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Jun 22, 2022
Coming from Hiroshi Motomiya's prior work Otoko Ippiki Gaki Daisho I expected something decent here, although I think it's important to preface this with how it was serialized at the time and the fact that I will be referencing and comparing parts to Otoko Ippiki as it's my reference point to Motomiyas work, i'd feel as though this review would be bland without that. Rumours go that Motomiya wanted to end his prior series and went to work on this one, it not being received very well which lead to it getting cancelled and rushed, with Motomiya picking up Otoko Ippiki back up afterwards, since
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this was so long ago it's likely difficult to find out if it's true, however based on the quality of Musashi I can definitely believe it.
Musashi is one of the rare old Jump manga you can even find translations of, never mind the fact that it's complete! Sadly it's also something I don't think anybody should read, it's just not good. The story recounts the events of Miyamoto Musashi in a fictional manner, a figure that has been heavily featured in other works of fiction, especially manga. I do not really know much about Musashi, and honestly I didn't learn much through this manga as the way it's structured and paced is messy with scenes blending into each other with little to no indication of time. No character really feels introduced properly and there's so many of them I had no idea who was who, It doesn't help that Musashi is given the nickname "Benzo" which lead me to think the main character might've been someone else for a few chapters. The chapter lengths also don't help with some being 60-90 pages long, it's really difficult to digest what your reading and hinders the pacing further.
The characters aren't anything amazing either, bland or have no time to develop or be anything aside from Benzo, who is horrible. He's impulsive and brash, he charges in and shouts all the time, which gets really annoying and that's not great for a character whose your main protagonist, even if they have some flaws there still needs to be some kind of anchor to who your reading about or you just won't care, and in this case I think it's handled very poorly. Other scenes in the first few chapters include him forcing himself on a woman in a really pathetic way, killing a lumberjack because he saw him cry and killing many people out of rage. He feels like a really shoddy villain, not the protagonist and not even a morally engaging one just someone brutal. Perhaps if the manga was paced better and took it's time his arc would be much more believable and he'd be relatable but as it stands he's just not. I found this to be especially disappointing as Mankichi in his previous work is this character done well. He's impulsive yes but he grows as a person and becomes much more than that, he's also charismatic, one of the most charismatic characters I've seen! So I have no idea what went wrong here as Motomiya can definitely write well!
The artwork is decent I like the periods style and Motomyia's artstyle in general, although I do find it a downgrade compared to Otoko Ippiki, there were a few great pages but it was far less memorable to me. There's a lack of flow to panels, and I don't find the composition as strong, the characters also look quite messy in some panels and the combat suffers as a result, especially when swords are involved. It doesn't convey the same weight as Otoko Ippiki, where I think Motomiya did really well, instead it seems to favour scenes of gratuitous blood and gore, which don't look good and only really serve to show how insane and unlikable out main character is. Character designs also didn't appeal to me very much, the raggedy appearance of the characters and their clothes made it hard to tell who was who.
To summarize I would avoid this unless you're really into old Shonen Jump manga and history, but even then don't get your hopes up. It's a mess with unlikable characters and horrible pacing, the only positive being some of the artwork, but overall it's one of the worst Shonen Jump manga I've read so far. I'd assume Vagabond would be a much better read to experience the same story, and I would suggest reading other Hiroshi Motomiya works instead of this one.
Reviewer’s Rating: 2
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Jun 20, 2022
Otoko Ippiki Gaki Daishou is likely a manga most have never even heard of but it has a special place in manga history, being one of the titles that propelled early Shonen Jump to success, and the first Shonen Jump manga to get an anime.
Despite it's age, beginning in 1968 it's aged really well, in part to an excellent translation but it's also full of well written characters, good beats and clear panelling with art that could seem dated but I find beautiful.
We follow Mankichi Togawa a boy living in rural Japan and his growth as a person, starting out with typical small town delinquent
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fights but quickly escalating into bigger and bigger conflicts, which aren't even all physical. This makes the story always feel fresh as something new is happening and the stakes are elevated, but with these stakes Mankichi learns more and continues to grow.
