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A Distant Neighbourhood – Spoiler Free – Recommended

TLDR
Story – 7/10 – 7 x 0.275 = 1,925
Art – 7/10 – 7 x 0.2 = 1,4
Characters – 6/10 – 6 x 0.225 = 1,35
Enjoyment – 8/10 – 8 x 0.3 = 2,4
Total: 7,075 -> 7

Story – 7/10
A Distant Neighbourhood is an interesting manga by Jiro Taniguchi. Its premise is quite simple: a 48-year-old worker, named Hiroshi Nakahara, catches the wrong train and goes back to his hometown. Upon visiting his mother's grave, he falls asleep and wakes up in his former 14-year-old body, although retaining all his memories. He thus returns to school and faces a dilemma: ... can he stop bad events from happening in his life? Can he make his father end up not abandoning his family?
This sets the stage for A Distant Neighbourhood, a manga with a linear narrative which proves to be quite interesting, following the newfound life of its protagonist. Some aspects of his life are also quite unique.
However, although there was a considerable build-up for the main event of the manga – his father abandoning his family –, we feel that the manga failed to deliver in this matter, as the situation is then resolved in an instant.
The ending is also somewhat lacking.

Art – 7/10
A Distant Neighbourhood’s art style is extremely functional and has great page flow and panel cadence. The characters are also well-drawn, and it is easy to tell them apart. The rest of the art style is, without a doubt, well made, although nothing stellar.

Characters – 6/10
There aren’t that many important characters in A Distant Neighbourhood, as we mainly focus on Hiroshi and his family (and some of his friends). Nevertheless, some of the characters were interesting, such as Hiroshi and his father; the rest isn’t all that developed. Hiroshi's the one that receives most of the attention, as the author gives the reader unprecedented access to the protagonist's psyche. He is the most interesting character in the cast.

Enjoyment – 8/10
A Distant Neighbourhood is an easy read. Its page flow is great, its story compelling, and its characters are good enough. It undoubtedly deserves a recommendation, even if the ending is lacking and the climax of the story fails to deliver.

Ayako – Spoiler Free – Recommended

TLDR
Story – 7,5/10 – 7,5 x 0.275 = 2,0625
Art – 8/10 – 8 x 0.2 = 1,6
Characters – 6/10 – 6 x 0.225 = 1,35
Enjoyment – 7/10 – 7 x 0.3 = 2,1
Total: 7,1125 -> 7

Story – 7,5/10
... Ayako’s story is special in Tezuka’s repertoire, as it is probably one of his most cruel works.
Ayako’s story follows the fate of the Tenge family in post-war Japan: a rich countryside and a big landowner family in decline due to the agrarian reforms imposed by the occupying forces. Meanwhile, one of the family members, who was a POW (prisoner of war), returns as a spy for the Americans. Between the struggle for power within the family, the narrative gets developed, and we slowly uncover the family's darkest secrets as they stop at nothing to reach their objectives.
The story opens with a long prologue, before focusing on Ayako, as the story will later focus on Ayako, the family's youngest daughter. There won’t be any spoilers here, but what follows next is probably one of the cruellest torture methods conceivable, although in the manga it was seen as a necessary measure to save the family’s skin and face. The prologue is entertaining and introduces us successfully to the characters and the world of Ayako, as well as giving context to what will happen next.
After the prologue, the other family members become secondary to the narrative for plot reasons, as Ayako's Dantesque livelihood becomes central.
This story positions family honour – but also cynicism – above all else, even common humanitarian rights. It quickly resorts to torture, murder, and betrayal to fulfil the characters’ wicked objectives, no matter the consequences. It also deals with guilt and remorse. Many are the characters that embody this spirit – such as Pa or Jirou –, as they also will take advantage of little Ayako for their twisted purposes, condemning her to a life of misery and ignorance. The story also mentions sexual abuse, rape, and homicide.
Ayako embodies ignorance and, even more than that, impotence and innocence in the face of a world that takes advantage of people quite easily. This is seen in multiple scenes, where Ayako is nothing but a victim of the world she lives in – such as the abusers in her family.
As such, the story is thought-provoking and a joy to read through, as it grips the reader from the get-go, although the second half of the manga – after the prologue – is better than the first half.
The ending is somewhat satisfying.

