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HOW I WAS INTRODUCED TO TOKYO CRAZY PARADISE:
"Tokyo Crazy Paradise" was one of my random finds. I don't very often read random manga, but in TCP's case, I'm glad I did.

STORY (8/10):
When you boil TCP's story down into a mere plot summary it sounds dull and overdone--girl falls for bad boy, leader of a mafia organization at that. However, doing this certainly doesn't do TCP justice. The story melds romance, drama, and action so well that TCP becomes an incredibly unique story of its own.

ART (7/10):
The art of TCP is by no means bad, but it is a little different. The art even seems to reflect the melding of genres--a little shounen action art flavor with the shoujo flavor. There are some areas of the manga that feel as if they have been drawn somewhat akwardly, but the majority is good.

CHARACTERS (7/10):
The characters in TCP are just short of amazing. The protagonist, Tsukasa, is quite simply one of the strongest female characters in shoujo manga. Even considering the gender-bender situation, one doesn't lose sight of her feminine side. As for Ryuugi, he is less lovingly characterized than Tsukasa, but a great character despite it. As the volumes continue, one finds that it's easier to like him more and more.

ENJOYMENT (8/10):
TCP is unique, funny, and interesting. It has romance, drama, a love triangle, and gender-bending. I highly recommend anyone to read it.

OVERALL (7.5/10)

- Spiffyish

NOTE ABOUT THIS REVIEW: Also, if you find this review unhelpful in anyway, send me a private message saying why (please) so that I can improve it for future readers! :D read more

HOW I WAS INTRODUCED TO DIAMOND HEAD:
After reading "After School Nightmare" recently, I felt compelled to see what else Setona Mizushiro had written. This lead me on the path to find "Diamond Head".

STORY (6/10):
Honestly speaking, I can think of no other story quite like "Diamond Head"! At the same time, however, the story doesn't strike one as being particularly unique at the time of reading it. After all, the story of the high school club has become somewhat popularized, but Mizushiro took the right note with the story by making it about the characters. The only drawback is that Mizushiro ended up using something like the "Monster A Day" theme that anime directed towards young audiences take. Each chapter or two centers around a specific conflict, which is then resolved before introducing another. This form of story telling can become quite tedious.

ART (6/10):
I have a feeling Mizushiro is an artist who's talent increases exponentially after each manga series. "Diamond Head" is definitely not on part with her more recent series "After School Nightmare", but at the same time is incredibly improved from her early works. In the end, the art of "Diamond Head" is best described as good with some exceptional layouts and scenes--but also with some bland and awkward ones. The art never detracts from the series, but can't be described as anything better than "fair".

CHARACTERS (7/10):
The characters of "Diamond Head" are no doubt the strong point of the series. Nanoa provides a strong, caring protagonist who is easy to identify with. The remaining members of the judicature club are all distinct and provide great interactions with Nanao--each relationship is unique.

ENJOYMENT (6/10):
"Diamond Head" is a good series to pass the time with. Also, it's quite interesting to see Mizushiro develop as an artist and writer from her earlier series to "Diamond Head" and eventually to "After School Nightmare". This series is enjoyable, if you happen to have time to kill.

OVERALL (6.25/10)

- Spiffyish

NOTE ABOUT THIS REVIEW: Also, if you find this review unhelpful in anyway, send me a private message saying why (please) so that I can improve it for future readers! :D read more

HOW I WAS INTRODUCED TO 1999NEN 7 NO TSUKI SHANGHAI:
This is somewhat important, to understand the rating and review I gave this manga. I stumbled upon this series after reading (the fantastic) After School Nightmare series by the same author, Setona Mizushiro.

STORY (5/10):
The story, inspired somewhat by the star-crossed lovers of Shakespeare, is actually (and surprisingly) 1999nen 7 no Tsuki Shanghai's strong point. The story is transplanted into Shanghai in a world where kids must join gangs to survive. There was a lot of potential or the protagonists--members of opposing gangs--to have truly tense moments and torn loyalties. Instead the story bogs itself down needlessly with trysts of minor characters, dully executed scenes, and embarrassingly flimsy motivations.

ART (3/10):
If you want to see fantastic art, go look at Mizushiro's "After School Nightmare". ASN was done at a later date, so it's understandable that she's matured as an artist since "1999nen 7 no Tsuki Shanghai"; however, the art within 1999 is passable at the best of times. As the series goes on--and more characters introduced--it's nearly impossible to tell each apart by looks alone. The layouts are dull and unflattering. Mizushiro is a great artist, but it simply doesn't show in this series.

CHARACTERS (4/10):
This is another section that was somewhat lacking. The two protagonists, are arguably done well enough, even with flimsy motivations. When one looks at the supporting cast, however, one has to wonder how much time Mizushiro truly put into thinking each out. Developments with little or no foreshadowing are common in the later pages of the series, while the beginning is wasted on bland, nearly nameless sexual encounters. The tension that should build between gangs is barely felt in the face of trying to figure out who is sleeping with who and why.