Speaking of Mankichi, our main character is amazing! Being a boy who exudes charisma, and I feel like the writing really pulls this off, you can't help but love him! He's cocky and can have a temper, but he always does the right thing, he's honourable and makes mistakes which he learns from. Throughout the story he becomes better and better and more people flock towards him which is a joy to see, i'd describe it as something similar to One Piece or other shounen where people gravitate to the main character, but this is Mankichi's main focus and it does it well! Side characters are great too, with the younger characters like Trumpet and Eye-Patch Ginji being great supports for Mankichi while providing good comedy. Then theres the older cast which often serve to guide or foil Mankichi, like the old Monk who helps him throughout his journey.
The artwork is excellent with it always being clear what's going on, it's a breeze to read pages and some of the spreads or set pieces are very impactful. Particularly ones which convey just how many people Mankichi is about to fight. If you're used to more modern artsyles I'd highly suggest sticking with this and opening up your mind to how manga was made and drawn at the time, it might be less detailed, a bit rough or the liens are bold but it's beautiful in it's own way, especially to me.
I think this series is criminally underrated or underlooked, more people should read it and give it a shot because it's such a joy to read. Currently as of writing only 49 chapters are translated but I hope more are in the future, please give it a shot!
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Aug 30, 2020
Time Paradox Ghostwriter is one of the shortest Jump Manga i've read, only managing to have 14 chapters before getting axed. Today is the official release of the final chapter, and i feel like I have to give it a review.
This will contain spoilers and is also something i'm deeply, personally attached to!
Story: 9/10
From beginning to end I feel like TPG has had a fairly solid story, focusing on a struggling rookie mangaka: Teppei Sasaki, putting a lot of emphasis on his passion for making manga and wanting to make a manga everyone would be able to enjoy. Met with the extreme ruthlessness of
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the industry he's a part of he almost breaks, in a scene i found incredibly relatable as a creative. Just as this happens he receives a copy of Weekly Shounen Jump from the future, thinking it was all a dream he unintentionally plagiarizes a manga named "White Knight" and the story truly begins from there. This set up serves to create an intriguing mystery as we uncover more about our secondary protagonist Itsuki Aino, but also brings up a lot of moral questioning on if what he's doing is right, he clearly feels guilt for his actions, but feels indebted to his fans and to Aino to an extent that he must continue, and theres this richness to the story where it's complicated and nuanced, and its a shame because seeing these topics being explored would have been really interesting.
I won't lie, due to it's axe i feel like more could have been done for sure, it's rushed but the ending chapters still were incredible for me, both characters feel decently fleshed out, and the mystery plot kept me on edge too. It clearly presented it's themes and told what it wanted to with no extra bits and delivered emotionally. It's short and sweet even if it'c cut a little short.
Art: 9 /10
Usually i prefer art with a lot more flair, which feels unique ... this charm is somewhat lacking here, but the quality for a weekly manga is amazing especially in the characters, and also the setting, where i noticed a lot of really well drawn backgrounds and items. The panelling is a bit basic and sometimes theres a little too much text ... which i think might've been a factor in why it got axed.
Character: 8/10
I wish we got more time with Teppei Sasaki and Itsuki Aino, I felt like i could relate to them a lot, Teppeis frustration about not being good enough, his creative struggles as well as his absurd passion for manga are something i feel deeply connected to. With Aino, her loneliness and how manga essentially became her everything also resonates with me, and for a manga and it's characters to captures such a specific feeling is amazing. I wish we got to explore their chemistry a bit more, but i liked what i did see, with them both in the end coming to a realization together on what they want from manga and life.
Conclusion:
I love this manga, i think i was brought to tears almost every chapter from how relatable it was, feelings i thought were very specific to myself i found in this manga, and it made me feel validated. It's given me an extremely personal connection to this manga and the authors, In a way it feels like a personal message from the authors about manga, about being a creative, the frustrations, the joy of making something, and in the end just enjoying the process might be the best thing, you don't have to make a manga that everyone will enjoy, but if one person understands you and your manga, isn't that amazing?
I feel like I was that person, this manga felt made for me, and even though it got axed I'm so happy it exists, I'm so happy i got to read it every week for the 4 months it was serialized, thank you.
