Recent Reviews

I randomly found this manga and didn't had high expectations from the start, but it was actually better than i thought it would be.

Concept of the story is quite original, even a little funny: geisha dreaming of becoming a hero of justice (quite different from which would person expect when seeing those elegant women). Plot starts when geisha in the question accidentally, not knowing, registers for the survival game in a parallel Kyoto, and has to kill zombie like inhabitants.

Action and art were fairly good executed, but due to so little chapters story and characterisation of characters were lacking, even not considering the lenght of this series, i must say that the story developed from concept is a bit plain. This is fine work for easy afternoon light read that doesn't require any of the mental endavour, not waste of time, but also not something you would remember reading after a year or so. read more

This is an adorable and funny manga that I just happened upon on a manga site one day and decided to start. Its nothing to rave about since its chapters are pretty short and the story is nothing too out of the ordinary, but somehow its still something special.

Story-9: I like the storyline and the plot, even though its been done before and its simple, it fits well with the style of the author, and it flows. Hori is pretty popular, and Miyamura, well, isn't. But they cross paths when both of their secrets are out in the open, and slowly their lives begin to change. There's romance, comedy, drama, and they all make for a great read.

Art-8: The manga is well drawn, there really isnt much to it to be honest, but for a simple manga, its just right. No complicated looking characters, no weird backgrounds, just simple.

Character-9: I actually really like the characters in Horimiya, I think they make the manga. Theyre a little quirky, a little awkward, and a little funny. They have different backgrounds but they are just normal school kids.

Enjoyment-9: I actually really enjoyed this manga. no matter how simple the story may be, I was still hoping to read more. It was very interesting, and im still currently waiting for updates!

Overall-8: I guess it seems like I didnt say much good about this manga, but im still telling you it was a good read :) if your bored pick it up! Its not so typical shoujo after all, I think its pretty great! read more

Can’t stand the typical superhero manga series? Bored of the protagonists that have great ambitions and noble reasons to risk their lives for others? Tired of the super villains that take hundreds of chapters to execute their complex evil schemes? As a bloke you get frustrated watching all the crazy fan girls of the cool shounen heroes? As a girl you are forced by your friends to go gaga over the Yagamis and Sasukes? Well fear no more, Saitama is here to end this nonsense with a “One Punch”.

Written by ONE and Illustrated by MURATA Yuusuke, One Punchman is a series about Saitama – a young man with a life of zero emotions, a career with zero ambition and a head with zero hair. Although the super heroes and villains somewhat feel similar to the old series, the great art combined with interesting dialogues and hilarious situations makes this series a rather unique and refreshing reading experience. The artwork in some of the chapters, especially in Chapter 21 of the series alone leaves a weird yet amazing effect on the readers.

The series is pretty new and the majority might not enjoy it, but for those who are interested in gag and unusual comedies, One Punch is a must read.
read more

Noblesse- is it because its a manhwa? Since its not from japan, its not what you would expect? Honestly? I have absolutely no idea. All I know is that this manhwa is unlike any other vampire story Ive ever read, novels, manga, manhwa- this is definitely original, and great at that!

Story-10: Like I expressed before, the plot is most definitely not-your-average-bloodsucking-vampire-story. It actually took me a while to pick up this manhwa and read it. I had so many recommendations to read it already, but it just really wasn't piquing my interest. Then finally I picked it up. My first thought? "Umm, really?" I almost put it down right then and there. The entire first chapter contains ABSOLUTELY nothing except for a vampire coming out of a sealed coffin and opening the blinds. No exaggeration. So even though I was clearly disappointed, somehow that ridiculous chapter triggered my curiosity. So of course, I read on. I will not go into detail about the plot or ruin the storyline for you, but I will say this. Take what you know about vampires, and leave it on the side of the road for someone else to pick up. Take all the cliche vampire movies and disassociate them when you refer to this manhwa. Just pick this up and start to read it; let it intrigue you.

Art-10: Maybe its because im used to reading manga that having color in the art on every page is a nice plus. The characters are very gorgeously drawn, and the action scenes are incredible. I think my favorite part about the art is how well it is able to portray the personalities of the characters; a simple glint in the eye can tell so much in this manhwa.

Character-9: There are several characters in this story that you will absolutely fall in love with, of that I have no doubt. The personalities are mysterious and constantly developing, exactly the kind of characters needed in a great manhwa. The abundance of characters makes things a little complicated, because of course, one always gets involved in something and then the whole group comes running behind, so to speak. Nevertheless, that doesn't make the story too predictable, there's always someone who pops up and intensifies the plot.

Enjoyment-9: At times the storyline can get a bit predictable. Bad guys come, good guys conquer, but I believe that this has less predictability in the plot itself then most manga/manhwa you will read. I couldnt put this down once I picked it up, I really thoroughly enjoyed the intensity of the plot and the subtle character development in this beautiful manhwa.