Art – 8/10
Ayako bolsters a typical Osamu Tezuka art style: beautiful landscapes, a very functional art style with personality, good page flow, panel cadence (which makes this story easy to read), and character design with expressive tones. The page composition was also good – and very Tezukaesque in that regard.

Characters – 6/10
The characters in Ayako are mostly archetypes and placeholders for the action to happen. In this regard, most just represent certain aspects of humanity – such as lust (Pa), greed (Jirou), and innocence (Ayako), although characters are complex enough for them to have more than just one of these aspects. Ayako, for instance, mainly represents innocence, ignorance, and impotence. It is also a grim reminder that humanity is cruel and malevolent – this is probably the manga's most vital message.

Enjoyment – 7/10
Ayako is, by all standards, a great manga with a great story and with good enjoyment. Although it is one of Tezuka’s darkest mangas, it certainly deserves a recommendation for everything it has.

Gon – Spoiler Free – Not Recommended

TLDR
Overall: 3/10

Disclaimer: due to the nature of this work – a visually highly experimentalist manga – my normal parameters of Story, Art, Characters and Enjoyment with a weighted average won’t be applied. Instead, a global overview will be offered.

Gon is an experimental manga by Masashi Tanaka. It is a compilation of short, episodic stories with no dialogue, with a small dinosaur as a common thread, called Gon.
Not much can be said about this manga: although it is seven volumes long, one can read the entirety of it in a very short time. There are one-volume mangas that are longer ... than Gon.
These stories are also incredibly simple, and for good reason: there is absolutely no dialogue, not even a single speech balloon. The characters are the animals that Gon interacts with. Moreover, it lacks any semblance of plot.
The art style is functional and well-conceived, as it is the only medium of communication between the manga and the reader. Gon is also adorable. Animals and landscapes are drawn in a very realistic – and quite impressive – fashion. The manga also has good page composition and flow.
There are no characters, aside from the animals that appear in the stories, and thus, no character background, depth, or development.
Gon is certainly a quick read, but it doesn’t amount to much else, in all due honesty. It is boring and dull, and one certainly didn’t grow as a person or an otaku in reading this. It is an interesting thought experiment – almost like a radical-out-of-touch Tsutomu Nihei, a mangaka that uses very little dialogue as well –, but that doesn’t amount to much else. It is, without a doubt, unique, but again: this does not make it automatically good. One should read it for their education as an otaku, but one cannot conceive any other reason, for the stories ended up being uninteresting.

City of Light – Spoiler Free – Mixed Feelings

TLDR
Overall: 5/10

Disclaimer: due to the nature of this work – a collection of short stories –, my normal parameters of Story, Art, Characters and Enjoyment with a weighted average won’t be applied. Instead, a global overview will be offered.