Why it Failed:
From what I gathered some parts didn't go very well with the Japanese audience such as the whole plagiarizing business, which i thought was very well done. Other things such as it having a lot of text at times may have also contributed to people not liking it as much or not being bothered to really read it thoroughly. Perhaps it was too niche and just doesn't have the the draw other series have like the action in a battle manga or comedic value of a gag manga, maybe people feel like it isn't necessary since Bakuman exists ... sales are also a big factor and TPG didn't have the best sales. I'm sure like other Jump manga theres multiple reasons, I hope the authors can keep going and make more manga in the future since this one really captivated me (and that guy who bought 100 volumes).
FINAL SCORE: 9/10 - Great
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Aug 19, 2019
Saigo no Saiyuuki was one manga I really wanted to survive but unfortunately it got axed, the last chapter being number 23 which was released one day before this review.
Story: 6/10
What I imagine was the cause of Saiyuuki getting axed is it's slow beginning, it takes place in modern day and follows Ryunosuke a young boy who likes baseball. Saiyuuki is character driven for the most part so it relies a lot on the relationships the characters have and build which it does very well. What it doesn't do as well is the amount of complicated and wordy concepts it introduces, it takes heavy influence
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from the Chinese book "Journey to the West" which I have no experience with but I assume it's more well known in Asian cultures. Due to this I think a lot of the story may be lost to me or anyone who has no idea about this book since we can't make any parallels to the original source, that being said the story is still coherent it's just that it isn't very clear. The concepts it introduces include some really cool ones such as the way the monsters Ryunosuke fights are derived from folktales and they are manifested by people who are scared who have had their "mou" opened.By the final chapter which is basically a glimpse of what Saiyuuki could have been, we get a full picture of what the ultimate events of the story would have been. For such an abrupt end it handled it really well and effectively told us what might have happened while thematically tying everything up, it makes me sad to see such a promising story go to waste.
Art: 10 /10
I love the art in Saiyuuki! It's shaded really well and uses the use of solid gray and black tones to really elevate it's art as a whole, especially more freighting scenes where the pages is practically enveloped in black. The character designs are really cute and the come across to me as a modern interpretation of older shounen manga, I'm not sure why but I get major YuYu Hakusho vibes from it. Another great thing about the characters is how well Nonoue Sensei illustrates facial expressions, they're very emotive and some of the best I've ever seen! Fear, Sadness, Shock , Happiness ... they're all done so well and really convey the characters emotions which helps makes the more heartfelt moments be a bit more emotional. Action scenes and the creatures in this manga also look phenomenal, they're creepy and thatch reflective of what they are: Fear and scary stories. The manga is also really clean looking and laid out in a neat and intuitive way so it's easy and enjoyable to read with the bigger action spreads looking amazing! It's not the best drawn thing in the world but it has so much charm and appeals to me so much I can justify it having the maximum score.
Character: 7/10
One of it's best aspects is the characters which despite the short runtime have really cemented themselves as some of my favorites in recent memory, Ryunosuke being a young child who just wants to play baseball but can't due to various reasons is handled really well as it depicts the more selfish side of children in a way that is understandable but despite this he still does the right thing for the sake of another and while what he does is not as high stakes as other shounen protagonists for a young child he is a very admirable character. His sister Koharu is blind with 4 prosthetic limbs so she can't do much herself and proves to help characterize Ryunosuke but she herself is a bit of a plot device and while there is an attempt to get the readers to care for her she never really does much as the story presents her as something rather inhuman, with more time I could definitely see her as an interesting character. Other characters like Estelle and Ryonuske's father are also well done and offer something unique that I wish got more time to explore, but overall for the time it got the characters are interesting and well done.
Conclusion:
In my eyes Saigo no Saiyuuki was something special that presented a lot of interesting things about the human experience, facing your fears, getting over trauma and forming bonds which it illustrates masterfully. While it might not be the most exciting or action filled I definitely see in it a more serious shounen manga that would have presented some really compelling topics that we don't usually see. I recommend everyone to read it, it's short at 23 chapters and It didn't deserve to get axed, I even bought the first volume and will buy the other two despite import costs being very high and me not understanding any Japanese, I just love it that much, so please give it a try if your interested.