Overall-9: This was a great read! It still has a while before it ends and its currently a little under 300 chapters in. I would recommend this to anyone who's looking for an intense read that keeps you excited, pick it up! Be intrigued :) read more

Shindere Shoujo to Kodoku na Shinigami is a manga that can easily flip between comedy and thrilling mystery in a single panel, which often does. If you’re reading this thinking it’s going to be something lighthearted like Hyouka (which also deals with the “school mystery” genre) then you’re going to be in for a shock. One other thing I should mention first is that the author of this manga is actually too sick currently to continue writing this manga (which is said at the end of the most recent chapter, #20). The story does end the current mystery it was in but the overall plot is left unanswered so take that into account before getting into this manga.

Plot: 9/10
The story begins when a mysterious middle school boy named Nishigami who claims to be a shinigami (Death god in English and also very similar to his own name) who ends up causing everyone close to him to end up dying moves to a small island and starts going to school. There he earns a bad reputation as he tries to make everyone hate him so that no one else dies. One girl, Wakanae, and Nishigami end up becoming class presidents together though. They begin to unintentionally grow closer, but as he predicted, she ends up dying right in front of him. However, she is resurrected thanks to the deity of the island. From there, mysteries centered around the idea of resurrection begin to surface and these two students get dragged into them and forced to solve them in order to protect themselves and the people around them. At the same time they are also looking for a way to return Wakanae back to a normal human because now that she has been resurrected she can no longer leave the island that she wanted to leave so badly.

Art – 8/10
The darker scenes are drawn very well with extra emphasis put into showing change in pace from comedy to drama. The character designs are decent as is the scenery. The comedic scenes have their own appeal as well and the art can make them very funny at times but sometimes it seems a little stereotypical the way the characters are drawn in these scenes.

Characters: 8/10
There aren’t a whole lot of recurring characters and the only main ones are the ones mentioned before. Nishigami is extremely talented at solving mysteries even though it’s never mentioned why he is so good. One interesting character who is not seen much but seems to be hiding a lot is Nishigami’s Uncle (named Kuro) who is a doctor and the reason he moved to the town. He’s basically one of the creepiest guys I’ve ever seen (he’s like Shinra from Durarara!! on the outside with Izaya on the inside and a ton of mysteries surrounding him, if that makes any sense). Wakanae is a normal middle school girl who lives with her father. Not much is known about her mother since they make it unclear exactly what is true about her except that she’s not around anymore. There's also a shrine maiden, Touka, who cannot speak to any men unless she intends to marry them, even her own brother Itsuki, who likes Wakanae. Aside from them, the only other noteworthy people are the culprits involved the specific case and Yoroizuka who is only brought up towards the end and begins to have something to do with Kuro (the creepy guy) at the very end. He has an eyepatch and there’s something to do with what’s under and why it’s hurting Yoroizuka but I not much else is known since that’s where the manga is currently stopped.

Enjoyment: 8/10
I did enjoy this manga and I caught up on it quickly. I wish it would continue and I hope that the author overcomes their illness. But I would recommend this if you like mystery or horror things. It has good amount of comedy but I wouldn’t read it just for that aspect. Stuff like Fukashigi Philia and Aku no Hana are somewhat similar to this as far as manga go and while Shindere Shoujo is much less gory and horrific, the anime Another is kind of similar as well. read more

Bleach has been in the top rated manga/anime charts for years, its success is even known by people who arent huge nerds like us ;). Being someone who has been reading and watching for most of my life, I was always a little curious as to what all the hype was about. Finally my curiosity got the best of me and I picked up the manga for the first time.
I didn't put it down. For all the popularity and discussion this was a read that definitely did not disappoint.

Story-10: The general idea of the story is about Ichigo, a high school boy who has a particular ability, and also, well, a loud personality :). He, of course, encounters a life changing incident that takes him to unimaginable places, and leads him to make complicated decisions. The manga itself is over 500 chapters and supposedly not even halfway over yet. The development is a tad bit slow, but the plot is always interesting and the fighting is pretty intense. Its definitely a great shounen manga storyline, interesting enough to capture readers of all ages and gender.

Art-8: I suppose 8 is a bit harsh considering that the characters are pretty well drawn and there are some pretty epic designs for many of the characteristics in the manga. The characters were all very distinguishable and unique, and their clothing, weapons, and 'masks' were all awesome and drawn nicely. However, the backgrounds in the manga are usually pretty lacking, sometimes nonexistent, and since the manga started over a decade ago, the art is of course something that took time to improve. Overall the art is great, and I hope this doesn't deter you from reading this manga.

