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Fudatsuki no Kyouko-chan is a pretty decent manga that just didn't live up to its full potential.

Story: 7
The pacing of the story is nice, but the level of development in the main premise is lacking. For a story that is based primarily on the interactions between sister and brother, the side romance element seems to be too overwhelming and forced. It feels like the author is desperately trying to "ship" the brother and Hibino out of fear of the taboo of the alternative (bro+sis ship), when in fact doing so would create a much more powerful and surprising narrative (if the sister was actually the brocon deep down). This is mostly because of Hibino's character development and interactions with the MC.

Art: 9
The artist very nicely draws a distinction between dere Kyoko vs. tsun Kyoko. Best example of this is the first time her ribbon came off. That super adorable smiling and apologetic face, when juxtaposed with her usual appearance, clearly conveys a sense of bipolarism in the character.

The MC's expressions are also well-drawn, so that the reader feels his anger, embarrassment, and even horror whenever the ribbon comes off.

Character: 7
The characters are decently likable, but their full potential weren't realized. The tension between Kyoko's two states and their relationship with the MC could have been explored in much more depth, especially with Hibino as fuel. However, because the author chose to develop a romance between Hibino and the MC, Kyoko's quirks became secondary. Added to that is Hibino's blandness as a character: She never really was much more than a passive person who wasn't afraid of the MC, and by some convenient reason he liked her. In a way, it felt like she didn't deserve him. On the other hand, because of her tsundere personality, it always felt as if there was something more to Kyoko's feelings towards her brother the MC, but this was glossed over in favor of a less "incest"-y manga.

Due to all of this, while the ending was fine, it felt a little bit like a cop-out. The central problem still isn't resolved. Kyoko dangerous nature is never fully addressed or tamed.

Enjoyment: 7
It was good. It gave me a few laughs, but nothing more. I did get hooked on it enough to read to the end, so it was interesting. Yet, due to the issues mentioned, it felt incomplete. It never reached its peak and definitely didn't end with a bang.

Overall: 7
Could have been one hell of a manga, but ended up being just decent.

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Among romance series, it is often rare to find a gem that fits your bill. This is especially true if you're into light-hearted romance + comedy. Most often, there's either too much melodrama, too much fan-service, or both. Chihaya-san's Fine is one of those series that, for me, happened to check as many good points as possible: It is a super-vanilla romance with a conclusive ending, sprinkled with tsukkomi-style humor, wrapped up nicely in a relaxing 4-koma slice-of-life-school-life setting.

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Story: 9

The story progresses at a nice pace. You never feel like an arc is being dragged out too long. You never end up feeling super teased about the main ship. The best part, though, is that the drama is incredibly light, and yet the core story remains interesting. The author even satirically employ some common cliche drama problems as humor by presenting it as light-yuri. For me, this was a whole lot better than the alternative. In fact, this is one of the few mangas that actually used the "moving" drama properly, by showing subsequent interactions instead of just doing a timeskip.

Only downside: There are some parts in the plot that felt a little confusing and random, and others that felt just a little unfinished.

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Art: 10

Not Picasso or anything, but the art really matches the characters' moods as well as the current tone of the story. Absolutely perfect facial expressions. Nothing to complain about. That is one realistic-looking panda.

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Character: 10

Each and every one of the characters are properly developed and shows growth throughout the series. They also grow on the reader, so that you don't end up hating anyone, which would be rather unfortunate in a non-dramatic romance SoL.

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Enjoyment: 10

I enjoyed it. It took a little bit in the beginning to pick up, but once that started, the story was captivating enough to keep me reading. Because it's more SoL, it also doesn't hurt to put on pause for a few days. Even towards the end, there was none of the usual rushed feeling of "I have to finish this and know the ending." It just felt like everything will work out.

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Overall: 10

For a medium-length manga, you can do a LOT worse, especially if what you're looking for is a nice, sweet romance-comedy with a SoL setting with no BS and no drama.

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It's good, but feels off.

Story: 8
Probably the best part of the series. If you go in expecting to read a story about finding yourself and understanding what it means to be a particular person, then you won't be disappointed. In that regard, the story does well.
What it doesn't do too well, in my opinion, is its romantic aspect. It feels really forced and unnatural to the flow of the story, almost as if following some kind of strange formula.

