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Alright, so Itazura na Kiss(InK) May be a very well known manga, having spawned multiple dramas and movies based on it, but to be honest, I didn’t like it at all. The “opposites attract storyline may be well known and extensively used in manga, but InK to create a love story between two people who lack compatibility. It got so bad that I dropped this manga after forcing myself to read 40 chapters of it, but don’t expect to find a very satisfying ending because this series remains incomplete due to the untimely death of the mangaka.

Story-2

Kotoko Aihara is a dumb underachiever who ... falls for the smartest(and most handsome, incoming Gary Stu) student, Naoki Irie, who quite bluntly rejects her. However, an earthquake takes place where she lives, and surprise, surprise, only her house gets destroyed. With nowhere to live, she and her father are offered a place to stay by Irie’s father, who turns out to be Aihara’s father’s friend. So, this ignites a new flame in Kotoko, who spends the next few years of her life struggling with an entirely one sided love for him.

The story and premise don’t sound very bad, but what annoys me is how repetitive the chapters are.

Art-4
The art style looks more like a draft than a finished product, and made the manga annoying to read.

Characters- 1

Okay, first off we have Kotoko,our female protagonist, and she is exactly what every girl should NOT be. She falls in love with Naoki for the shallowest of reasons, she was impressed by his freshman speech, and basically becomes his doormat. She has no pride or self-respect, and continues to be kind and try to win over Naoki, who, as a character is worse than Kotoko.

Naoki Irie is apparently a genius, but to me, he comes off an as annoying one dimensional character with no development whatsoever. One chapter he’s nice to Kotoko, but the next, he immediately returns back to his old self. He doesn’t like Kotoko, but doesn’t want her to move on from him. He is that detached genius character often seen in anime who don’t develop at all.

Most of the other side characters are annoying too, I liked Naoki’s mom at the beginning, but then I got to know she was that helicopter parent always imposing on his life. And don’t even get me started on Kin-chan- A Kotoko for Kotoko, basically, who follows her around everywhere and is downright creepy.

Overall- 3
InK was not my cup of tea, watching the writer try to form a relationship between two characters simply not compatible with each other was exhausting to read. However, it might be someone else’s type of manga, so don’t judge it on this review alone, but read at your own risk.

Kamisama Hajimemashita is one of the best newer shoujo manga out there. It presents a unique plot, romance handled the right way, and good characters who are more than their first impression. It is a short, yet fun and endearing read that will leave you feeling happy.

Story- 9
“Nanami, a young girl whose father skips town due to his debts is led to a shrine and is crowned as the goddess there. However she has to deal with a load of new responsibilities and a shrine familiar, Tomoe who doesn’t accept her immediately.”

The story of Kamisama Hajimemashita is interesting and unique. It deals ... with how Nanami deals with her new status as a God of Matchmaking, and her relationship with her shrine familiar, Tomoe, and how she works to earn his respect and trust. It consists of lighthearted comedy and romance, which progresses slowly and well. It also deals with situations from the past and present, and when you read the story, you’ll realise that nothing is as straightforward as it seems.

Art- 6

I’m not an art critic, so unless terrible, I don’t usually let art affect my opinion about a manga. Kamisama Hajimemashita’s art starts off a bit rough and stiff, but the mangaka improves a lot over the course of eight years.

Characters- 8

The characters of Kamisama Hajimemashita are great. All of them aren’t as simple as they look, and when you look into their past, you’ll see that they’ve actually faced a lot and struggled to be the way they are now. None of them are one-dimensional and that’s a very good thing.

The female protagonist, Momozono Nanami is a really good character. Having been poor all her life, she is not spoiled and independent. She may be incompetent as a god(she’s a normal human being) but she is persistent and always finds a way even in tough situations.

Tomoe, Nanami’s shrine familiar is somewhat a Male tsundere character.He is mean, and brash, however changes greatly when he meets Nanami. He’s also that one ideal guy who’s somehow good at everything and is loved by all the girls. However, there’s a lot more to him than what meets the eye, and it has to do with his past.

The other characters include- Mizuki, Nanami’s second familiar from another shrine, I always felt like he deserved better and was neglected throughout and Kurama, a tengu who lives in the human world, who serves as comic relief.

Enjoyment-10
I personally enjoyed this manga a lot, it would be better to read it slowly since it takes place over the course of 2-3 years.

Hana Yori Dango, or Hanadan, as I call it, may seem like a stereotypical shoujo manga, UNTIL you realise it set half the stereotypes followed by shoujo manga today. It is internationally famous and has spawned countless dramas in different parts of Asia and also has an anime adaptation. This, right here is what started it all.

Story- 10
This manga follows the story of Makino Tsukushi, a middle class girl going to a school for rich people. All she wants to do is fit in and graduate, but then enter the F4, the group of popular and rich boys in the school. They are well ... revered and feared. One day, Makino’s friend falls off stairs and injures the leader of the F4, Makino stands up for her and insults them, and Doumyouji Tsukasa, the leader of the F4 is impressed by her courage and the fact that she isn’t swayed by his influence. He develops a crush on her, but Makino likes Hanazawa Rui, the quiet and aloof member of the F4.