Character-9: There are so many interesting personalities in this manga! Very loyal friends, family that does anything for eachother, funny and serious characters, you name it! But that, I suppose, is the small flaw I find in the characters of this manga, there are SO many. The development of each one is absolutely perfect! They spend just enough time to let you get to know each character and a bit of their story. But with there being so many, you might come to like a character and then not see them for another 100 chapters. Once again, this really isn't something to worry about if your wondering if this manga is worth the read; all of the characters become part of the Bleach world that you will immerse yourself into as soon as you pick up the manga...

Enjoyment-9: I expected a bit more comedy, because everyone I asked to recommend me a funny manga told me Bleach. For me it was a little to shounen-ish and not enough comedy to suit my taste, but for anyone who loves action and being on the edge of your seat, you wont be disappointed!

Overall-9: This is exactly what your looking for in an action, shounen manga! The hype isn't for nothing, and even if it is overrated, its still a pretty amazing read! Make sure you have a long weekend and your fridge is stocked because once you pick it up, you wont put it down! read more

If you are looking for a story that is going to leave you with a bad taste than Bradherley's Coach is for you. It's one of the most appalling, pathetic stories I have ever read. I feel disgusted, just can't get it off my head.

The story revolves around little girls getting brutally raped and tortured to death in the most goriest fashion imaginable. With each chapter the story moves on to the next girl. Some chapters focus on the background stories of the girls; but there is no real character development.

The only silver lining of this manga is its art. The art style is quite realistic even though most girls kind of look the same. The art is comparable with 'Blade of the Immortal'. The colored cover pages of the manga is gorgeous, I must say that is what drew me to this manga in the first place.

This is not what I was expecting from the author of 'Blade of the Immortal', a serous let down. Pathetic is the word perfectly describes this manga. The author proclaimed in the manga that it was his attempt to draw an erotic story, If you find it as such than there is something wrong with you. read more

I’m not going to go on too much at length regarding Mitsuru Adachi’s Rough. I only really wanted to remark on a couple of things about it, which struck me as being significant enough that I should even make a point of laying out why I find them interesting.

Adachi is mostly known to me as The Baseball Manga Guy. I’m aware that he has many other works where has dabbled in other genres, sports, etc., but it would be hard to argue that his reputation isn’t based on his baseball works (primarily Touch, H2 and Cross Game). Before I continue, I should lay out my biases (where I’m coming from): I hate baseball, and find it an unbearably dull sport; and I’ve only read one actual manga of his work (I’ve seen the entirety of the Cross Game anime, and about a third of the Touch anime). So, please bear in my mind that my observations regarding Rough and Adachi are based on a pretty small sampling of his oeuvre.

First observation: the main characters in Rough have complex interior lives that are revealed not through soul-bearing monologues, but through action. One of the strengths of Adachi’s work is that his characters are completely aware of themselves. Sure, they might not want to admit what they’re feeling (let alone verbalize it), but at every point they’re acutely aware of what they’re doing and why. Compare the protagonist of Rough to any similar work, and the level of self-knowledge is staggering. These characters aren’t confused or lost; they’re remarkably self-assured. But, more wonderful and more intriguing, is the way that Adachi lets us know completely what’s on their mind. There are numerous panels after panels where his characters witness something, or are in a situation that should warrant some kind of line of dialogue that will illuminate their thought process, but instead Adachi holds back. He gives us a panel full of only a side-long glance, or an almost blank reaction; but what Adachi trusts us to do as a reader is to fill in the blank, and notice that his characters’ brains are at full-throttle at all times. So even though there are no crazy love declarations, or angsty nonsense, when the romantic gestures do come out, they’re based on volume after volume of accrued body language, subtle visual information, and nuanced, elliptical storytelling. It’s a whole lot more complicated than just saying “I love you” - it approaches the sublime.

Which leads into my second observation: Adachi’s confidence in his style, his approach. In reading Rough, I often marvelled at the simplicity, the clarity, of Adachi’s storytelling. He’ll often start chapters with a couple of pages of nothing but still life scenery (a panel of an empty baseball diamond, a classroom, the classroom clock). It isn’t simple scene-setting; it’s almost the manga equivalent of Ozu’s pillow shots. These panels allow us to get into a particular mode of consciousness, a more receptive wavelength, where the interactions of the characters can be understood not just on a plot level, but also perhaps on a wider, more emotional level. By easing us into the story by giving us these partial slices of it, I think Adachi allows us to connect the experiences of the characters to our own memories; the empty classroom (though I think by now a Japanese visual trademark by itself) recalls images from our own life, and allows us to emotionally connect on an instinctual level with what’s happening with the character. Adachi allows us to both see the story, and see how the story is just a representation of certain rhythms, philosophies, attitudes. And, just like Ozu, he seems to return to the same basic subjects and themes, reworking them, putting them in different combinations, sometimes starting out at the same place, only to end up something different.