Art: 5
The biggest killer of the series. Either you like it or it bothers you the whole time. The manga is old, so it's understandable, but it's not the age that's problematic. The character design is also a bit odd, but it fits into the awkwardness of the MC, so it's acceptable (although it might turn you away). Rather, it's the apparently lack of emotions shown by the characters. The one "emotion" it seems to show well is when trying to shed a character in a menacing light, but that's about it. The blushing detail when a character is angry, sad, embarrassed, etc., none of that comes through. You end up feeling very estranged from the characters, even though they detail their thoughts to you.

Character: 7
Pretty distinct and memorable. They also develop well through the series, and the audience can feel that dynamism. My biggest complaint has to do with the mismatch between the character's apparent personality and their actions. It's not that they're constantly doing things out of character, but more when a critical moment arises, they sometimes act in unexpected ways. It's not exactly bad, but definitely does put a weird spin on the characters throughout the series.

Enjoyment: 7
I did enjoy it and at the same time, didn't. There were funny moments, but the jokes often failed to come across (maybe due to the specific translation or art). There were also heartwarming moments, but it felt lacking.
In the end, I'd rather not re-read the series, but it was an interesting ride.

Overall: 7

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Kimi to Kamihikooki to is a light-hearted 4-koma romance SOL that tried too hard.

Story: 5
The story is ridiculously slow for the length of the manga, the ending is not conclusive, and any conflict seems forced and childish. The concept of paper planes as a means of communication is interesting, but barely explored, and instead used more as a moe device. This series should either go down the path of being a bit more dramatic and longer or kill off the melodrama and commit to just cute kids doing cute things.

Art: 7
Average for this kind of story. Pretty cute, but also somewhat inconsistent. Everything is just a little too small. The characters are distinct, but their emotions don't get across well. The art is too focused on trying to be cute at times.

Character: 5
Bland. The supporting male constantly feels like someone who's supposed to be evil but forced by the author to be good; his looks, words, and actions don't match.
The MC is an absolute wuss who can't even think for himself, let alone be decisive. Practically every conflict that arises had to be drilled into him by another character. Doesn't deserve the main heroine.
The main heroine isn't that much better. Very stereotypical troubled cute/moe girl who's as fragile as a snowflake. No initiative.
The supporting female character feels like someone with split-personality. Introduced as one type of character and then suddenly becoming another by way of "the past."
Literally every character in this series is more meant to be a tool for cutesy heartstring tugging than anything meaningful.

Enjoyment: 6
I finished it. That's about as good as a 5. +1 for being somewhat cute and fulfilling that objective. Other than that, there are series with similar length that manages to do much more.

Overall: 6
Meh. Wouldn't re-read.

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Before I wrote this review, I looked at the recommendations and it was blank. I laughed.

There's literally nothing similar to this story. It's absolutely WTF, but somehow enjoyable.

Story: 5
Don't bother. Sure, there's a central story and all, but every twist and turn seems to happen for NO APPARENT REASON. Shit just happens...because. Bad guys, good guys? NO CLUE. The ending is also meh compared to how daring the rest of the plot was.

Art: 7
Good and also bad. Too much detail at times makes some parts confusing and even unreadable, but the feelings, tone, and emotions do come through. Lots of blood and stabby stab over-the-top-ness.

Character: 8
Not memorable but definitely unique and distinct. A little bit of character inconsistency throughout, although this isn't necessarily a bad thing as it fits with the crazy feel of the plot. Even the MC goes cuckoo after a while.

Enjoyment: 7
For some reason, it was a fun read, in the sense that it was so ridiculous that it's good. A great breather after reading a lot of serious stuff. Not for fans of sappy or light-hearted series.

Overall: 7
Don't expect ANYTHING from this series. Just hop on and go along for the ride.

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Gan-Kon is a fun series. There are cliches, sure, the plot isn't revolutionary, the art isn't breathtaking, but it was worth the pick up.

