Spotlight Manga: Mx0

How would you rate this series?

I have not read this series

Nov 7, 2008 7:08 PM

Seishi

Offline

Sep 2007

1299

Spotlight Manga: Mx0

MAL Series Information Page: Mx0

MAL Score - 8.32 (by 1582 users)
Ranked - #116
Popularity - #54

For the next week I would like to have a discussion about the series that focuses on the key elements that we here on MAL use to critically rate a manga: Art, Characters, Story, and Enjoyment.

I would like everyone to approach this thread as if you were going to write a review and structure your initial post like this:

Art - insert rating
Characters - insert rating
Story - insert rating
Enjoyment - insert rating

Art - discuss any pros and cons of the art styling used in the series, try to include some specifics.

Character - describe any of the things you liked or didn't care for in regards to specific characters in the series

etc...

If you are having trouble writing up a review or coming up with specific pro's and cons, please don't worry. Just do the best you can with it and if you can only write two or three sentences about any of the 4 elements then that's OK. Not everyone here is currently at a level which will allow them to articulate their thoughts and opinions.

After your initial post is made you can feel free to civilly discuss issues of contention. I am sure there will be many opinions expressed here that some of us will disagree upon and criticize and it is for that reason that this entire club exists. So I hope everyone has fun and I am really looking forward to seeing how this discussion will develop.

RESULTS OF THE "YOU DECIDE" POLL

Mx0 did NOT get inducted into the club Manga list:
10 Yes - 11.24%
10 No - 11.24%

69 I haven't read this Manga - 77.52%

BlackMagicNov 18, 2008 6:54 PM

Nov 7, 2008 8:13 PM

Dark-Evolution

Offline

May 2008

1414

It's good to see MxO finally get the spotlight, because I thought this was one of the most underrated shounen-based mangas I have read. Parts of my review are placed below, but I will also add some detail on my thoughts:

Story-9
When it comes to a Shounen-based series, readers can certainly be familiar with the same material being presented in this manga so it is not all that original. However, the story is still very entertaining and certainly worth the time in reading. One thing to take from enjoying this manga is the interesting school life that resides from a hidden magic academy. Also, there are several competitions in which the main characters use magic to get out of certain obstacles. However just as MxO gets interesting in its later chapters, the series suddenly ends sadly. It is very unfortunate to see the story finish from its abrupt ending, although in this reviewer's mind it was consider a somewhat appropriate closure.

Character-9
Even though the protaganist Kuzumi has no magic ability in the beginning, he certainly provides good intellect and a strong moral in getting out of his many obstacles. It goes without saying that no matter how great Kuzumi is at a disadvantage, he certainly can surprise many readers from his results as the protaganist. Besides the protaganist, several characters also manage to bring something to MxO. There are certain parts of the story that allow some characters to play a necessary factor when it doesn't involve the protaganist himself which manages to make the story very entertaining in its aspects. There are also other instances that the protaganist is involve to bring encouragement in order to build a character's confidence. The most I can take about enjoying the characters is you cannot help but root for them, which is a great positive to take from MxO.

Art-8
As for the artwork, there are good basic drawings of the characters so readers can certainly enjoy some imaging placed from the manga. However, it can be a little inconsistent when it comes to the combat sequences in MxO.

Enjoyment-9
All in all, MxO does a lot of great things in its story and characters. For a shonen-based series to be worthwhile, I would not mind seeing it get into the manga relations list of CnC. For readers that are interested in seeing an entertaining storyline and a likable protaganist, MxO is one manga that surely will not disappoint readers despite its abrupt ending.

Overall-9
Definitely a "Yes" vote coming from myself.

Dark-EvolutionNov 7, 2008 9:33 PM

Nov 7, 2008 11:33 PM

SideCharacter

Offline

May 2008

132

yay! i loved this manga despite the bad ending

story: 8
Your average thing yet still unique, boy goes to weird school, boy has brute strength and excellent lying skills. Boy attracts harem, romance advances, boy leaves to train series ends

Characters: 9
all were very unique and believable excluding the magic....they were well done

art: 8
Average with good flow, will fluctuate at times when concerning detail

enjoyment: 10
I wish there was a sequel/anime

overall: 9

i don't like writing much which results in short reviews/answers

Nov 8, 2008 10:04 AM

VK11

Offline

May 2007

4558

Story - 8

There wasn't anything too different or special with the story. You could find some similar premises out there (Rosario to Vampire is one that comes to mind), but the mangaka was able to throw in some interesting elements to actually make it rather interesting and unique. I loved the idea of the magic card to use magic. The idea of a magical academy hidden among the real world is always a nice change of setting for your "school-set anime." However, I really can't give it anything higher because the story was abruptly cut of by WSJ just when things were starting to develop.