Why it Failed:
From what I could read through translations it wasn't received well in japan at all, as many said I think the story being so slow especially with the first 7 or so chapters taking place in a few rooms makes it hard for it to gain traction above the other series in Jump. I also feel that spectacle is often more sought out than deeper emotional moments in most cases, not that it's wrong for it to have a more emotional way of storytelling but it doesn't seem to work as well. Some of the dozens of terms it comes up with also could contribute to people not liking it since it's an investment to read, worth investing in my mind but it's often the case that people want something easier to digest. I'm happy it got published and the way Nonoue Sensei ended it was well done and handled in a way which was very respectful as if he took pride in his work even though it didn't work out in the end, I hope that he develops more and comes back with an even greater series that takes Jump by storm next time, I will wait patiently until then.
FINAL SCORE: 8/10 - Very Good
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Aug 18, 2019
This review will contain spoilers-
After reading 236 chapters and watching the majority of the anime aired i'm done with MHA at this point. I love shounen manga, I love almost everything I've read in Jump and MHA was no exception, but gradually I've come to dislike it.
MHA overall is a very good manga, Horikoshi Sensei's art is amazing, it's unique and he has a real talent for designing characters. The world that has been built is interesting and better than a lot of other shounen I have read. There are some really good characters and an recently some of the villains are finally getting
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the treatment they deserve. Unfortunately despite all these good things I don't enjoy the series anymore, which is something that hasn't really ever happened to me before.
I do not like superhero media, it's not my thing, so when I heard about a superhero shounen manga I thought that it might be hard for me to like, but I was completely wrong. Just like many other shounen manga it captivated me, I loved the idea of Deku being a huge underdog in a society where everyone has something special except him, All Might telling him he could be a hero was a very inspiring moment that honestly brought a tear to my eye, It felt like it was telling me anyone could be a hero (which is something shounen manga often does) but gradually changes in the manga either proved that it was not an intentional message or that the writing has poorly betrayed that sentiment.
Even at the beginning it doesn't deviate from the common trope that the main character gets "the best ability", and it later gets even worse when it just so happens that Deku is the one person with OFA who gets the "extra abilities". It felt like a big kick in the balls to watch as he developed because it trashed the idea that: "anyone can be a hero", Deku got extremely lucky and a once in a lifetime chance gave him exactly what he wanted. A lot of what I dislike about MHA is very personal and why that is is because it executes what I value in shounen manga poorly. A lot of shounen manga can be read as a sort of power fantasy, and similarly I think a lot of people read shounen to inspire and motivate themselves to work harder and succeed which are some of the core values that shounen manga hold. When I read shounen I want to be inspired, and often what inspires people most is the main characters of their manga like Luffy, Naruto, Ichigo, Goku etc, who keep fighting and struggling until they reach a hard earned victory. As the story progresses Deku gets insufferably annoying, as he whines and cries far too much, I could never be inspired by him since he acted so weak even though he had such a strong ability, and even when he does overcome this weakness he just feels bland, in comparison Asta from Black clover from the very start is incredibly upbeat and even at a point where he's seriously crippled for life he still remains optimistic and hopeful which is why I enjoy that series much more, it gets me pumped up and inspired, this is entirely subjective and my own opinion and I can understand why this wouldn't matter to most people but the way MHA is built up and how similar it is to other shounen I feel like it would deliver the same kinds of feelings I get from others, but it doesn't which leads me to feel betrayed somewhat.
Onto more understandable gripes is how the school setting ruins the manga in a few ways, firstly it promotes a larger cast size which it follows through with leading to MHA having far too many characters with some receiving barely any development but people still vouching that MHA has a very "deep" cast of characters. That's not so say there aren't developed characters as there are, it just so happens that the main 3 from class A are ones I dislike, Deku is bland and offers nothing new whatsoever except how much a crybaby he was. Bakugou is angry to a point of annoyance but a few interesting things are done with him. Todoroki has an understandable backstory but is very overrated in my opinion which can be said about the majority of characters in the manga. Whilst the fanbase should have no bearing on the bearing of the manga, it can irk me so much when they praise something for being the "best shounen ever" when almost every element is done better elsewhere. The fanbase is definitely something that's contributed to why I dislike the manga now which is a shame since i'd like to be as fair to it as possible.