Story: 9
Fun is the word that best describes this action comedy ecchi romance. This is actually pretty difficult to achieve for manga of this type, since they usually degrade into a shitty fan-service piece or tension filled drama, losing the idea of "comedy" along the way.
The premise of Gan-Kon is decisively fresh. It uses the old idea of "pokemon-partners," monster guys and girls who get contracted to humans to fight one another for some goal. But, it does this well with the twists to the rule, especially the major one around the middle that allows it to both provide fan-service and yet stay true to the plot (without being annoying).
The entire story is also decently paced, with enough fillers to avoid speeding but also manages to satisfy key plot points. It plays out quite like an RPG in fact, with clear "story quest" arcs and "side quest" arcs that occur simultaneously. There's no random "hey, let's just go to a hot spring for no reason."
Most important point: It's funny. The humor is pretty crude, but for a shounen piece, it does the job. I found myself laughing a lot reading this.

Art: 8
Standard, average, pretty girls, wacky looking guys, fit for gods and goddesses. Characters are distinct (except for a couple gods that look alike) and sharp. Background and tone is done adequately, although I didn't get any emotional responses from this series.

Character: 7
Quite average. The MC has guts and perseverance, but relies on plot armor a whole lot. He's also rather dense, but at least he stays true to one girl. Most of the supporting cast are unremarkable. Token glasses braid unrequited love. Token jealous/pesky animal companion. Isana's not "dere" enough. Character growth is rather invisible though. They do get better physically and mentally, but it doesn't feel like they did much to get there.

Enjoyment: 9
Read it from beginning to end. Felt pretty immersed, laughed a lot, got a couple kicks out of a couple action scenes, rooted for the main couple. Wished the ending could be a little better though, especially for all the crap that happened.

Overall: 8
It was fun, but nothing I'd re-read anytime soon.

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***SPOILER ALERT***

This is a great example of a manga that did everything well until the very end.

Warning: Will contain spoilers about the ending, which I will discuss at the end.

Story: 7
Very sweet and cute story. Giant girl's definitely a different take on the monster girl genre (even though the idea's been done before, it's not common). It's also done well in the sense that it doesn't focus heavily on cliche fanservice. The story is lighthearted for the most part, but does get somewhat dramatic in the final arc. Even though I'm not a fan of drama, I'd still recommend reading it to the end to truly feel the romance.
That said, there are some issues with the story that prevented it from getting a 10. First, if you're not a fan of non-sexual NTR, you'll have to skip a couple chapters. You'll know it when you see it. While these chapters are crucial to the development of a major supporting character, and it does take a turn for the better, the NTR feels a bit unnecessary and downright melodramatic.
Second, the story gets a little difficult to follow as the final arc picks up. New characters get introduced, shit starts happening way too fast and for no apparent reason, and you will feel incredibly lost for a few chapters. The story is still interesting enough to keep a reader going, and everything is wrapped up at the end, but the ride there gets a bit rough and frustrating.
Third, there's not enough fillers. It's rare to see a giant monster girl (bigger than 10m), and it would have been nice to see a little more of the awkwardness (and darn adorableness) between Mana and Makoto in a more slice-of-life manner. It feels like after chapter 12 or so, it became an action-fest, with one arc following another without respite.

Art: 9
The art. It's not anything special, but yet it's great! The background and shading in this series is done well so that it brings out the emotions of the characters during tense scenes. Especially in Ch. 29, you can practically feel Mana's intense sense of loss. When a character's happy, you practically feel them beaming at you from the pages. Now that's good art for a manga, especially one centered around romance.

Character: 10
It's been a while since I've read a piece where the characters felt relatable and ALIVE. The characters are fairly unique, and although their character developments are rather cliche and predictable, it was nice to see them follow through. A lot of the characters are "strong," including the supporting cast; bluntly put, they have initiative and gall. Even though they didn't truly get their own true arcs, they have developed backstories that makes sense for their role as supports for the main duo. All of these traits, plus the fact that the characters are super expressive (especially Mana), makes for a great and especially immersive read.

Enjoyment: 8
It was an incredibly worthwhile read for a relatively obscure series. Sure, there were times when it felt a little frustrating, but it definitely wasn't jarring. The relationship between Mana and Makoto was so well-developed and sweet that it carried the entire story. You can't help but keep reading to see their struggles to be with one another, and in the hope that they will finally tie the knot (or something similar).