The City of Light is yet another take by Inio Asano on short stories, although this time things were better than in other attempts – Ozanari-kun, What a Wonderful World or Before Dawn and the End of the World.
Inio Asano once more tries to make a couple of slices of life wrapped in a manga. This time, we follow ... an apartment block in the so-called City of Light, as we follow the (rather strange) lives of those who live there.
One of the positive aspects of this manga is that the different stories weren't disconnected from each other, both geographically and thematically – there are stories that are continuations of previous ones, which gives the short stories more flavour and better development. Moreover, there are interesting stories in this manga, most notably the moral implications of the person who helped others kill themselves.
However, not all stories are worthy of praise, as most are just randomly average slices of life. However, since they take place near each other, they more or less create a human geography and a biography of the City of Light. This is Inio Asano's main achievement in this work, as well as the fact that the stories are relatable, realistic (but not all of them) and present thoughtful dilemmas.
The art style, as per usual, is impeccable, as Inio Asano clearly knows how to draw beautiful mangas. The character design is rich, and the scenarios and landscapes are gorgeous.
It is quite a feat that in such short stories Inio Asano was still able to make some interesting characters, or at least more interesting/compelling than a given character are the dilemmas they face (although this only happens in one of two stories).
Enjoyment wasn't that high in a collection of short stories, as, once again, it isn't where it shines the brightest; however, of all the attempts he made – Ozanari-kun, What a Wonderful World or Before Dawn and the End of the World – this is his best to date. Yet, one cannot fully endorse this work, although a few stories nearly justify a recommendation. For these reasons, it is still more deserving of a mixed feelings stamp.

Shino Can’t Say Her Name – Spoiler Free – Mixed Feelings

TLDR
Story – 6/10 – 6 x 0.275 = 1,65
Art – 6/10 – 6 x 0.2 = 1,2
Characters – 4/10 – 4 x 0.225 = 0,9
Enjoyment – 5/10 – 5 x 0.3 = 1,5
Total: 5,25 -> 5

Story – 6/10
... Shino Can’t Say Her Name is an average manga in an average setting and without ambition.
Shino Can’t Say Her Name is a manga by Shuzo Oshimi, creator of The Flowers of Evil and Blood on the Tracks. It deals with stuttering and how it impacts everyday life and social integration. It is, by all accounts, a profoundly average, very short manga (one volume long), as it never scales and only deals with one particular episode in Shino's life: the fact that she can’t say her name in public.
There is some merit in putting stuttering in the spotlight, which is quite rare, but this manga looks like more of a thought experiment than a fully-fledged story.
Premise, plot and ending are straightforward and somewhat foreseeable. The narrative is linear, which makes perfect sense given the nature of the story.
The ending, however, is quite good and gives a sense of closure to the whole story.

Art – 6/10
The art style, although functional, is also profoundly average. It does a good job of presenting the characters and the scenarios in a pleasant way, but not much else. It is a simple story with simple characters and an even a more straightforward art style.

Characters – 4/10
In a short one-volume manga, it is hard to have a varied cast of characters, as this is precisely what happens in Shino Can’t Say Her Name, as only Shino (the main character) and her friend, Kayo, are worth mentioning. The plot basically consists of their interaction; the rest of the characters are just placeholders and aren’t important.

Enjoyment – 5/10
Enjoyment isn't definitely very high for Shino Can’t Say Her Name: as already stated, everything in this manga is average, even the enjoyment. It is not a great story, and it certainly does not deserve a positive, wholehearted recommendation, but it is not bad either, which makes it more appropriate for a mixed feelings stamp.

In Clothes Named Fat – Spoiler Free – Recommended

TLDR
Story – 6,5/10 – 6,5 x 0.275 = 1,7875
Art – 7/10 – 7 x 0.2 = 1,4
Characters – 7/10 – 7 x 0.225 = 1,575
Enjoyment – 7/10 – 7 x 0.3 = 2,1
Total: 6,8625 -> 7