Some characters I did enjoy are Mirio who is well developed and I'd much rather him, be MC. Some villains are also well done in my opinion, Stain and Overhaul are the standard of shounen villains we should be getting with Love Lover and Gentle being my favorite, The arc they where in was perhaps the last time I enjoyed MHA since their motives and story was very touching. Twice is also a recent edition to characters I liked which can't be said about the rest of the League of Villains. On that subject I will say that around the time of dropping MHA Shiguraki is finally getting some much needed backstory, for a main villain who is meant to directly oppose the main character we have barely known anything about him for years which has annoyed me so much over the couple years I've been reading, at this point I am thoroughly displeased with what I have seen as it's some of the edgiest stuff I've seen in shounen and it also doesn't give me any reason to like him or understand him, he is one of the most overrated characters I've seen and his motives from what I understand stem from when he was a very young child and have not changed since, his father who beats him is much more sympathetic than him which is a big problem for a main villain.
The quirk system is a decent shounen power system for the fact that it allows Horikoshi to be creative when making characters and their powers, however I think it's very underutilized as we usually get a very standard ability like fire and ice generation or something stupid like having a tail or getting angry if you eat sugar, HxH's Nen and Stands from JBA do the unique power system way more justice. Deku's ability is another downside as it's very simple and I think that's beginning to show as I imagine that the recent events with him receiving new powers is either his own or an editors way of admitting that combat might be getting stale. You could make up any quirk and you give your MC super strength, it just seems like a wasted opportunity. I'd have liked the series much more if Deku still had no quirk but managed to become the top hero as it could do justice to how Deku is portrayed to be more intelligent where perhaps he could find out his opponents weaknesses and use their quirks against them.
I'm aware that this has been more complaining than reviewing but I just need to express my gripes with this series in words before I can move on and stop reading it. If it does get amazing later I might be tempted to try it again in a few years but for now I don't enjoy reading the manga at all.
Story: 5/10 - Some arcs are well done and present interesting dilemmas and further characters but a lot of weight is lost to the events that take place as the students just return to school, because of this stakes often feel low and fights don't seem to matter much.
Art: 9/10 - Horikoshi Sensei's Art is amazing, he illustrates action very well and has really good character designs for the most-part.
Character: 5/10 - Often shallow or dis-likable, with the character that do get attention either being well developed or offering nothing new, a real mixed bag with the overwhelming majority being duds.
Overall: 6/10 - Not the worst by any means but definitely overrated and over-hyped, if you like shounen manga give it a whirl but I wouldn't recommend it over something like One Piece, JoJo's, Hunter x Hunter or a bunch of other manga.
I'm open for discussion on MHA if people want to enlighten me on certain aspects of the story or characters but for now i'm tired of it and don't enjoy reading it weekly.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Jul 17, 2019
Ziga is an axed Shonen Jump series that has not been fully translated in English so I cannot fully comment on the story as a whole, With that out of the way let's begin!
Story: 5/10
Ziga for a manga in Shonen Jump has a very interesting premise which I think holds a lot of promise, Kaiju like Godzilla are an interesting concept that I think meshes with shounen manga very well, unfortunately it didn't last long and I haven't read much so I can only assume that it didn't execute this very well. What I can say for sure is the narrative at the very beginning
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was very strong, at a very quick pace we learn about the monster Ziga, an organization who aim to destroy Ziga as well as the main characters motivations which are very understandable even if they aren't the most heroic. I think what I liked the most about Ziga was how unorthodox it was for a shounen manga, it being very dark, not shying away from death and realistically portraying how much damage such a creature could do.
Art: 8/10
Ziga's art only helps it tell it's graphic and darker story, Ziga's design is perfect with it being a large black hulking monster with a lot of presence whenever it's in panel, the author definitely succeeded in making an intimidating creature. The characters expressions are harrowing which is coupled with a good use of black to make the series almost look like a horror. The paneling is great even if it's a bit simple as it's easy to read and knows when to put emphasis on important scenes and Ziga, there is at times a lot of dialogue but to contrast this there are some pages with no text whatsoever, relying solely on the art to tell it's story, when this is pulled off well it feels immersive and very rewarding to read which is no exception as I found myself very engaged by the end of chapter 1. The character designs also look really cool, MC looks standard enough but you can tell there's something off about him like he's darker than other shounen MC's. He also contrasts with what I assume is the villain being a girl who is pure white but unfortunately she only appears shortly in one chapter.