YET, *SPOILERS* and here's where my enjoyment of the manga plummeted sharply, THEY DIDN'T. There was an intense buildup in the final arc, with a lot of pain and effort exerted by everyone, but especially by the main duo. Everything, including the author, pointed to a satisfying happy ending. Dead people are revived (somewhat miraculously, but that's okay), people come back, and then....fizzle.
The author pulled a twist: Memory loss. Had the final arc not had such a serious overtone, it would have been acceptable. But, because of all the action and tension and effort in the final few chapters, it felt like a complete cop-out for cheap gags, and invalidated ALL of Mana's and Makoto's suffering and struggles. It tried to play it off as a happy ending, but the bitter aftertaste was anything but. Mana forgot EVERYTHING about Makoto, meaning EVERYTHING was absolutely in vain. In fact, Makoto had to confess to HER because she even forgot the fact that she loved him. There's no epilogue where she recovers. It just ends. She could end up falling for someone else, she could reject him, anything could happen. Now, think about all that, and then go back to the page where she cried over Makoto dying, begging for someone to save him. All of that, gone. Pointless. Just because the author wanted a cheap gag of ending the story in the reverse.

Overall: 8
If you made it this far, I still recommend the manga. Just make up your own ending, it'll probably be better.

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While on the surface this might be your typical action harem, there are several key differences that ultimately make for a more enjoyable series than expected.

Story: 7
Pretty standard demon girl-type story. Human comes across demon, somehow gets hitched with it, works to save the world, has ecchi and romantic encounters along the way. Plot twists are pretty obvious, lots of plot armor, etc. Overall, the story isn't anything to cheer about. The ending is also rushed to hell compared to the rest of the story.

Art: 7
Standard to sub-standard. Designs on main heroines are inconsistent at times. The girls are decent-looking, but short of pretty or sexy. Sometimes the art feels slightly incomplete for a main character. Best-looking/interesting character is actually a common antagonist grunt (the church soldiers).

Character: 8
Not the most memorable, and actually a rather stereotypical cast. Token sexy main heroine, token glasses sub-heroine. Token annoying frenemy duo. Even the main character is an unremarkable token latent-talent human for the most part.
What DOES set this series apart from others like it though is that characters have initiative, actually bother to think, and aren't morally black and white.
1. Initiative: The characters don't sit around and play silly mind games. When they resolve to do something, they seek out the necessary people and items and get it done, fast, rather than wait for shit to happen. It also helps that there aren't tons of filler chapters that makes you question the plot: "Wait, there's an impending demon attack and you're...at the beach?" (there is a beach chapter though, ha.)
2. Thought: The MC is the best example, especially during fight sequences. Rather than charging in blindly, substituting courage and plot armor for skill, the MC takes some time to plan his actions, and the author actually cares to show this.
Side characters do this too in the sense that they don't fret over small details, especially during ecchi "aftermaths." Sure, the offending MC will get his due punishment, but they understand what was an accident and what wasn't, and they know when NOT to bring down the hammer, e.g. while the enemy's right there. They also don't go over the top about it.
3. Grey Morality: This isn't one of those "let's defeat evil" kind of universe. If you like the idea of enemies becoming friends and vice versa, you'll feel right at home. There's no clear "bad guy," and a lot of characters are doing things for their own interest, whether good or bad.
All of these things said, I might be overthinking because I'm biased against typical action ecchi harems, but I found these points refreshing.

Enjoyment: 8
I enjoyed it. It was a fun read that never got frustrating thanks to the characters' sense of initiative. The story felt a bit rushed, the characters felt a little shallow, and the universe could have been expanded a lot more, and the ecchi scenes felt a little forced into the story, but not once did I feel like dropping the series or rushing to the ending. There are worse out there if you're looking for an action ecchi harem.

Overall: 8
Try it!

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I'm usually a fan of cutesy romcom, especially ones with good art, but Momokuri just doesn't seem like my cup of tea, and here's why.

