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A rather perfectly paced action series with a surprisingly bumpy relationship with many people, Ajin is pretty damn interesting for a lot of different reasons. Thrown into the life of Kei Nagai right when he finds out he's essentially immortal, you follow an underhandedly political plotline up until the secret antagonist rises up in full force very quickly. There aren't many series that flip-flop from politics to action like this, but Ajin feels like one of the better executed examples out of the validity of the moral questions it raises, along with it's spotlight-stealing showman antagonist. It plays both sides well when it chooses to ... do either or, and as long as you're invested in one or the other (or both), you'll probably enjoy the series.

Some critics like to point out that Ajin feels like torture porn without much substance in the violence itself, but I think these people either speedread, or didn't want to give the themes any respect in the first place. Calling this torture porn is *extremely* laughable to me, and I'm surprised so many people agree with that idea. Most of the developments, both character and story, happen as a result of a certain character's interest in violence as a whole concept, and this is not a secret matter whatsoever. It's quite literally stated multiple times, and it's completely fine if you don't like the idea, but to say that the violence is unjustified is objectively ridiculous. Justification for it all is a big point of the entire latter half.

Instead of criticizing the violence for being abundant (and rather innovative, I want to say), I would point out that the IBMs (the ghost creatures that are a part of Ajin's) themselves hold little to no importance in everything. All Ajins, the immortal humans that are the centerpiece of the story, could just be immortal with instant regeneration but no IBMs whatsoever, and almost nothing would change. Some have cool designs, and there are a few quaint moments involving them actively doing stuff, but they are really forgettable compared to the way the Ajins use their other abilities to handle situations. With every single volume cover being an IBM of some kind, I expected them to hold more value, but they surprisingly took a backseat in the end.

Also, I did not like Kaito as a character. I appreciate what he stands for coupled with Kei himself, and I understand why he was around, but he hardly does much for the importance the writing puts on him sometimes. Other characters, that are arguably deuteragonists, are held in less importance than somebody who is off screen the majority of the series. It just felt weird, but I don't hate him or anything.

9/10 for both casual and careful readers. There's a metric shit ton of fun and crazy things happening, especially after the first quarter, but there's also something deeper to appreciate in both Kei and the main antagonist, as well as the ethical queries thrown out here and there. Also, if you're curious, the true antagonist reveals themselves pretty quickly right around the 1/4th point, so you won't be waiting too long for all of the REALLY interesting stuff that happens. Admittedly, they are probably more than half the reason you should read Ajin in the first place.

There are only so many things to say about Mushishi now, which has been a contentiously legendary series for almost 2 decades. Love or hate, feast or famine, the amount of people out there that have the patience AND interest to care about Mushishi is small to say the least. This isn't a call to all "mature" anime enjoyers, it's a warning to everybody. Even those who love seinen can easily find themselves hating this series.

All I can tell you is to expect a slow, potent burn for every episode. As an anthology series, you can sincerely pick out any single episode and be fine. ... It's recommended to watch the first episode first just for some explanation on one of the common terms in the series, but even that is not necessary at all. This goes for the second season, too. This does NOT help what I was talking about earlier... it's likely that you either won't have the patience to sit through the molasses pace of each story, won't like the loose and formless nature of the entire series, or won't have the base personality type to care for the time period and ideas of the stories in the first place.

If, and only if, you think you're a patient person that wants to experience a slow but soulful collection of supernatural light horror/drama/psychological stories, then check Mushishi out. I feel lucky to be able to enjoy Mushishi, but I cannot recommend it to many of my friends for good reasons. You have to have a strong will and specific aptitude to really like it.

All that being said, as a personal score I give it an easy 10. If you're the kind of person that Mushishi is trying to reach out to, it's hard for it to *not* be a 9 or 10. Just please do not go into this expecting something that's meant to appeal to everybody, like Monster or Cowboy Bebop.

An odd little series by Jiro Matsumoto, Alice in Hell is certainly off-center from other dystopian stories in that there's absolutely zero exposition or explanation as to why the world is like it is, and instead has a character focus on the small handful of people that keep the action moving as the plotline progresses. I've only read Freesia from Matsumoto's other works, and he seems to have a penchant for this exact formula. It's reminiscent of Blame! in a way, where the reader is immediately thrown into a pre-developed universe and just observes what happens around the protagonist for most of the story.

It's not ... for everybody and can make plot twists or character developments feel close to disingenuous, but Matsumoto is a seasoned mangaka, both by now and by the time this was in publication over a decade ago. With that in mind, it's clear that him not spoonfeeding ideas and themes isn't a result of laziness or incompetence, but because he expects his readers to pick up on what he's putting down, no matter how sly he does it. I do not believe I picked up on most of it from my first read, which isn't common in manga as a visual AND literary medium by default. Whether you're okay with this or not is extremely subjective to the point that deciding on recommending this to people is pretty fruitless.

