Read out of order, though I don't think that impacted my experience too much as it is episodic and easy enough to pick up on. The concept is interesting, but none of the stories really had much impact for me, and at times I felt like it was just trying to be edgy without really saying much. The art is good, but not particularly standout.

I could only find a physical copy in French, so my impressions of the story will be filtered through my ability to recall high school French... Still, I could read enough to understand, I think....... Vol 1: The art is striking and beautiful, mixing detailed characters, interesting angles, and symbolic visuals in Kamatani's unique style. I really like the character dynamic that's being set up. Mika, Hibino, and Hani are characters that can have fun together and support each other like a family while still having individual goals and philosophies that lead to interesting conflicts. Even the easy-going Hani has a darker side as an aloof kami. This really helps the road trip-like story, presenting the characters with situations through which we can explore their thoughts, rather than having their stops be destinations unto themselves........................................................ I also really enjoyed Mika's development as a character. At the beginning, her gung-ho attitude was almost off-putting, but it doesn't go unaddressed through this first volume. To see her really struggle and despair in the latter part of the volume was a great contrast. My only critique at this stage would be that some of the emotional punches could hit a bit harder. For example, I feel like I would have wanted Mika's devotion to be more explained early on so that I could find it believable, but instead we get snippets throughout the story. Still, I find that interesting in its own way. The first chapter seems to have aimed more to set up the surreal nature of their journey rather than to be a tearjerker..... On completion, I really enjoyed the manga but did have some issues, hence the final rating of 7. The dynamic between main characters remained strong through the end, and I was moved by Hiraeth's decision at the end. The volume 3 revelation about Hibino and Hani's history felt a bit weak/underdeveloped to me, which made it difficult for me to fully invest in their individual conclusions despite liking both characters a lot. The lore in general could have been a bit deeper to justify the inclusion of the kami (karasu, Hani's journey...). Still, I'm glad I read this, and the art was great throughout.

Although the art style looks simple, the mangaka's talent as an illustrator comes through in their imagination and composition. Quite a few panels and illustrations that did well to evoke a certain atmosphere and left me wanting to just stare for a while. Although the setting is whimsical, I'm intrigued by the way they've gradually introduced details about the setting (PGT, other companies and bureaus, the Tobias trees). The characters' emotions also feel interesting and relatable. They have the kind of discussions that bring you to reflect on your life and relationships, as opposed to high drama and conflict.

Goto Shinpei will make you love yandere. He's genuinely messed up and incredibly sweet and entertaining. Art is competent, but nothing spectacular.

One of my first manga. Picked it up after seeing the live action movie. Although my memories now are vague, I remember being really intrigued by the suspense of the mystery. The story felt like a real epic. To this day, I love Urasawa's art style with its diverse character designs.

Not sure if I'd say 7 or 8... I thought the premise and emotional journey for the main character were really interesting. Knowing that the historical events are not entirely accurate, it still got me really interested in the War of the Roses, and it was cool how much actually did line up. Never going to mix up Edward IV vs Edwards V in the future. As for the storyline... I felt like the romantic drama could be a bit contrived. Not being a fan of harem romance, I didn't really like how so many characters ended up being attracted to the main character. Made it feel like the world revolved around him. It's also frustrating to get invested in one of those relationships when the author has other plans. Henry VI was kind of weird, but I did get invested in his and Richard's relationship. Henry's death had a real emotional payoff for me, which was the author's intent. So it was already going to be difficult for me to get invested in what followed. Making it even more difficult was the extent to which I ended up hating Buckingham and his relationship with Richard. At first I thought the payoff would be Richard realizing that the relationship was toxic and learning that power wasn't at the core of what he wanted. While he does eventually come to the latter realization, it was hard for me to not drop the manga when it became clear that the author wanted us to be all in on Buckingham/Richard. No matter how it was depicted, to the very end, I could not get behind that or see it as romantic. Some of the relationships were just tropes I don't like (Catesby... good guy, deserved better, pitied him more than wanted him to end up with Richard, ran out of patience for his passive enabler behavior). I didn't think there was any point to bringing Henry back as James besides drama; payoff didn't land for me. Anne wasn't landing for me at the beginning, but by the end she was one of my favorites. I also had a minor issue with the political storytelling in that there was so much focus on the struggle for power that we never really saw anyone be a ruler. The struggle is, of course, the focus, but it took me out of it a bit that we never really see anyone govern to prove themselves a good or bad leader outside of battle. I loved the art, the symbolism, and many of the characters. The harem element was a gamble that really didn't pay off for me.

Absolutely one of my favorite manga.
The art is unique and beautiful with striking composition and imaginative landscapes.
I love the way Ichikawa uses this to convey loneliness, the passage of time, and the feeling of being a small part of a vast world.
There are panels that I wanted to stare at, panels that made me gasp, panels that made me cry... The story itself is really touching, although this is also the one aspect that keeps me from rating this a 10/10. I like the way the story ended overall, but it left me with the feeling that many of the side characters were underdeveloped or rushed to a conclusion. If I had to speculate, Ichikawa got carried away imagining characters in the beginning, then had to face the problem of them becoming less relevant or not having the time to properly address them all. This left a bit of a feeling of disappointment, especially because she did such a good job of making us care about these characters in the beginning. Regardless, I did like the overall place the story went.

A manga I read while coming to understand myself as trans and queer. I appreciate the way that the manga handles these topics with sensitivity and nuance. Depicts people at all stages of the process of self discovery, from early denial and questioning to solidified identities and mature relationships... showing the strength of community... pointing out that it's okay to be undecided or in between... picking apart the nuance of what leads others (and us) to otherize, and how we may do it unintentionally. All of this done with some really beautiful art. The characters are drawn in detail with clear expressions, mixed with more symbolic, abstract art that helps to convey strong emotions. My only complaint with this manga is that it ended too soon. The ending feels rushed, as though the author had more planned but had to end it in a hurry. Doesn't dampen my experience too much. Very glad to have experienced this.