But that last part is something that I’ll have to investigate further. It’s all research after all.

copied/pasted from my tumblr: cruyffbedroom.tumblr.com read more

Ah~ i can't believe no one reviewed this yet! Guess i'm the first.
This is the Epilogue for Inuyasha showing what everyone is doing 6 months after Kagome returns. They come upon a demon Kikyo once fought, and it is after the Shikon Jewel, which, of course, disappeared 3 years ago. But it was under a seal and mistaken Kagome for Kikyo and didn't know the Jewel was gone. They fight it, which takes up the whole chapter. Kaede realizes that Kagome is more powerful than Kikyo herself and that she didn't need help when it came to fighting a demon. Afterwards, everyone heads back, and the old ways of comedy come back where Kagome tells Inuyasha to sit. Miroku says, "Just like old times". Which, if you are a big Inuyasha fan like me, brought tears to your eyes.

Overall, i am very glad Rumiko decided to do this chapter. It sums up what everyone is doing now that Kagome is living in the Fuedal Era. I give it a 10. read more

“A true warrior needs no blade” – Thors

Mix the tragedy of a Shakespearean play and badass Vikings and you have Vinland Saga. There are very few mangas that can transcend the medium of manga as a whole; Vinland Saga is one of the few elite mangas that do that with ease. Makoto Yukimura is able to tell a captivating emotional tale about revenge and power, grounded in extreme realism, something that most mangaka simply cannot do.

Vinland Saga starts with an epic prolong that takes up about the first 54 chapters of the manga. I don’t mean epic as in cool fights and badass Vikings (although we do get a lot of that), I mean epic as in its scope and the vastness and the depth of the geopolitics of the medieval 11th Century Western Europe. The prolong fellows Thorfinn on his quest for revenge against the cunning brutal mercenary leader Askeladd. We get a flashback early on explaining why Thorfinn wants his revenge (I will not reveal why since it is a major spoiler). What makes this more interesting than your average revenge narrative is Thorfinn actually works under Askeladd’s mercenary group, and Askeladd knows Thorfinn wants to slay him in a fair duel so Askeladd often uses this fact to manipulate Thorfinn into doing his will. As the prolong reaches its peak the dynamic of their relationship begins to become more and more complex.

Yukimura uses a literary technique known as in medias res and throws the reader into the middle of a war between England and Denmark, which serves as the main backdrop for most of the prolong. Yukimura doesn’t show war as some shounen ideal war where the good guys are always safe, always come out on top and win, and the bad guys are defeated with the power of friendship. There are no good or bad guys, it’s just war. Morality isn't black and white in Vinland Saga; it is more like fifty shades of grey (no pun intended). The war takes realistically barbaric violence to a new high in this one, eyes are coming out of their sockets, guts are splashing on the ground, and arms are being chopped into pieces. Although as the manga proceeds the war and action start to slow down, almost to the point of nonexistent, and the focus becomes more about political intrigue, philosophy, and character psychology.

Which brings me to my next point, Vinland Saga takes realism to a whole other level. Very few mangas can depict human psychology in a more realistic way. The best example to illustrate this would be Canute, the shy soft spoken prince of Denmark. Canute is presented as a character that hates war and violence; he is very timid and often has his caretaker Ragnar speak for him, and he is very feminine. After the death of a close one (Not saying who to avoid spoilers) his character completely changes, he is now cunning and ruthless and has a darker view on the world and slowly becomes obsessed with power. Deaths are often used in this manga to provoke a shift in psychology for the characters or to make a philosophical statement.

The setting of Vinland Saga is by far one of the best I've seen. It’s historical, in its setting taking place in 11th Century England, but there is a lot of room for creativity. It is very clear Yukimura had researched Viking and English history before writing Vinland Saga. The manga is also always analyzing how violence, nationality, and religion are affecting society and the characters involved in the manga.

Yukimura also uses realism in his beautiful artwork. The attention to detail is taken to a hyperbolic level in Vinland Saga. The artwork for something as simple as a room has an insane amount of detail from the rug on the floor, to the food characters are eating, or the books on a bookshelf. Yukimura also gives a lot of detail to human faces; the art is very line oriented which helps bring out the characteristics in someone’s face. The panoramic scenes of huge battles, large villages, and open plains are simply breathtaking. All that being said the artwork is visually stunning; some of the best artwork manga has to offer.

The enjoyment factor is unbelievably high. The story has all of the gore and violence we Americans have come to love and the story never feels slow, old, repetitive, or unoriginal. Reading this manga is truly a rewarding experience and no one should pass up the opportunity. From its themes on religion, the nature of guilt, redemption, and self-discovery, it is almost impossible not to be able to relate to it. It is no doubt that Vinland Saga will be a masterpiece to stand the test of time. What I’m basically saying is go read it now damn it!


read more

The argument of this manga has already been explained in the summary and by other reviewers, so I see no poing in doing it again. I would like to point out some specific things though.