However, I'm giving a recommended rating over a mixed or not recommended because the series is short and sweet. There are no pacing problems, and with only 43 chapters, it was almost impossible for it to overstay it's welcome even if it tried. And besides, if you're looking at reviews for this series, it's very likely you've read Freesia or other related seinen and are looking for stuff to scratch a similar itch. This *will* do that for you, but don't expect too much. This is a great refresher/break series to read between larger ones, but I imagine you'd be hard pressed to find *anybody* saying Alice in Hell is amongst their favorites.

8/10 for a thoughtful read, 6/10 for a casual one. You'll eventually find solace as a careful reader in the latter half of the series, which really starts to drive home the hanging themes and questions that the first half set up. As a casual read, there are some pretty fun and creative sniping moments, on top of small-scale war skirmishes here and there. It's easy to be very weirded out by the plot twist surrounding the protagonist Shuu if you weren't prepared for something like it, though, so keep in mind that it'll try to get a little heady on you eventually.

Even from the perspective of somebody who has negative interest for feudal Japan and actively tries to stay away from stories in that time period, Mugen no Juunin offers a much more contemporary approach to the typical honor-bound samurai/warrior idea. At first, the series seems unassuming and slow, but given enough time and it pays you in spades with it's glorious and compelling back-to-back character arcs, starting and resolving all right next to each other. The aid of the world-building surrounding these arcs as well as the ever-looming main story arc of Rin's revenge eventually ties everything into one *very* neat knot, which is just ... as satisfying to finish as it is to read through.

If each major character had more focus on stuff like "what it means to have honor" and living by some kind of moral code, this series would be knocked a few steps down. However, it should have been clear to me from the first minor antagonist that the author was much more invested in in molding vigorous and colorful people to keep the story riding along smoothly. In the same vein that people praise One Piece, Mugen no Juunin allows itself the room to set many developments up for later, and it does pay off. It takes a while to feel the full effects of it, but the reader and series itself are given the same amount of respect from the author, so by the end of it all, MnJ has a very complete and savory feel to it.

The art itself is also outstanding in a few ways, as we are often met with a mix of deep, strong strokes during intense scenes, and much more mellow, soft paintings for their climaxes. This leaves not a single moment hard to understand while never feeling hand-hold-y at all. Coupled with the gorgeous volume and chapter covers riddled with hidden meanings scattered here and there, the whole thing has nothing but soul leaping out of it as you read along.

I will say, it was a little hard to keep up with the series at first. I ended up trusting the author to deliver on what he was building for later, and while I'm grateful that I did, I can see myself dropping MnJ entirely in another timeline. It's never once bad, it just *feels* a little lost or loose-strung for a long while. If you can put up with that, I wholly recommend this to all that are interested.

9/10 for both casual and careful readers. There's a lot of fun happening while simultaneous profound brushes of character development swoop in and out repeatedly. I don't see many people disliking this series unless they can't deal with the "slow" start.

This was one of the most exhausting and unrewarding reads I have ever sat through. I really can't recommend I Am a Hero to anybody, even those who are okay with nothing but running from and killing zombies. With all due respect to the author, he had a really strong concept to start with and most of the characters were actually interesting, but really unfortunate pacing issues and out-of-touch artistic philosophy really hinders the series. Not to mention the plot that gets major traction only to land absolutely nowhere. You can only look at a double-spreader of a city landscape with zombies roaming around so ... many times before getting absolutely sick of it.

The only saving grace of this series, to me, is the art at least being consistently good... until the last volumes. Quite a few of the pages were clearly rushed and borderline unfinished or straight up anatomically incorrect near the end, but with how sour the ending already is for every other reason imaginable, I didn't even find myself caring. If you want a straightforward gory survival story with frequent cool, creepy, and/or pretty illustrations, then I guess I Am a Hero is an *okay* choice. But only okay. The pacing still makes even that aspect diminish substantially by the halfway point.

Many of the supporting characters were potent, yes, but way too many of them were completely dropped out of nowhere. Because Suzuki himself takes a backseat in the latter third of the plot, this feels reeeeally terrible sometimes. On top of the story about the zombies itself just... literally not being resolved at all, I cannot name a series I've read that's left me with larger dissatisfaction. It's almost as if the author imploded everything on purpose because he grew to hate what he made for some reason.

There is almost nothing to take away when finishing the read. I've read a few series that are loose-ended and/or aren't obvious with what exactly they stand for at the end (Blame! is the most obvious one that comes to mind), but I Am a Hero is anything but either of those things. The author somehow wrapped up everything with a clear ending while also not delivering on any of the previous setups at all. I do not feel there was anything to be gleamed from here at all. The series ends up not respecting itself, and at the end it doesn't bother to give the reader what they might've been hoping to stumble upon.

If you love this manga yourself, all the more power to you. I don't think it takes away from you as an enjoyer or critic of the medium. I simply cannot, in good will, give this the thumbs up to any prospecting people at all, and I am kind of appalled that something like this is even remotely close to an 8 in public score.