Character: 5/10
With only 3 chapters I was quite surprised with how well the characterization was, while more time could have been devoted to fleshing out the main characters motivations it's understandable with how fast certain events occur so that the story can properly begin. The events in question I won't divulge but they greatly influence the main character into someone who doesn't exactly fit your standard interpretation of a hero. His anger and hatred I could parallel to someone like Gutts from berserk, it's understandable how he acts but he's far from acting heroically. The other characters from what i've see belong mainly to a military organization all of which seemed interesting enough that if they did get future development i'd be confident to say they were good characters.
Conclusion:
Another manga I really wished I got to see more of, but i'm content with what I've seen as I can look at the first 3 chapters of Ziga as a short story and in my opinion it works well like that. Usually I wouldn't recommend people read these axed Jump titles, but this time I think people should read the first 3 chapters. It's not a huge time investment and if you like darker stories or Godzilla it's definitely worth your time. To quickly some up my thoughts, it was a very refreshing darker blend of shounen manga.
Why it Failed:
I think a big reason why Ziga might not have succeeded is it's darker themes, this immediately would alienate a lot of people from reading it, younger children might not like it and older people might think it's pandering with how dark it is. Though it's something undefinable I personally think it lacks the spirit to to succeed as a shounen manga, without something to inspire and encourage readers a lot of people may dislike it as I think as one of the biggest reasons I think shounen manga is so widely liked is how it can make people feel motivated and almost like they can be heroes too.
FINAL SCORE: 7/10 - Good
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Jul 15, 2019
Alice to Taiyou is an axed Shonen Jump series that has not been fully translated in English, as such I cannot comment on the story as a whole just the first 8 chapters. With that out of the way let's begin my review of Alice to Taiyou!
Story: 1/10
In my mind it's weakest aspect is it's plot, there is a clear goal which is very shounen: They want to be the first Japanese people to win a Grammy, despite this the plot begins very slowly and doesn't really get to go anywhere grand in it's first volume. A big problem I found with this series is
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that despite it's goal the story itself and the characters potential arcs where very simple and boring which really kills the manga as a whole for me.
Art: 8/10
The art is perhaps the only main redeeming quality about this manga, it's very expressive, soft and cute, at least for shounen manga standards. The way characters are drawn are very appealing, Alice in particular is very cute especially with how well the author can draw various facial expressions, the way teeth and smiles are drawn are really well done, more realistic than most manga but it still works. There's barely any white panels from what I remember, making it detailed but not too cluttered. The use of shading and screen tones makes it so it's never boring to look at, especially the larger panels where bigger events are happening. I feel that it's a shame this author went to Jump and not to another magazine where they could use their talent better.
Character: 4/10
From what I read there were only about 3 fleshed out characters and all 3 where decent, none of them are amazing by any means but they're likable enough and suited the story well. I felt that Taiyou had issues that weren't entirely relatable for everyone and he also got through them very quickly leaving his character to be fairly bland by the end of the first volume like there wasn't anything left for the author to do to further his character. Alice on the other hand is a lot more likable, she's very cute and funny and much more suited to be a shounen protagonist than Taiyou, I wished she replaced him altogether to be honest. The art definitely works with the characters (Alice in particular) and makes them a lot more likable.
Conclusion:
I think Alice and Taiyou is proof that having an idea and good art does not make manga, there's definitely a story to be told but it's too slow in what it's trying to do with some aspects but then with others like Taiyou's character it seems to be going to fast which overall leads to it being a poor product.
Why it Failed:
There is a few clear reasons this failed in my opinion, firstly is that the art, characters and subject matter aren't very suited for Shonen Jump, that being said there are exceptions like the currently serializing Act-Age but having such a large competitor already there isn't room for Alice and Taiyou to exist in the same magazine. Second is that it was too slow in starting up it's story, and while it did have a goal in mind there were no real sub goals that where pushing the plot forward, not having any urgency and excitement can be a killer when running in Jump, if nobodies exited to read the next chapter then you won't survive and there was barely any excitement being built up. The final reason I will mention is a problem with a lot of new Jump series, that being the problem with the main character/s. I think usually main characters in Jump are relatable somewhat and have to have some core values that people like or respect, a lot of the time like with Alice and Taiyou the characters don't posses these traits that make them likable or aren't relatable for most people, I would go into detail on what I think these likable/ relatable characters are but this review is long enough already.