Story – 6,5/10
... In Clothes Named Fat is ultimately a manga about eating disorders and self-esteem, where objectification, fetiches, and beauty standards are all central topics.
In Clothes Named Fat is a manga made by Moyoco Anno. We follow the story of a slightly obese main character – Noko – who eats when stressed and is in a relationship with a mentally abusive boyfriend – he cheats on her and objectifies her for being obese. She then enters a phase where she devotes everything to losing weight, as it becomes her new obsession, for she believes that if she is able to lose weight her boyfriend will return to her and that she will be better off – no matter the financial and health costs of this transition.
Self-esteem is a big component of In Clothes Named Fat, as what moved Noko to lose/gain weight was never her well-being, but instead how she projected herself in society and with her peers/boyfriend. She makes it seem that because she was slightly obese the abuse she received was justified. This logic is unfortunately more common than it seems, as there are people whose self-esteem is so low that they believe they deserve the bad treatment they get.
The story’s main focus was clearly the depiction of eating disorders above all else. The story is, however, uninteresting in itself, but it does a good job of showing the health hazards that come with eating disorders, especially the psychological ones. This is what strikes the reader as novel and enticing – although it is a grim scenario. It is also a story that is where it is easy to empathise with Noko, as her struggles – having a stable relationship, managing weight, and just trying to be happy with our own body – strike a chord with many readers. It is also a very saddening story, as we see her enter into a spiral of depressive and destructive thoughts that are anything but healthy.

Art – 7/10
The art is average for a manga, although not bad by any accounts. The character design is quite good, having served as inspiration – at least it seems so – to the likes of the Helter Skelter manga; it also made the different characters easy to tell art. It is also expressive, making the differences in weight and the characters' intentions easy to tell.

Characters – 7/10
There aren’t many noteworthy characters in In Clothes Named Fat, as the manga is clearly more focused on depicting eating disorders and the psyche of Noko. Verily, as a character, she is impeccably well done, and she receives the majority of the character development in the manga. There is also some development of her boyfriend, Saitou, adding more depth to the overall characters of the manga. The antagonist, however, is archetypal.

Enjoyment – 7/10
In Clothes Named Fat is by no accounts a bad manga, as it does a favour in highlighting a topic that only rarely receives attention. Its main character is also well-constructed; however, the manga's saving grace is its topic, as the story isn’t that enticing. Besides this, the story clearly serves a purpose: to display and depict eating disorders. And, in this sense, In Clothes Named Fat is a symphony that plays in the same tone. For this reason, it deserves a recommendation.

Barbara – Spoiler Free – Mixed Feelings

TLDR
Story – 5/10 – 5 x 0.275 = 1,375
Art – 8/10 – 8 x 0.2 = 1,6
Characters – 6/10 – 6 x 0.225 = 1,35
Enjoyment – 6/10 – 6 x 0.3 = 1,8
Total: 6,125 -> 6

Story – 5/10
... Barbara started out with an interesting premise, but it wasn’t that well-developed.
Barbara is a story about a writer and a homeless alcoholic. We don't quite get the difference between Mikura’s intention when it comes to Barbara: if he only wants to use her as his sexual object, if he only wants to use her as an inspiration for his next novel, as he supposedly does more than once, or if his insanity comes to the fore when it comes to her and there is thus an unusual fixation on Barbara for no apparent reason, or if it is a mixture of all of the above. Probably the last option.
Once more, we have Tezuka’s moral ambiguity, as the main character's – Mikura – actions are very dubious from a moral standpoint, as he is clinically diagnosed with schizophrenia. This makes sense when evaluating some of these more irrational decisions – and there were many. There is also violence and nudity in abundance.
Barbara is a story that clearly suffered from this illness: it is schizophrenic at moments and irrational most of the time, especially when it comes to the unusual fixation with Barbara.
The ending is forgettable and uninteresting.

Art – 8/10
The art style is your typical Tezuka: a solid 8. The character design is well done, the cadence of the panels and the page flow are also good, and the landscapes are gorgeous.

Characters – 6/10
Although the characters are a little bit better than the story, they represent a wasted opportunity to develop the characters. In fact, aside from Mikura, the characters receive almost no type of development, and this includes Barbara: by far the most interesting character in the whole cast.

Enjoyment – 6/10
One cannot say that Barbara is one of the best of Tezuka’s works, as there are a lot of inconsistencies in the storytelling, which may be due to mental illness on the part of the Mikura, but are in general a letdown: at least it doesn't contribute positively to the story. Barbara is a short story that wasn’t well developed, as there could have been way more development character-wise, especially for herself and even Mikura. Barbara is the most interesting character and yet receives barely any development. It doesn't have practically any positive, with the exception of the art style, and is at best a forgettable story, although the characters are a little bit better, it doesn't, unfortunately, deserve a recommendation, for it doesn't deserve to be equated as one of the Godfather of Manga’s best works.