I found the story predictable, and the character were stereotyped (especially the male characters). It reminded me of the typical Hollywood action movie.

What bothered me most is the lack of development of the characters. The conflict between the two agents isn´t explained in a satisfactory way... It was explained, but I don´t think it was enough. However, there is something even more disturbing: the fact that Ko Kisaragi killed his father. How is it that we never get to know what happend between Kisaragi and his father? This event obviously has something to do with his choice of life and his present personality. Despite of that, the event is just mentioned and we really never get to know Kisaragi.

Probably there wasn´t time enough for a deeper development of the characters, as the manga is so short. This may also be the cause for certain events to be rushed or look forced, especially in the final chapter... which got a little confusing at times.

The art was ok. Many explotions, shootings, fights. And the story was, despite what I said before, entertaining... but, don´t expect anything out of this world. read more

Add together cosplay, a hot girl,a guy, sprinkle with seduction and you've got a happy sex plot all the way to the bank. The story turns into a nice planned lined plot with some hidden love thrown in as a good measure. Love the cosplay, as it is well drawn and suits the female leads figure wonderfully. My only complaint is that there could have easily been more than one chapter.

I found this one recently, a story of a NEET girl and her boyfriend going out together in public. A sweet story with hidden love and voyeuristic elements to it. A good read, especially like the way that the author is able to capture and put across the gamer lingo that features. My only issue with this story, is that at times the male lead can be too pushy and almost forceful. Also, things feel a little rushed and could have easily been spaced into two possibly three chapters.

Magi: Sinbad no Bouken is like a prequel to the priginal magi manga and tells us about sindbad's childhood at first i only read it for passing time but i was surprised at how much i enjoyed it not to mention the fact that the young sindbad looks quite cute i won't give any spoilers so anyone who liked magi should read it and enjoy the childhood days of sindbad though only 4 chapters have been released so far

First off, I'll start by saying a friend asked me to read this to hear my thoughts about it. Just by reading the synopsis, I already knew what the story would be about and how it would end. When I actually started reading it, though, I changed my mind and said, "Maybe I was wrong. Maybe it will be different, after all." How terribly, terribly wrong I was. It was EXACTLY—correction, it was WORSE—than what I thought it would be. I can't believe I actually thought it might be different.

Before I start the actual review, I should warn you that this review contains lots of negativity and major spoilers—not that that matters, since you can probably also guess the contents of this manga just by reading the synopsis. And this won't actually be a review; it's more of a summary of the whole manga decorated with my hateful comments about it.

Onwards now. Where do I even begin? How about how unrealistic this manga is? Shoujo has always been a genre full of unrealistic elements but this is just too much—or at least, too much for me to handle. Every story—no matter how fictitious—needs realism in.

The story starts with Mikuni Senou, your would-be typical, everyday high school girl. Her dad passed away, so she's living alone with her mom. She goes to school and there, the narcissistic idiot she's in love with, Chiho, calls her out and confesses to her. It's dream come true for her! Just as they're about to kiss, they get interrupted by their homeroom teacher, Nishizono. After some pointless prattle, Nishizono tells Mikuni that their relationship will only last three months. Honestly, how rude. This remark leaves Mikuni upset. For the rest of the day, she's half-happy (about Chiho's confession) and half-angry.

Now begins my negativity. She gets called out by Nishizono to the library. He tells he to organize some books. If she doesn't do it, he'll report her "illicit sexual behavior" he saw earlier in the day. I'm sorry, but I wasn't aware a KISS between two students was considered illicit behavior. But that's not the point here; it's what he does NEXT that makes me want to flip a table. Nishizono starts degrading Mikuni's relationship and spews nonsense about how it won't last. This is none of his business and it makes no sense why he'd even talk about it, but that aside, that's not what seriously irritates me. Nishijono then grabs either side of Mikuni's head—and to my irritation, she blushes furiously—and brings his head close to hers and almost kisses her. Okay, okay. So basically, what she did with her boyfriend is considered illicit sexual behavior but what he's doing isn't? I'm sorry, but I'm pretty sure that's called SEXUAL HARASSMENT. The act of verbally harassing his student can already get him in serious trouble with the school, let alone sexual harassment. And yet Mikuni doesn't report it...? What an idiot!

Next up has got to be the most stupid, unrealistic, and unbelievable moment in this manga. Mikuni's mother is moving away to the south pole. Instead of taking Mikuni with her, she decides Mikuni should just stay with a guardian. Okay, got it. But now... it's WHO she chooses as Mikuni's guardian that really tests my patience for this manga. She chooses NISHIZONO? I mean, SERIOUSLY? Are. You. Freaking. Kidding. Me? No person in their right mind would leave their teenage daughter in the care of a stranger—and that stranger is a grown man, no less. There are countless reports where girls' step-fathers (or even fathers) rape them. How much more a man you don't even know? Did she seriously not consider the possibility of him raping Mikuni? Honestly! I mean, if he was a close friend, at least that would make sense. And does Mikuni's mother not have any friends or relatives in Kyoto? A NORMAL person would drop their daughter off at a relative's or a close friend's (or even at one of Mikuni's friends' homes), but of course she didn't, because she's also an idiot—no, even an idiot wouldn't do that; she's worse than an idiot. Maybe this is where Mikuni gets her worse-than-idiocy from. On top of that, I want to know how Mikuni does NOT tell her mom that this stranger has sexually harassed her.