ENJOYMENT (4/10):
As the score reflects, I was very disappointed in this series. I would earnestly recommend that anyone new to Setona Mizushiro avoid this series and instead try the higher quality "After School Nightmare Instead". Even for those who want to explore Mizushiro's other works, this title is simply not worth the time invested.

OVERALL (4.7/10)

- Spiffyish

NOTE ABOUT THIS REVIEW: Also, if you find this review unhelpful in anyway, send me a private message saying why (please) so that I can improve it for future readers! :D read more

HOW I WAS INTRODUCED TO AFTER SCHOOL NIGHTMARE:
Just a few days ago a friend posted some avatars/icons at Livejournal. The series was After School Nightmare and it was *gorgeous*. I figured that and her word that it was a good series was enough to justify tracking it down and reading it. (Note at the bottom over accessibility.)

STORY (9/10):
The originality of this story is really one of it's strongest points. Just reading a plot summary may make it sound like any of the gender-bending shoujo titles available right now, but it's more creative than any other I've read. The idea of this after school nightmare course where a person has to bear their scars for others to see becomes more and more intriguing as the series continues.

ART (10/10):
ASN's art is magnificent. While it resembles Setona Mizushiro's other works such as X-Day in some ways, Mizushiro's style has really matured. The compositions of the pages and character designs are beautiful. The protagonist, Mashiro is portrayed painfully well in her style--caught between his feminine and masculine self.

CHARACTERS (9/10):
The three main characters of ASN are incredibly well developed and fleshed out. Mashiro, Kureha, and Sou each have their own scars, traumas, faults, and relationships with others. Their motivations make sense and are executed well. Especially when it comes to the love triangle between the three, the story gains much pain and anxiety. However, despite how well these three characters are done, when reading ASN, one gets the feeling the rest of the students are fairly ignored. Some, like Midori, get their side story, but after that drop off the face of the world. While some of this is contributed to the plot and mysterious "graduation", the minor cast could really use more fleshing out.

ENJOYMENT (9/10):
This series is very enjoyable. I really never expected to like it as much as I do--and I've heard many people say things similar to this. Setona Mizushiro uses a lovely mix of romance, drama, suspense, and anxiety to keep the reader interested!

OVERALL (9.2/10)

- Spiffyish

NOTE ON FINDING THIS SERIES: This series is somewhat hard to find. At the time this review was written, volumes 1-5 have been scanlated, but due to the fact it's being serialized in American and France, the scanlations have disappeared. So, if you are interested in the series, the best route will probably be to purchase it (it is available on both amazon.com and amazon.fr under the title "L'infirmerie après les cours". Also, of course, it is available in Japanese raw.

NOTE ABOUT THIS REVIEW: Also, if you find this review unhelpful in anyway, send me a private message saying why (please) so that I can improve it for future readers! :D read more

HOW I WAS INTRODUCED TO MONSTER:
Monster was recently recommended to me by a friend who was rather frustrated that there wasn't enough of a fanbase for such a great anime. It wasn't my usual type of anime, since I'm not a big mystery/detective fan and I doubted I would like it at first... Another note I would like to mention is that the anime and manga of Monster are very close and true to each other.

STORY (10/10):
The story is incredibly intriguing. Avoiding being redundant and giving a plot synopsis, I'll say this: Every story development pulls the watcher further in, without resorting to real "cliff hangers". The first few episodes, though very important, felt somewhat dry, however once those are over and the real plot begins to move, the intensity of each episode builds.

ART (10/10):
The art of the Monster anime is very unlike the art in the manga. The manga harkens heavily back to the Astro-boy days of manga. The anime is somewhat modernized, but somewhat more realistic than a lot of anime currently. I found the art to be very endearing and used well to enhance the atmosphere of the anime.

SOUND (8/10):
The sound got a somewhat lower rating not because it's *bad*. The music and voices are well done, but simply unexceptional. Mostly the music, though good, quickly passes from memory. The opening and closing themes are incredibly generic. Luckily, the voice actors used were incredibly talented.

CHARACTERS (9/10):
The characters are really what make Monster so great. Their interactions and personal motivations are so incredibly *human*. Each has their own set of faults and strong points. The only reason I did not give the characters section a 10 was because after becoming attached to a character, the character might disappear for a few episodes simply due to the fact the cast is so large and each has such depth.

ENJOYMENT (10/10):
Monster is by no means perfect, but it is an incredibly well-thought out anime that kept me eager for the next episode. The faults, in this case, can be overlooked. I enjoyed this anime enough to give it a 10.

OVERALL (9.4/10)

- Spiffyish

NOTE ABOUT THIS REVIEW: Also, if you find this review unhelpful in anyway, send me a private message saying why (please) so that I can improve it for future readers! :D read more