After School Mate – Spoiler Free – Recommended

TLDR
Story – 6,5/10 – 6,5 x 0.275 = 1,7875
Art – 6/10 – 6 x 0.2 = 1,2
Characters – 7/10 – 7 x 0.225 = 1,575
Enjoyment – 7/10 – 7 x 0.3 = 2,1
Total: 6,6625 -> 7

Story – 6,5/10
... After School Mate is a manga written and drawn by Kuon Umino.
After School Mate is the trans definition of a cute, sweet, and short manga about coming out as trans, living with your true identity, and making friends along the way.
The relationship between the protagonist and his family was particularly heavy, since it deals with transphobia at the highest level – being utterly rejected by a close family member.
The love story between Rika and Satsuki – as it clearly gains the dimensions of a love story – is, although cliché, well done. One of the fun facts about this manga is that the love story never ends up being a love story, which may also pander to the fact that dating in the trans community is very hard – or at least harder than in a heterosexual and cisgender way.
This manga also shows that coming to terms with your transgender identity is something that not only the transgender person has to do, but the others around him must do as well: this is perfectly evident in the relationship between Satsuki and Rika, as the former as to grasp the fact that Rika is indeed a man, which would render him as not heterosexual. The fact that he feels betrayed by the fact that he still sees Rika as a female is proof that sometimes, no matter how close you are to the person and no matter how you love them, it is still very hard to overcome the fact that the person is trans. This is also seeable in the relationship between Rika and his family: in fact, the mother already knew that Rica had a lot of behaviours that would affiliate her to the male side, but yet decided to launch a stark resistance to the acceptance of his son.
In this sense, more than being a story about love and friendship, It is a story about the hardships of the transgender community, both on the dating scene and on the family side. Transphobia is still rampant and is evidenced in Rika's fear of using the male pronouns with himself in school; in the same fashion, he still has to use the female uniform in school, which only contributes to his dysphoria.
After School Mate is a manga that simultaneously is able to show in a very simple way the hardships of the transgender community and to present a beautiful love/friendship story.
The ending, no matter how cute, may still be lacking for the people who wanted things to take a step further.

Art – 6/10
The art style for After School Mate is pretty average, although fully functional. The scenarios, backgrounds, and landscapes are completely average and are what you would normally find in a romance manga, being nothing out of the ordinary. Character design is also average, but the characters are easily told apart. Moreover, the cadence of the panels and the page flow are especially well done, making the story very easy to follow.

Characters – 7/10
This manga is basically focused on the two main characters – Rika and Satsuki, a trans man and a cisgender man, respectively – and their love/friendship relationship. We are given backgrounds to the characters, and they are somewhat developed for a two-volume manga, which is worthy of praise. The rest of the characters aren’t that important and are collateral to the story, although some of them – such as the uncle – play an important role in shaping both Rika’s and Satsuki’s lives.

Enjoyment – 7/10
After School Mate is a short and sweet story about a trans man. Although the trans community wasn't especially lucky when it came to good manga about them, After School Mate is an exception, even if it isn't stellar. One can read it pretty quickly and easily, with a story that is somewhat gripping for a romance manga, finding a story where one can relate to the problems of transphobia, living as a trans person, and gender dysphoria. For all these reasons, it deserves a recommendation.

What a Wonderful World – Spoiler Free – Not Recommended

TLDR
Overall: 4/10

Disclaimer: due to the nature of this work – a collection of short stories –, my normal parameters of Story, Art, Characters and Enjoyment with a weighted average won’t be applied. Instead, a global overview will be offered.