Shōjo manga underwent huge reforms in the 1990s, with hits like this and sailor moon, so for its time, Hanadan has a pretty unique plot, at some points, I felt like it was unnecessarily stretched out, and everything could have happened slower than over the course of a single year(I mean, you have pagers at the beginning and phones towards the end).

Art- 6
Since this manga came out in the late 90s, the art and overall character designs looks quite dated. But, it keeps improving over the course of the manga, and towards the end, it looks more or less like the style followed today.

Characters- 10
The strongest point of the story, the characters develop extremely well over the course of the manga.

Back in the 1990s, Japan hadn’t really jumped on the feminism bandwagon, but we have some extremely strong female characters- Makino Tsukushi and Shizuka Toudou.

Makino is the inspiration for the “poor hardworking girl with a lot of perseverance” trope followed today. She’s kind, with a strong sense of justice, and you’ll find yourself liking her. The hero, Doumyouji Tsukasa starts off as a violent and cruel person. He treats Makino more like a pet than a human being at the beginning, and gets anxious when she isn’t around him. However, he develops well, and turns into a more kindhearted and gentle person, although still prone to occasional violent outbursts.

Hanadan also has strong female characters, such as Shizuka Toudou(who does something shocking no one in her social class would do) and Tsubaki Doumyouji(who stands up as an equal to her brother and does not give into his tantrums).

The rest of the F4 is nice too- Hanazawa Rui starts off as an introvert but ends up opening up to Makino after sorting out his feelings, my second favourite character development. Mimasaka and Nishikado deserved better, in my opinion, but you can see the impact Makino had on the group of four rich snobs.

Enjoyment- 10
I enjoyed this manga, and I simply couldn’t put it down, I laughed and cried with all the characters and I just felt so happy and warm inside, and I closed the book with a smile on my face.

Overall- 10
This manga is definitely worth a read, please don’t judge it to be stereotypical simply because it’s an older manga, but look at its strengths- being such an impactful manga that has inspired countless other such stereotypes, Hanadan is a rollercoaster ride of emotions, and I’d definitely read it again and again. If the manga medium isn’t really your thing, you can always check out the multiple drama adaptations it spawned or read the anime.

Thank you for reading!

Your lie in April is deceitful- to say the least. The anime boasts a beautiful and bright colour scheme for a sad anime, which immediately draws in viewers, and makes them want to watch it. But nobody, nobody will be ready for what this show has to offer(even if you know the storyline) and Im sure you’ll cry once you finish this anime.

STORY-9
The story is pretty simple and straightforward, but I felt it was a pretty uncommon storyline for the anime/manga medium. It would rather suit a drama, but it would be hard to find actors who know to play all the hard piano and ... violin pieces played throughout the anime, lol.

This is about Arima Kousei, a piano prodigy, known as the Human Metronome, known for playing every piece with utmost precision. After his mother’s death, he goes into a downward spiral and is unable to hear the piano. This changes when he meets Kaori Miyazono, an unorthodox violinist, and his life begins to change.

The story was brilliant, and I felt like I could resonate with it even more because I have been learning to play the piano for 8 years and vocal music for 6. Music is a part of me and I would never part with it for anything in the world.

ART-8
Well done, the colour palette was a bright pastel, which was extremely deceptive for a sad anime of this sort. The piano and violin pieces were animated beautifully, and all the sceneries were detailed and vibrant.

SOUND- 10
You could see a lot of effort into the music, I mean, they should, as this anime is at its core, all about the music and sound. The OSTs were beautiful, and the openings and endings were memorable, I never skipped them. The upbeat Hikaru Nara is a fan favourite, but Nanairo Symphony was definitely my favourite among the two, since I felt like it conveyed sadness under the façade of a happy and slow song. The endings were beautiful too, with Orange being my favourite.

CHARACTERS- 9
The characters are pretty one dimensional, but most of the characters are memorable. The story doesn’t beat about the bush with unnecessary characters, which is apt for such an anime.

Kousei Arima, my favourite character, is a prodigy who had to part with music due to his mother’s death. His character is executed brilliantly with good character development. He resonated with me because I had learnt music for a long time. The theme of “Getting over tragedy” and “Life goes on” were also expressed through him.

Kaori Miyazono is a good character but we sadly only get to see her true colours at the very end. Until then, we get to know very little about her as a person, which hinders her character development.

Tsubaki and Watari were pretty one dimensional, and I feel like Kousei’s mother’s personality could have been shown more.

ENJOYMENT- 10
I feel like I mentioned everything earlier, I enjoyed this anime and it made me cry like a baby towards the end. It also gave away some pretty important lessons- Life goes on, don’t linger in the past, and that you should learn to accept change.

OVERALL- 9
“Your Lie in April” is a manga adaptation done right. Memorable characters, music, beautiful story and vivid art, it is a roller coaster ride that will leave you in tears.

(I'm sorry about Grammatical errors, English is my second language)

Mirai Nikki was one of my first anime, and man, I DID NOT LIKE IT. I'd heard many reviews about this show before, and on knowing the plot, I was excited to watch it. When I first listened to the anime opening, I was pumped. The first three or so episodes were good, but then, it got worse, and what was I left with? My time getting wasted, and regret.