Story: 4
Slow. Ridiculously slow. Without any real reason for it to be slow. That's one of the biggest frustrations I have about the series, especially after reading series half its length that do a better job. If you're looking for a series that focuses primarily on trying to be as cute as possible, then you might enjoy it. Otherwise, it'll wear you down. Cute is good, but it's not after taking 40+ chapters and not even getting past understanding the basics about one another, let alone holding hands or kissing. And that's when the couple's already been established in the beginning.
Plot elements, especially conflicts, are introduced seemingly purely to keep the story dragging on, rather than as a natural progression. A lot of the conflicts are also really light, which I usually like. In this particular case though, it just makes the issues seem childish and forced.
Many times, conflict is introduced and doesn't get resolved. It's especially frustrating when the conflict introduced, though little in nature, actually could have major repercussions for a relationship in the long run, like the stalking issue. Yet, the author just brushes it by for a long time after addressing it for a second every now and then, and then going back to the cutesy aspects. It may be a small exaggeration, but it feels like 80% of the series is this person or that person telling another character how cute someone or something is.
Singular perspective. You'll be reading this story through a single lens of a cute-obsessed girl. It'll try to address other characters' points of view, but every single one feels the same. Their approaches to solving an issue are all very similar, which is to say, nonexistent.

Art: 9
The only saving grace of the series. It's in full color, which is a nice deviation from standard manga, and it's drawn well. It utilizes moe elements properly, including chibiforms of characters. However, it still has the same primary issue as its story line: Excessive focus on cutesy. The color choices in Momokuri makes the entire manga feels very ephemeral and bubbly. While I suppose it matches its overall tone and theme, I didn't like having to sit through pages and pages of that after a while. Don't expect any dramatic moments drawn super well or meaningfully. It's all tease.

Character: 4
They look different, but they feel the same. It doesn't feel like any of the characters actually have different personalities from one another. Norika is literally the only exception and probably the best character in the series, even though she's your token "scornful best friend" type. Not to be sexist, but every character feels like a girl. Even the character that's supposed to be "prince-like" feels absolutely like a girl. 0
New characters don't particularly do much for the story either, except maybe jump onto the cutesy bandwagon or introduce pointless conflicts. One example is Rio, who literally exists only to flame the jealousy of both Momo and Kurihara. The author then tries to introduce a pitiful background to try and elicit sympathy for her as a character, but it just seems to make her even more desperate. When side arcs are introduced, it feels just as forced.
The MC has about as much initiative as a roadside rock, and the heroine has the brain of a T-rex, which means situations that should have been "spicy" often ends up in both of them backing off, and practically nothing happening.
They're supposed to be high-school students, but their maturity's about the level of an elementary schooler, in all aspects.

Enjoyment: 5
I smiled for the first 5-10 chapters. It was cute, that it does well. After the 11th chapter, my patience started running out page by page. It's the same feeling as putting too much sugar in your coffee, and the sugar just keeps coming. After a while, you want to pour the thing down the drain because there's nothing else but numbing sweetness. Mind you, the sweetness in Momokuri isn't really anything relationship-sweet either. It's mostly clumsiness, just like the series itself.

Overall: 6
Being generous, since I can see why some would like the series if they're looking for these exact specs. I personally didn't like it, and I personally don't recommend it for any romcom fans. If you want to read a series with a similar premise, you'll be 1000% better off reading HajiOtsu.

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A typical action harem.

Story: 6
Very typical story, with a slightly different twist on the "contract girl" premise like in Sekirei or other works where the MC subjugates a bunch of superhuman girls. Superheavy plot armor. Plot twists pretty obvious.

Art: 8
The art's probably the biggest selling point. Characters were cute, distinct, clean. Fighting scenes are flashy, but detailed. Art conveys the majority of the humor in this series, if any.

Characters: 7
Standard fare harem characters. Token childhood friend, token tsundere loli, token brocon imouto, and token cannot-be-more-generic chosen-one-heroine. The only good thing about them is they contribute to the growing world/genre of monster girls, featuring: Nephilim, ghoul, red dragon, and TBD(?). Nothing else about them is memorable.
Main male lead is slightly decent. He doesn't hesitate, he does his best, he isn't super duper dense or perverted, and he's OP but doesn't boast. Sadly, he comes off as really cheesy. Super cheesy. Because of how short the series is, no rapport is built between the reader and the MC, making him feel like a try-hard even though he's not designed to be.

Enjoyment: 7
As much as you'd enjoy eating a fast-food burger. It's trash but it tastes good. It was nice to see a harem where the girls love and care for the MC, and don't pull melodramatic crap or overdo jealousy wars. It was also really nice to see most of the heroines don't have chests that look like they'll pop at any time; that shit gets suffocating after a while.

Overall: 7. Read it, don't think too much about it. You're here for the pretty girls anyways.

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