This world that we live in is gentle yet sad, fun yet sorrowful, strong yet ephemeral…
-What a Wonderful World

What a Wonderful World is probably one of Asano’s worst works, as he again attempts to use short stories to tell multiple independent stories. What a Wonderful World suffers precisely from the same illness as Before Dawn and the End ... of the World: it is all too underdeveloped for the story to be of any worth. Before Dawn and the End of the World offers the best parallel with What a Wonderful World: they can almost be seen as twins. However, some stories do have some comic relief, or at least some surreal elements that make them stick out from the rest. They are, nevertheless, not enough to save What a Wonderful World.
One positive aspect of this work, as in all of Asano’s works, is his literary quality, which once again comes to the fore in What a Wonderful World.
Almost no characters are worth mentioning, for none of them were actually developed. Inio Asano needs time to develop his characters, and this simply doesn't happen here, which is catastrophic in his storytelling.
One good thing about Asano is that however bad does the story get – which isn't common at all – the art is always there as a saving grace. What a Wonderful World is no different: the shading is impeccable, the art style is gorgeous to look at, it has all his personality, and the page flow keeps on flowing.
What a Wonderful World Could have been much more: if only the short stories were actually intertwined into a mesh that was available to work as a group instead of 19 independent stories all too short to be of any value for themselves, this would have been a great work. However, we didn't get that. In the end, and contrary to some of his other works, one did not grow as a reader, one did not grow as an otaku, and one did not grow as a person, nor was it an enjoyable read. For all these reasons, it doesn't deserve a recommendation, and as he doesn't have any saving grace – other than the art style – it doesn't come even close to a mixed-feeling stamp.

Town of Evening Calm, Country of Cherry Blossoms – Spoiler Free – Not Recommended

TLDR
Overall: 5/10

Disclaimer: due to the nature of this work – a collection of two separate stories –, my normal parameters of Story, Art, Characters and Enjoyment with a weighted average won’t be applied. Instead, a global overview will be offered.

Town of Evening Calm, Country of Cherry Blossoms is a very short manga by Fumiyo Kouno. It presents itself as a historical manga about the aftermath of the Second World War in Japan, most specifically the bombing of Hiroshima.
To this end, it is comprised of two separate stories: 1) Town of Evening ... Calm, and 2) Country of Cherry Blossoms.
The first story deals with the aftermath of the people of Hiroshima – 10 years later –, and the condition of living plummeted, offering a bleak scenario. The second story, on the other hand, is passed in Hiroshima in 2004 – June 2004, to be more precise –, as it covers the new living conditions of what remained, while transitioning occasionally to the past.
Basically, this manga is about hope and the idea that no matter how bleak things are, they can still work out for the best. It is also uninteresting in most of its part, as its slice-of-life approach doesn’t cover the major impact of the war on the populations – it is, in a way, a worse version of In This Corner of the World, which is actually from the same author. This is probably the best parallelism for this manga: a less informative and less enticing In This Corner of the World.
However, it does cover a “positive” side of the people facing calamity: hope and resilience.
Most of the story is foreseeable, and there aren’t any moments worth mentioning. It is also pretty forgettable.
The art style is quite good, and is closely akin to In This Corner of the World, which makes sense. The page flow is average, and the cadence of the panels is average as well. Character design doesn’t matter – as there aren’t that many characters, to begin with – and the landscapes are well-conceived.
Although it is hard in such a short manga to produce well-developed characters, it is nevertheless the reality that this manga produces very forgettable characters that are merely placeholders: they could have been anyone else.
Town of Evening Calm, Country of Cherry Blossoms is a manga that doesn’t satisfy the reader, nor does it grip us. Actually, quite on the contrary: although very short, one wonders when it will end. Because it is uninteresting and is, by all accounts, a bad slice of life that only has as its saving grace the period and the topic outtalks about (which is fascinating in itself), it doesn’t deserve a recommendation.