The next day, you guessed it—Nishizono once again sexually harasses Mikuni. Yay~ And yet... she does not call her mom and tell her about it? She doesn't even report these actions to the school? Actions like that are FORBIDDEN. You lose your job if they find out you're in a relationship with a student; how much more if you're sexually harassing one of your students?! And yet, she doesn't report him?! Even though she claims she wants to get rid of him. Also, if she's supposedly so in love with her boyfriend Chiho, she'd be faithful to him; she wouldn't blush because of another man—and it's the man she so-called hates. If she's like that while it's just the beginning of her relationship, OF COURSE it wouldn't last.

Now, she goes to school and hides the fact that Nishizono is living with her from Chiho, her boyfriend, need I remind you. She fears her relationship with him will crumble if she tells him. Please... If your relationship is THAT weak, then of course it will crumble. But, of course, this is very typical development in shoujo. Moving on, after finally hearing that the sexual-harassing Nishijono is living with his girlfriend, Chiho decides to move in too. *Gasps* What a shocker... After several things happen—one of them being his failure at having sex with Mikuni—Chiho tells Mikuni that she's in love with Nishizono; she just doesn't realize it yet... and then dumps her. Good. She doesn't deserve you, Chiho.

Heart-broken Mikuni collapses in the bathroom after she showers. As expected, Nishizono barges in and holds her, despite her futile attempt at pushing him away. Freezing Mikuni in her tracks, he almost kisses her. Mikuni then realizes that she is indeed in love with Nishizono. The next day, Mikuni calls her ex-boyfriend out and tells him that she thinks she's in love with Nishizono. You don't tell the man you supposedly love that you love another man! You. Just. Don't. Then after this, Mikuni's love for Chiho just magically disappears—just trashed like yesterday's news. Then that "I think I like Nishizono" just suddenly turns into "I'll give you my whole life, Nishizono-sensei—even if I end up miserable." Um?? How unfathomably unrealistic. On top of that, I don't even understand how Mikuni could fall for that ass (Nishizono) to begin with. If she really loved Chiho, she'd be repulsed by every sexual thing Nishizono did. But OF COURSE she didn't; instead, she blushed every time and ENJOYED IT. This just proves that she never loved Chiho to begin with. That biatch.

Eventually, Mikuni kisses Nishizono—even though she had trouble kissing her boyfriend—and ends up begging him, "Use me," and spends the night with Nishizono—even though she didn't want to spent the night with her boyfriend. After sleeping with her, Nishizono vanishes. Of course the first person the idiot Mikuni talks to about this is her ex-boyfriend. Yes, talk to your ex-boyfriend about your new boyfriend. That's a brilliant idea. And how is Chiho even okay with this? Considering his personality, he shouldn't be reacting like this at all. He should be severely emotionally hurt. So much that he wouldn't even want to talk to her, much less hear about the man the woman he loves chose over him.

Nishizono finally returns to Mikuni, and then tells her, "I like you." In other words, he chooses his 17-year-old student, whom he spent a mere few days with, over his comatose fianceé, whom he spent years with. Meaning, he gives up on the hope that she'll ever wake up. What a two-timing bastard! It hasn't even been that long since she fell into a coma. The end. What a perfect ending, I bet the author thinks.

Ending this off here, I'll say I did not enjoy this manga. At all. The story was poorly written—No. What I really want to say is that this story was pure trash. To me, it seemed as though a horny 12-year-old who dreams about falling in love wrote this story. On top of that, this story was so unbelievably rushed—and also just plain unbelievable. The art was decent, at least. It's your typical, run-off-the-mill shoujo art. I will say, though, that the volume covers made no sense to me. I mean, who IS that, anyway? As for the characters, WHERE TO BEGIN? How about with one of the stupidest heroines ever, Mikuni? Yep, it's official. Mikuni is now on my list of heroines I hate the most. She was just so—so—so... STUPID! She's got to be one of the most idiotic heroines I have EVER seen. I mean, shoujo heroines can be pretty stupid and irritating, but Mikuni really wanted to make me claw my eyes out to relieve myself from the pain of having to see her. Then there's Nishizono. Is he actually supposed to be attractive? (I'm talking about his personality her; though I didn't find him very good-looking either.) He's a sexual-harassing asshole that should have lost his job LONG TIME AGO. How does that idiot put up with him? I'd have landed one (a punch) on his face LONG time ago. To me, Chiho was the only decent character in this manga. I don't get why he doesn't just give on that idiot, though. Anyway, if you've read this far, congratulations. It was honestly not my intention to discourage from reading this manga— Who am I kidding? Yes, it was. Well, anyway, if you do end up reading it, I hope you enjoy it, because I sure as hell didn't.