Art - 9

I personally loved the art used in the manga. Had a nice, distinct touch to it with heavy detail on the characters and environments without things getting out of hand. Character were drawn well and despite it being shounen, there weren't any insane body proportions that we are used to seeing on the female characters, which made things a bit more realistic and actually making the women more attractive as well. Battles were done nicely too.

Character - 8

I pretty much agree with Anime-Destiny's post on this part.

Enjoyment - 9

For being shounen, Mx0 was a nice refreshing feel from the normal plot devices used. It was an enjoyable read from start to finish. As much as I do love this series, I the fact that there were many of the larger mysteries unanswered really is a bummer. All in all, I would recommend this story to anyone, but because of unfulfilled answers to some of the larger plot mysteries and things being left in limbo, I'm inclined to vote no. My vote will probably be a game-time decision when the You Decide polls open.

VK11Nov 8, 2008 10:11 AM

Nov 10, 2008 11:22 AM

rkrempel

Offline

Jun 2007

278

Art
I really don't care about the artwork as long as it doesn't annoy me. It didn't. It didn't impress me either, but I'll be the first not to care about that.

Characters
It's a fairly diverse lot that, at least on the surface, diverts from the usual cliche's.

Story
This is where it gets interesting. This manga has a premise that was instantly appealing to me. A dropout student manages to accidentally enroll in a magic academy, but cannot actually do any magic.
While being the odd one out and having to hide one's true nature from the rest of the student body are not completely unique plot devices, it's done well and fairly believable.
The way in which magic is portrayed in this manga is very original. While appearantly, at least potentially, anything is possible, magic users are limited in which and how many spells they can cast. This is especially true for the students. All magic must be stored on special cards and a first-years' card stores only a few spells. What this leads to is that the spell used is rarely the best spell for the job at hand. Consequently, the effectiveness of the magic user depends on the imagination applied when using magic. This is a constant source of (visual) comedy. The ingenuity involved in this is a huge part of what makes MxO stand out.
A minor bad point is the fact that several times, some sort of ladder-competition starts sucking up chapters without the plot advancing. Not sure if this is technically filler, but it sure feels like it. The story was cut short but I can't help but wonder what would have happened if the mangaka had chosen to waste less pages on this.
It's a shame the manga ended prematurely. Several plots had only recently started to emerge and there was still a lot of room for development. We'll never know.

Enjoyment
I haven't read that many (japanese) manga, but while it lasted, I really liked Mx0.

rkrempelNov 10, 2008 11:29 AM

Nov 11, 2008 12:35 AM

mflatischler

Offline

Feb 2008

499

While the ending was quite dissatisfying, I reallly enjoyed the manga, it threw me several times off my chair and I was literally rolling and laughing on the floor.
Especially the part where they were preparing a "chair" for him. xD

I will vote "yes"

mflatischler.tk - My Manga translations and transcriptions
Anime in Blu-ray
あなたの人種、年齢、宗教は問いません

See All Discussions

Sticky: » The End of Critics and Connoisseurs HiroM_ - Dec 31, 2022	31	by danz »» Nov 10, 2023 1:08 AM
» Challenge You Decide: Neon Genesis Evangelion: The End of Evangelion (Anime) (1/1) HiroM_ - Dec 3, 2022	44	by 25saix »» Dec 30, 2022 3:10 PM
» You Decide: Golden Kamuy 2nd Season (Anime) (12/4) HiroM_ - Dec 2, 2022	42	by 25saix »» Dec 30, 2022 3:10 PM
» Resurrected You Decide: Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica (Anime) (12/4) HiroM_ - Dec 2, 2022	47	by 25saix »» Dec 30, 2022 3:09 PM
» Blue N Rescue Mission: Eikoku Koi Monogatari Emma (Anime) (12/4) HiroM_ - Dec 3, 2022	24	by Dramaddict »» Dec 28, 2022 6:02 PM

Spotlight Manga: Mx0

More topics from this board

Sticky: » The End of Critics and Connoisseurs

» Challenge You Decide: Neon Genesis Evangelion: The End of Evangelion (Anime) (1/1)

» You Decide: Golden Kamuy 2nd Season (Anime) (12/4)

» Resurrected You Decide: Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica (Anime) (12/4)

» Blue N Rescue Mission: Eikoku Koi Monogatari Emma (Anime) (12/4)

MoreTop Anime

MoreTop Airing Anime

MoreMost Popular Characters