Edit: I'm re-uploading my review after reading some positive ones from across the web. I am even more appalled. This series was not scary at all. The scariest part was when Suzuki was having schizophrenic delusions in the first chapter, which almost never pop up in the story ever again afterwards. I would never call this a horror manga because of it. Also, "realism" is not a good basis for how well-written a series is. I thought we got over this as a collective people a few years ago. If anything, attempting realism almost always comes across as a superficial attempt to buff up how "mature" the series feels, but this manga is not even remotely realistic even outside of the zombie stuff, with the exception of a very small handful of characters. I cannot believe what I have read.

0/10 for a thoughtful read where you're expecting or hoping to absorb in any common literary techniques. 4/10 for a casual read if you just want to kill a lot of time with zombies.

It is almost impossible to find something to properly dislike about Golden Kamuy. Between brutal physical engagements, engaging and tantalizingly mysterious characters, and an air of lighthearted realism above it all, reader's can expect a fun but still dignified experience. Noda Satoru was clearly confident in his ideas here, and executes them with such smooth strokes that the ride never feels like it's about to fall off the rails. The premise, the pacing, the writing, the art... all of it is tight-knit together and marvelously implemented.

There's nothing else I feel like praising here, as I think this is a series best went into without ... any spoilers whatsoever.

10/10 for both serious and casual readers. There is more than something for everybody. Just beware the many nude men.

Freesia impressed me to hell and back from the moment I picked it up to when I put it down. It's perfectly paced with a stellar arc design, so it never felt too long or too short, and every step was gratifying to experience and finish. The protagonist, Hiroshi Kano, is one of the best examples of a (very) sincerely schizophrenic man. The way the author showcases him as a representation of "retaliatory killing" itself is already great, but he himself also has one of my favorite resolutions of any character in any manga ever. The supporting cast is viciously potent as well, whether they ... stay for the whole series or just one arc. I have nothing but high praises for this series and would recommend it to anybody familiar with seinen, but I wouldn't put it in the hands of a first-time seinen reader, admittedly.

If there IS something that I could pick out to bash on, it would be the art. It's messy and dark, in a literal way. Easily comparable to Dorohedoro. Most people don't have a problem with this, but I do know some folk that have to put a series down for a while from the eye strain. This would be one of those series, even if I think the art is near masterfully done for what it is regardless.

10/10 for a serious, thoughtful read. 4/10 for a casual read. Trying to go through this quickly or without paying too much attention will leave much of the literary elements to be lost on you, so even though the story beats will still be interesting and cool, you'll walk away disappointed. I highly advise you don't do those things.

Very minor spoilers.

Shamo offers a lot when it comes to developing the protagonist, Ryo Narushima, and showing you how he shapes the people and world around him. All of his changes and feelings are expressed through his martial arts, both while learning and while being a complete menace in the ring. The supporting cast has their own merit, but there aren't too many recurring characters. Once somebody has gone through their own arc of having their life changed by Ryo, they rarely come back. Some people will be fine with this, others won't. I personally don't mind since Ryo is the major focus of everything. ... They're not bad characters either, just... tossed out, sometimes.

Many people online complain about the latter half of the series being of diminished quality compared to the first, but I find that claim to be ridiculous. Not only does the art objectively improve, Ryo's bizarre, ruthless, technical fighting goes nowhere, and the resolution of his character at the end was satisfying, if not in a bitter way. Most harbor grudges against the Toma arc for "not concluding" Toma's character, and the Dobu-Gumi arc (the last arc) for introducing nonsensical, hypocritical characters as Ryo's final opponents. For both of these points, I thought Toma's character ended splendidly with one of the best double-spreader pages of imagery I've ever seen in a fight manga, and the Dobu-Gumi brothers are... eccentric, but they serve their purpose. There are very good reasons as to why they are so different compared to previous antagonists, which I feel like I don't need to justify to people who didn't treat the series as a pure fight manga.

Because, it isn't. This is a fight manga *after* it is a psychological deep-dive into an adolescent criminal with the power of martial arts in his hands. If you are looking for back-to-back epic battles like you'd find in Kengan Asura, Baki, or Record of Ragnarok, you will be deeply disappointed. And I think that's one of the biggest reasons so many people have a sour spot for this series. Audiences of hits like Homunculus and Monster will like this more than anybody with a fight manga background, as odd as it sounds.

Anyways, if you're a fan of the average popular seinen manga, and the premise of Shamo sounds interesting enough, I fully recommend checking it out. Just stay away from it if you're looking for a fight series.

9/10 for an in-depth and thoughtful read, about a 3/10 for a casual one. It's not a short series and it tends to drag it's feet between fights, especially near the end, so I wouldn't nudge this towards a casual reader at all.

Call of the Night is a romcom story that favors a developmental focus over the comedy. Despite the sort of odd direction it went in near the middle, it never fell completely out of line, and the characters would always make up for odd decisions in the writing. This is worth the read if you want cute and fun characters that are still very down to earth with their own feelings they need to work out. The art is also outstanding, for what it's worth with the sort of toned-down mood it offers.

9/10 for a casual read, if you're looking for something "more" then ... this is closer to a 5. I still love it though.. and I really don't think any part of the story or ending is hypocritical, like some others harp about.