Ah... Even though these paragraphs couldn't fully express my thoughts about this manga, I feel much better now. （＾▽＾）~♪ read more

This one I enjoyed. I happened to get this one from the library so it wasn't an online manga-I usually read online- It's romance, comedy and the characters where pretty cool. the story wasn't bad (meaning it was good) and didn't have a predictable ending-well thats what I thought- The art was great and it didn't get confusing at anytime, I don't think. Anyway, it was very enjoyable and easy to read. I give it an 8.5 (there's no 8.5 on the scoring system T.T ....)

Just wanted you to know that: The characters where also kinda relatable, which I like sometimes in a manga.

Lets start with the ARTWORK: Fair. Quite decent. A fair number of fan service drawings that are... well, not exactly to my taste. I try to be open minded about it, for example, if it was a story of love between two men, then it wouldn't either be my cup of tea, but the story is what is important, and how it is conveyed. The artwork is decent to carry the story.

The CHARACTERS are very good. I suppose there is a balance between characters being plausible and being interesting, and they attain both. They have their own flaws and issues, quite a few severe issues, but they keep trying. You might say some of the characters cross the moral event horizon by some of their actions, but overall they are sympathetic.

Finally, the STORY, okay, well, first, a major theme in the story is that children should be allowed to be children. That taking advantage of children is monstrous. Sure, the artwork is a bit explicit at times, many times, but this point of the story should not go unmentioned. I won't spoil by divulging how or when this point comes across, but it should be obvious for anyone who has read the entire manga. So, let me reiterate that: children should be allowed to be children, and not taken advantage of, regardless of your own feelings or even if the child express affection.

I do find this point rather ironic, considering the explicit artwork.

The story, overall, has several heartwarming themes to them. The story, at times, divulge into rather dark territory, but the lessons and morals it aims to purvey are worthwhile. What it means to be a parent, what it means to be a teacher, and how those... jobs can _feel_ if you are emotionally invested. Granted, you may feel that some parts are inappropriate. read more

“Love is just a blood-match, to see who can endure lash, after lash…” – St Vincent


Though the title "Tokyo Babylon" evokes a contrast between the urban sprawl of 1980s cityscape and the ancient city of desolation, perhaps Sodom and Gomorrah would be a better allegory for the cold and corrupt city that lends itself to the scenery of Tokyo Babylon.

The city’s influence on our main character, Subaru Sumeragi, is undeniable. Thirteenth in the long line of onmyouji (spell-casters, mediums, or exorcists), he is employed as a kind of spiritual psychiatrist to relieve Tokyo’s residents, past and present, of their emotional baggage. Despite his obvious power he has a passive, neurasthenic personality, as soft as wax and as wavering as candlelight. Ultimately a kind and selfless sixteen-year-old boy, the pressure and grime of city life slowly weighs down on his soul.

Not that Subaru’s life is one of introversion and agony – at least not at first. His twin sister Hotoru ensures that. Aggressively cheerful, her personality likely an unconscious front put on to support Subaru’s weaknesses. Her idiosyncrasies are a source of humour and warmth throughout, especially her endevours to push her brother together with their mutual friend Seishiro Sakurazuka. “I wanted you to have something you would love so much, that you wouldn’t care what others thought. Something you wouldn’t change your mind about. It didn’t matter what it was. I just wanted you to have something like that,” she explains to her brother. Seishiro, despite his surname having distinctly sinister connotations with death, is a mild-mannered and chirpy vet who couldn’t possibly be anything more than he first seems.

Starting in a generic monster-of-the-week format, Tokyo Babylon gradually reveals more and more of the characters’ backstories and the tangled web woven between fate and free will.

This is something of a hallmark of CLAMP: the notion of “inevitability”, though it may not be as evident in this as in their other work. Tokyo Babylon could be thought of as the encapsulation of their various themes and tropes: the occult, good and evil, self-sacrifice, sexuality. While some may view this as nothing but talentless repetition or ego masturbation, despite being somewhat cliche due to the context of CLAMP’s subsequent fame, Tokyo Babylon is what I consider the pinnacle of CLAMP’s craft.

Stylistically, the art in Tokyo Babylon gradually improves throughout the seven volumes. Subaru is drawn effeminately and with an elegance that belies his innocence. CLAMP in true form take great pains exploring extremely detailed fashion and distinctive character designs, replete with standard 90s CLAMP anatomical proportions. This is particularly prominent in Subaru’s dress-sense, with his trade-mark gloves and meticulously rendered coats with buttons, zips, lapels, pleats et al. Whether this is truly the style of a sixteen-year-old boy is up for debate, but it is certainly stunning to look at, especially on the full-colour covers and the small posters inside the front cover of each volume.

