Jun 28, 2015
To tell the truth, I only started reading this manga because one of my friends read the first chapter looking for a good comedy, backed out because of the homosexual undertones between traps then told me how bad it was. Oh, how wrong he was. As someone who's not a fan of traps (although, to tell the truth, not repulsed by them either), I went into the series looking for whatever good I could get from it. And that good was... a surprising amount.
Story - 8/10
Okay, so if you're going into this expecting the most gripping story in the world, you're not going to find
...
it here. But if you're going in expecting very little, you'll be surprised - at every turn, you'll actually feel attached to the characters and what they're going through. It's not the most revolutionary plot in the world, sure, but it's surprisingly enjoyable for what it is, especially considering the setting. The ending is a little lacklustre and open, but that same openness really lets the reader play with what happens afterwards. This helps with its appeal outside of people looking for traps and/or shounen-ai, too.
Art - 6/10
Not really much to say here. The characters look pretty cute and there's nothing that really looks that awful. On the other hand, there's nothing that really stands out at you as particularly amazing, which is why I put it down to a 6. Nothing against the mangaka, though. I do give them kudos for the full colour pages, since they were pretty nice to see, if only because I thought Tsubaki's hair was blonde and it was actually pink (yes I know I don't pay attention to the pictures on MAL pages and such). A degree of this is taken off because of the occasional fanservice (as myself and my friends discussed, a lot of the "face ball" isn't really necessary), but if you're into that sort of thing I can see it working quite well.
Character - 9/10
This is where Reversible! really shines. The story is only as good as it is because of the character designs. Every single character has something to them which makes them really interesting - their backgrounds all have a degree of darkness to them, and finding all of that out is really gripping. While this potential presents itself in many other such anime and manga, what really makes it shine is how it pulls that concept through. Not only do the characters have great designs behind them, they also progress through the 15 chapters of the manga, which I was not expecting at all. One incident where this is really made apparent takes place within Chapter 14 - but I won't spoil that for you.
Enjoyment - 9/10
This mostly comes from a biased point of view, since I went into it with low expectations. However, that's what really gives this a fair judgement - anyone that wants to see traps will be quite satisfied with this manga regardless of anything. Despite this, it holds appeal stretching far beyond its target audience, and anyone that just wants to see a boy develop in an unfamiliar environment (read: crossdressing, but not necessarily looking for that) will really take appeal from it. Personally, I was surprised by the amount of times I was genuinely feeling for the characters, and I almost felt sad when I turned that last page. Throughout, I genuinely felt connected, and for that I give it a 9/10.
Overall - 8/10
This conclusion isn't based on any particular mathematical reasoning, unlike some reviews, just my own personal view on everything the manga presents - the story is solid, along with incredibly well designed characters, which really carry it along. It's let down a little by the lack of any particularly outstanding art, as well as its subject matter carrying a degree of "ick factor" to it for anyone not already accustomed to the medium or open-minded enough to accept it. However, if you go past that and do accept it, you're in for a treat, a real hidden gem. Who knows, you could even go from it having learnt something new, with your horizons opened to new things.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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