STORY-3

A boy is granted the ability to tell the future through his phone, but it turns out he's been chosen to take part in a battle royale ... involving 12 diary owners who have abilities similar to him.

Sounds interesting, right? Yup, but this was a huge disappointment. From focusing on the survival game, this anime decides to focus on the relationship between two characters, Yukiteru, the first and Yuno Gasai, the second. Nothing else, the fights between the characters seem like fillers, which become secondary to their love. Not to mention, some of these fights are so bad, and get over in a few measly seconds.

Thus, despite the interesting premise, the story was handled terribly, very disappointing.

ART-6

The art was average, not bad, but it wasn't good either, it was quite ordinary for a show from 2011. However, some of the characters had such terrible designs that it was hard to take them seriously. For example, the 12th diary owner is a weird Super Sentai Wannabe.


SOUND - 8

All the criticism aside, Mirai Nikki truly shines when it comes to music and sound, which is probably the best aspect of the show. The soundtracks fit the mood perfectly, Here With You and the battle theme being some of my favorites. Besides this, both the OPs an the EDs were amazing!! I never skipped them.

CHARACTERS - 2

Right after the best aspect of this anime....comes the worst. Most of the characters were terrible and disappointing.

First of all, we have our protagonist, Amano Yukiteru, a weak, subservient character, he's pathetic, to say the least. I did not understand his guy or his intentions, and all I can say is that he made it that far in the survival game because he's the main character, using Yuno and pure luck.

Yuno Gasai, even the newest anime fans will recognize her as the poster girl of the "Yandere" genre, and not to mention, I've heard there's a "Yandere Girl Simulator" game so its safe to say her popularity will further increase. I liked her in the beginning, but later, she became an eyesore, but I liked her even more in the end. It's sad that although she was so interesting, her role was mostly just killing and screaming out Yukiteru's name almost throughout the entire series.

Two characters I genuinely liked other than Yuno throughout the entire series were Uryuu Minene, the ninth diary owner and Akise Aru. I liked the amateur cop Nishijima as well.

The other diary owners were either pathetic, or will make you wonder what was Deus Ex Machina thinking when he included them in the survival game.


ENJOYMENT- 3

Again, this anime was not enjoyable, it's probably going to make you feel bad, about the sweet, precious time you wasted and regret.

OVERALL-3

This anime was anything but enjoyable, and I'll say it, it was terrible, it's the finest example of a show which people will probably say is good, but in reality, it is terrible, and definitely not worth watching.

For people who want to watch their first anime, and want to start with this one, I'd rather recommend mainstream classics like Attack on Titan, Death Note or Code Geass.

For people who want to watch an anime of a similar genre, I'd recommend Fate/Zero, which I thought was excellent.

Besides this, the writers of Death Note are currently working on a manga called "Platinum end" with a similar storyline to this show, I enjoyed that manga a lot more than Mirai Nikki. The Battle Royale manga and novel is very similar to this(almost suspiciously similar) , and that, again was amazing to read.

Death Note: Another Note was my ray of hope in my search for more official DN related works after I watched the anime and bought the entire manga. Out of curiosity, I just looked up the BB murder case for fanfictions, but I ended up finding this book instead, and I immediately bought it By the way, this book isn't manga, this is a novel written by Nisio Isin, of Monogatari fame, so my hopes were quite high. Again, did not disappoint.

STORY - 8
This is related to Death Note, so what else can you expect? This story isn't about Light, in fact, it has nothing ... to do with Light or the Kira murders case. Instead, this book is about another case the master detective L tackled, that is briefly mentioned in the main story itself. The plot-line is quite typical, L and FBI agent Naomi Misora work together to catch a serial killer. The way the characters are killed, and the clues it leads to the next victim are extremely interesting and well thought out. So despite the generic plotline, I give this an 8.

ART-7

The art was by Takeshi Obata, who illustrated Death Note. Nothing much to see here, but still, well done.

CHARACTERS - 10

As usual, we have our brilliant detective L, his character hasn't changed. He's still the same as he is in the main series.

The true star of this book was in fact, Naomi Misora. In the main series, we see her as an ex-FBI agent and Ray Penbar's fianceé. However, this book gives us an insight into how brilliant she was. In the short time in this book, she truly shone like a star.

Another very interesting character is B.B, I won't spoil much though.

This story was narrated by Mello, and I'd say, although he changes his style of narration, it was still fun to read.

ENJOYMENT- 8
Fun to read, and Mello's narration makes it twice as enjoyable to read.

OVERALL -
I enjoyed this story! It helps us know the characters from Death note a lot better. Not to mention, some parts of this story rub off on the main story. (My choice of words wasn't very good, I know)

When I rewatched Death Note, I felt like I could empathise with Naomi Misora a lot more. Her death felt a lot more emotional, and the fact that Light had outwitted such a brilliant FBI agent made me love him more. (Light was already my favourite anime character of all time)

I recommend Death Note: BB murders case to anyone who's watched the main series, and wants to know more about L, since he literally stayed in the shadows, revealing almost nothing about himself during his appearance in the main series.