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(Abu)Normal tells the story of Eiko Abu, a 29-year-old woman who has never been "normal", and as such, needs help from others to become her ideal "normal" self, but what if instead of achieving this goal she learned all the wrong lessons out of it?

It's a pretty solid premise that doesn't fully set in until after the 17-chapter mark. Don't get me wrong, it leaves a great first impression with chapter 1 but after that, it shifts focus to another character I didn't care as much for as I do with Abu since she's the stellar selling point for the series. However, after that specific ... story arc, I can say I'm pleasantly surprised with the rest of the manga, it manages to balance comical/ridiculous situations and serious suspenseful moments remarkably well.

The joy of reading this story comes from how Abu will react to certain social situations, such as being given a difficult task at her job, dealing with difficult co-workers, finding love, etc. Since it's never a straightforward answer. Sometimes Abu can be very gullible while other times she's extremely calculating and thorough in her problem-solving, some may say this on-and-off switch in intelligence leaves her character to feel inconsistent while I'd argue it's more about her inherent innocence and ignorance, she emanates an uncanny presence because of how weird she is and always comes back with unique solutions to her issues.

Another strong point of the series is its art. It makes great use of contrasting black and white colors to elevate the characters' emotional states and always renders their reactions sublimely, with lots of ugly faces! There's not a single boring chapter to look at. One thing to keep in consideration though, is that the world present in the manga is an exaggerated portrayal of our own, don't go in expecting it to be realistic since that's not the point, what the series does is heighten any and all situations through absurdity.

In conclusion, (Abu)Normal is a unique character study about someone who lacks what we'd consider normal attachments and sensibilities trying her best to adjust to society, and in a way that in which she wishes to fit in is just as weird as her. What anybody considers "normal" is purely subjective and Abu takes in all the wrong conclusions from others' teachings which makes for all the more hilarious and tense situations in the story. I recommend it but admittedly I find one of its initial arcs very weak in comparison to the rest of the series, it's not instantly engaging but sticking with it absolutely pays off.

Thunder 3 is every bit as strange as the synopsis on MAL makes it out to be, it seems to tell the story of our titular trio (Pyotaro, Tsubame, and Hiroshi) as they try to rescue Pyotaro's sister, Futaba, from aliens who govern the world they've traveled to all the while they discover just how strong they've become in comparison to normal humans living in this version of the universe. But, from the chapters I've read, three volumes in total, the story shifts perspective to a university student named Segumi who joins the rebellion against aliens occupying our planet.

It suffices as an action series with ... a great sense of pacing courtesy of its use of double-page spreads and the composition of elements taking space in said pages. One of its biggest pros is the scale of things as it lets you assimilate the danger befalling humanity just by showing you the sheer magnitude of alien ships or the stature of aliens themselves and while the incorporation of CG elements is a bit jarring at first it couples well with the contrast the series does between the cartoonish world and the realistically detailed world under alien control.

Now for the cons. It's a bit conflicting how people, in what we'd expect to be a world akin to our own (except for aliens of course), react quite indifferently to the cartoony trio (though it could be a commentary on current technology and social media, or just how accustomed they are to aliens at this point). Speaking of which, the trio, except for Pyotaro, don't have much character or motivation of their own. The series is juggling between being a Gantz-like set-up about people in battle suits fighting aliens with special weapons and powers, and a multiverse story about these odd cartoon characters entering a realistic world which felt more slapped in rather than something the story required, which feels incongruent with the hook the initial chapters had.

Overall there's much that could be ameliorated in future chapters I'm looking forward to reading, at the moment the series contains quality action, a unique style (uncannily similar to Hiroya Oku's works), and many mysteries surrounding the origin of the gateway opened between these two worlds and the intentions behind the aliens, that make it worth continuing to read for the time being.

Casino Gui handles two kinds of stories, one is about the in-fighting found within two warring factions of the same yakuza clan, the Date Clan, and the other is about gambling through the perspective of Gen, our protagonist, who, after his plan to rob a dark casino is thwarted, gets used as a sacrificial pawn for one of the faction's interests, the Kuronomiya group. Gen needs to climb through the ranks of casino dealers before the return of Kuronomiya's leader, failing to do so spells demise for him and his loved ones.

I think it does a perfectly decent job of delivering exciting gambling matches as ... well as raising interesting questions about the underworld the clan operates in. As you slowly connect the dots the story becomes a clash of whose desire to come out on top is the strongest. Not all characters are as fleshed out as the others. Once we get to a certain point in the story the manga skips some interactions between characters I would've liked to see. Still, overall it does a serviceable job of making you understand where everyone stands in the two opposing sides of the clan.

Something that truly hit the nail on the head for me was the art, characters are rarely rendered in bizarre or outlandish visual metaphors or expressions but once they do they highlight the intensity of emotions the characters feel which is one of the most important aspects in gambling manga, to accentuate utter defeat or a seemingly implausible win.

It's not a long manga but it achieves what it promises in the first chapters, in particular, the last "arc"/match shows glimpses of what could've been an entertaining one-on-one style of gambling we didn't see our characters in, similar to other gambling manga peers, as most of the story centers on Gen's role as a dealer in different variations of games using a standard deck (but mostly Baccarat). Once they start bringing other casino game staples the manga ends. That lack of departure standard games is what is holding back a higher score in my book as it feels like it had potential for an extended narrative for different foes and gambles to enter but other than that it was an enjoyable read, which makes me want to check out Bakuchi Gui by the same duo behind this story, once it gets translated (hopefully).

Tateo Sone is an average pharmacist, he doesn't seem to have much going for his life except for his new marriage to Akane who brings him the exciting news that she's pregnant with his baby, however, this confuses Tateo as he's had ED (Erectile Dysfunction) for his whole life. Things take a turn as he meets Sumaoka, a sketchy man who talks him into taking an ED drug that could help even his case. With Tateo's newly found sensation, he partners up with Sumaoka to develop more of "Jumbo Max" but it seems as though his conviction to help people with the same problem as ... him will introduce Tateo to a dangerous world that'll make his life spiral out of control. (There was no synopsis on MAL as of writing this :P)

Jumbo Max is one of the most exciting reads I've had in recent memory, the story can take so many different twists and turns and always introduces new characters organically. What has really impressed me about the narrative is that from chapter 1 it doesn't miss a beat, it seamlessly moves around from character to character without ever losing me in the process. Its ensemble cast could be the leads in their own story but because everyone gets a role to do even if you know the outcome of certain scenes the execution is always top-notch. But what stands as the heart of this manga is Tateo himself, he's such an unconventional character, a well-meaning man constantly being at the forefront of hard decisions, and once a situation has reached its boiling point his true character shows up.

It's such an engrossing story that I even caught up to the translated chapters in a matter of 2 days. Art is perfectly fine for a series of this style, it never throws anything grotesque at you (but be aware of its adult themes). Character designs are undoubtedly charming, especially for the look of Tateo. And if I had to say something more it'd be that characters have more layers to them than what initially appears, making for an interesting question to pop up many times while you read: "What will happen when X meets Y?" And it always comes back with an amusing answer.