much text to read. It's bizarre cause there isn't that much text to warrant this response, but I found myself being consistently bored reading it.
The art is interesting to me because the men have relatively normal designs, but all the girls have these large eyes that are more stylized than any male characters.
The story stays on its dancing-centered story throughout the entire series, but I feel
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like it must have been canceled or ended prematurely because I feel like the entire story is buildup and then the last few chapters have its own storyline and then the story ends. I was left relatively dissatisfied, but I think if you like the subgenre of Dancing then this will probably still be a hit with you.
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
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Oct 25, 2022
OUR VAST LONELINESS - Kind of sad, but I feel like this story doesn't stick in the mind too much once you've finished it.
LOVE LETTER - Probably my favorite and the best of all the stories. I found the horror in this one very gripping and memorable.
ALL OF SULLY/LILLY - I found this story a bit confusing at times, but I thought some of the artwork was memorable and certainly one of those scenes with the method of which a character is bound to be particularly striking.
AIRPORT - Relatively short. I had to reread it to fully understand it, but it's fairly straightforward in
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what exactly occurs in the chapter.
FETISH - I think this one was pretty interesting. The imagery and concept isn't as emotionally evocative as All of Sully/Lilly, but the concept it interesting. This story is the most openly obvious about the running theme of "Fetish."
I think if you're looking to read a quick horror before bed, this series has five short series to settle you in. Most of the characters are lacking in depth (obviously, they're short stories) and I found the only character that evocated an emotional response from me was the main protagonist in Love Letter, because I feel like her issue isn't the most realistic of all issues presented, but it is a common fear or feeling someone may have. The artwork is decent but enhances the storytelling and the stories are short and don't feel too boring to get through.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Apr 8, 2022
A quick and enjoyable read about interesting characters in loosely connected stories. I usually pick my manga entirely on art style and just like the title, it was captivating to look at. Even though it came out in 2019 it still has this older vibe to it which I really enjoy.
The one thing I don't like about this manga is that it ended. The manga is sort of split between two narratives. The first about a boy and his strange, but helpful interactions with his peers. The second has more of a plot with a guy who discovers his classmate isn't as he seems.
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Both are entertaining and interesting to read. I think the manga benefits from the fact that it formats itself as short vignettes in a similar setting with familiar characters.
I implore you to try out this story as it has great art and an interesting narrative. It's only one volume so it's not like it will take up that much shelf space.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Apr 8, 2022
What an unusual anime this is.
It's a bit bizarre and I'm not Japanese so I'm not entirely educated on the significance of the deer and the abnormally large presence of Buddha statues. (I understand their importance in overall culture, but not the artistic meaning of their appearance in the anime.)
I thought the villains weren't that interesting and a bit strange. I did watch this dubbed, so it's entirely possible is the voices that did this for me.
I think it's too fast paced though that's entirely because of the short length of the anime.
The animation is decent. I think it can look jarring at
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times, but it's fine throughout. There are some beautiful shots through the anime, mostly when they are riding the deer.
Also, what was up with that freak deer?
Overall, I enjoyed it for what it was, and it's not that long so it's not like you're wasting that much time experiencing this anime.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Mar 20, 2022
“I want to come to like my own voice as well.”
A cute, sweet and comedic romance story where two characters have strange quirks.
Despite being 46 chapters long, it is quite a quick read with each chapter being only a couple pages. If you are considering this manga, I think you should read it because of this.
The side/minor characters are some of the best wingmen you’ll find in manga. I also love that the author weaves the quirks of the two main characters with developing the romance. That girl in Chapter 29 helping the situation with the coat was so wholesome. That shot of the class
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reacting in the final chapter is pretty good payoff in my view.
The art is pretty good, and I think it’s relatively expressive. I absolutely love the colored *extra* pages that appear every so option. Even though it’s simple and basic, I actually really liked the art style and thought it enhanced the story.
The characters are good, and the character quirks add to the comedy immensely. It’s also funny whenever people get shocked or surprised whenever Oobayashi speaks. I love the way the students at the school are accidentally forced into being a captive audience involved in their relationship by virtue of Oobayashi being super loud.
The story is very straightforward and rather episodic. It’s quite refreshing to have a romance story where there is no antagonist or significant threat. It’s just classmates supporting the main couple in a short format.
This manga knows what it is, and does it perfectly. I think this would make for a cute anime adaptation.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Mar 19, 2022
Ok so I spent a few days thinking about this movie and how I felt about it. I enjoyed it; I really did. However, I when I watched the movie, I couldn't help but think about Summer Wars and how it's better in nearly every other regard. It kind of made me wonder if this was a movie that needed to be made.
Let's start with the stuff I liked. I thought the art and animation was really good. The character designs were excellent and the out-of-online areas were beautiful. The music was really enjoyable.
I thought was story was pretty mediocre. I understand that
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there are Beauty and the Beast parallels, but I didn't really think some of the were entirely necessary. I thought they didn't need to have the Beasts HQ to be a hidden castle filled with tiny servants. This movie sacrificed characterization in favor of telling the story. There were too many characters, and nearly no one had sufficient characterization or development between their relationships. The online world isn't really all that visually appealing.
I think the emotional drama of the movie is fine. It's not really all that deep and the scene with everyone singing was heartwarming, but I feel like Summer Wars did it better. The Koi Koi scene climax is superior in every regard to this film, and the characterization was somewhat better despite having a vastly larger cast. (At the very least they had more personality) Kayak guy was funny though.
All in all I still enjoyed the film and if you are willing to shut your mind off and love it for what it is, I think you'll have fun too. I mostly enjoy watching anime movies for the low commitments and typically better quality and I think this movie succeeds in being a quality production. It has issues, but it's still a positive experience.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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