While Tokyo Babylon may seem like fluff, even in the earlier stories its use of Shinto ideology to present didactic inquests into social issues is scathing. Subaru’s power leads him to help many people, from the murderous to the lonely, and very few sections of society escape without commentary.

It’s this pull of inevitable reality where Tokyo Babylon’s true intentions start to unfurl.

In a dream, a man tells the child Subaru, “Did you know? They say buried underneath every cherry tree is a corpse. [...] The reason the cherry blossoms bloom so beautifully every year is because of the corpse buried underneath.”

Just as the true form of beauty is seen to be one of ugliness, everything we know about the characters is perceived a different shade in the light of truth.

As we saw through the relentless critique of society, so we see more starkly the juxtapositions of obligations and choices, industrialisation and sorcery love and death, and ultimately the selfishness inherent in selflessness.

We see how the catalyst of despair that ultimately manifests as malevolence in the last volume began as an undercurrent that has rippled in every page, panel and brushstroke since the very beginning. Perhaps it is this that gives Tokyo Babylon its unusual allure, palpable tension and lurking melancholy that has endured the 23 years since Tokyo Babylon’s first printing.

RRP: £9.99
Paperback: 160 pages
Publisher: Tokyopop (15 July 2004)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1591828716
ISBN-13: 978-1591828716

Originally posted on my blog http://marusamarento.wordpress.com/ read more

I love a story that will make me think. I love to question reality, even the reality of a fictional universe. If I need to watch or read something several times to understand it, then it is almost a guarantee that it will go in my closet full of wonderfully strange and complicated things. Velveteen & Mandala is not such a thing. It had the potential to be, but the presentation or lack of information and sheer intense strangeness of the story muddles this up.

The art is different, to say the least. It is very sketchy, while remaining quite detailed. I think this adds to the story considerably, almost speaking to state of the title character’s minds. This being said, I am not familiar with Jiro Matsumoto’s work, and as such don’t know if this is intentional or a fluke. I was able to see the emotions on every character’s face quite plainly, though, from the variety of annoyances that cross Velveteen to the sheer emptiness of Mandala’s head, everything is quite clear.

The book itself does not know what it wants to be. It jumps from a cute black comedy focusing on the relationship between two mentally disturbed girls to disgusting rape/scat porn with the change of a chapter. This is interesting when handled well, but this was not handled well. Everything seems to come together in the end, but is too scattered in the beginning for that to really matter. I believe that Matsumoto had a concept in mind and just did not know where to start or how to get his points across.

Velveteen & Mandala is not nearly everything it could be. I was thoroughly intrigued by the world the characters lived in, but I feel as though it required a considerably larger amount of thought and story before it would have been able to reach its full potential.

For more of my reviews, go to tuesdaysdusk.tumblr.com/tagged/review read more

No Longer Human is a tale of despair. It is not heartwarming. There is not a happy ending. It is about the slow descent of a man who breaks and falls. Usamara Furuya updates Osamu Dazai’s novel for modern audiences and does an excellent job in the process. In the afterword of the final volume, Furuya claims that he was not able to truly capture the despair of the original, but I feel as though he has, at the very least, come quite close.

The art is fairly typical for a manga of this sort, though I feel as though Furuya’s talents shine the best as we escape into the head of Yozo Oba, the main character. The clean line style of the rest of the manga is replaced with smudged darkness, doing much to portray Oba’s state of mind. I was also quite pleased with Furuya’s depiction of nudity and sex. Even in situations that are at least somewhat pornographic, every woman is drawn to an appropriate and realistic scale. This, I feel, helped me take the book seriously; had Furuya chosen to depict women as impossibly curvaceous and busty it would have taken away from much of the point of the manga.

The story is intriguing, to say the least. No Longer Human is about a man who does not know what he is, and this is depicted and far better than many things I have seen dealing with the same topic. The book gets very dark, possibly even triggering to people with problems involving rape or suicide, but it is handled frankly, without glamorizing or focusing on the acts beyond what is necessary. These are obviously major plot points and as such are brought up fairly often, but in a very “real” way. I read the Vertical Inc translation and was never taken out of the story by strange syntax or awkward translations. In fact, I finish all three volumes in about an hour and a half, with no breaks between.

No Longer Human is a story that sucks you in and keeps you in, all the while provoking oneself to ask what it means to be human. It is something of a cautionary tale, ending with a sense of urgency that one must in some way find oneself to avoid falling. This is a book I would recommend, but not if you are looking for a light or happy tale.

For more of my reviews, go to tuesdaysdusk.tumblr.com/tagged/review read more