FINAL SCORE: 4/10 - Bad
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
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Jul 12, 2019
Noah's notes is another axed Shonen Jump series, and like many of them due to it not being fully translated I cannot comment on the story as a whole. With that out of the way let's begin my review on Noah's Notes! -SPOILERS AT THE VERY END-
Story: 7/10
Whilst fairly simple at first the plot of Noah's Notes follows Mirai a gyaru highschooler who is taken by professor Noah an archaeologist due to her finding a a relic from the past. The plot quickly reveals that humanity has existed in it's current state before and at some point 4 years in the future it will end
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unless our protagonists can find a way to stop it. The mystery is handled really well and coupled with the subject of history especially the way in which Noah sometimes defines how important history is it can be very enjoyable and thought provoking to read. The set up for the looping of humanity is really interesting and differentiates itself from other shounen battle manga, there are still some standard shounen cliche's like a big evil group of shadowy figure's but this time from the get-go they are very interesting tapping into an ideology I've rarely seen in stories that being religion. Overall there's a grand sense of exploration and discovery as a mystery is uncovered but in a more shounen type of way.
Art: 8/10
I love the character designs in the manga from what I've seen, Noah and Mirai as main characters compliment each other very well and look iconic and reflective of their personalities, couldn't ask for much more. The villain character looked very cool, his uniform as well of his eyes reminded me of Gintama characters for some reason which is a good thing. Facial expressions are very varied and unique especially Mirai which leads to some good visual comedy. In general the art is very clean with there being a lot of dark panels and thick lines which really helps it distinguish itself. Action scenes are conveyed well as are the various more echii scenes, nothing looks out of place and it's easy and fun to read with it having fairly standard panel layout, the only gripe here is that the panels where fairly standard and safe nothing crazy was going on, but that's not inherently a bad thing.
Character: 7/10
Mirai is very likable and acts as the more normal character which readers can sympathies with as she witnesses all the crazy events around her. Her original dismissal of history as a subject only to see it's importance once Noah comes into the picture is done really well too as it let's the readers think a bit about the importance of history and let's us understand the changes in Mirai's character. Noah himself is also interesting, being obsessed with history but also heroic in his own way like most shounen heroes, all in all characters are really good and I think that's due to the amount of time they get to develop as there are only about 3 major characters in the first 7 chapters.
Conclusion:
I'm really sad that Noah's Notes got axed it showed real promise, the likable characters, engaging mystery and the message of the importance of history made it very enjoyable for me to read.
Spolers Ahead:
Fortunately I can say that the end of Noah's notes despite it's limited run is such an amazing end for this story. I cannot read Japanese but the general gist of it is that the heroes fail their goal with Mirai writing in a journal for her future cycles self, only for her next iteration to find it ending the chapter with her hugging Noah, it's very bittersweet, extremely clever and the end works so well. I'm saddened to here that this is the authors third failed attempt for a serial in WSJ as this means he likely will not get another proper chance, even though I see this as a great manga that could have been so much more, i'm still very happy with what we got and it's ending.
Why it Failed:
My interpretations on why it didn't succeed in jump would be probably be it's subject matter, from what I've seen most Jump manga usually are heavily battle oriented, either in more fantastical terms like One Piece, sports like Haikyuu!! or something more unorthodox like Bakuman. (There are obvious exceptions). The whole archaeology and history themes probably wouldn't be appealing to everyone especially younger children, and due to it being more niche than other things in Jump it would likely get less votes leading to It's cancellation.
FINAL SCORE: 8/10 - Very Good
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Jul 12, 2019
Momiji no Kisetsu will be the first of many Shonen Jump series I plan on reviewing, many of these won't be a full review of the series due to their translation being limited this time being no exception but I will try my best to write a review from the little I have read.
Story: 5/10
As far as I have read there was a clear goal in our lead character Momiji trying to reach the title of "Dragon King" a very high position in the world of Shogi. As a shounen a large goal like this is generally a good thing and there is enough emphasis
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on this coupled with Momiji's Brother who also seeked the title that the story is propelled forward at a good pace. The training and growth Momiji undergoes early is good, it's not focused on too much but enough that there is a believable amount of growth. All in all it feels like Shogi in Shounen manga form which is a great thing, the downside's being that Shogi isn't the most engaging thing in the world, if it had more time to flourish I think the story may have improved significantly.
Art: 8/10
I really like the art, the characters have designs that are unique but not too crazy which suits what it's trying to cover, facial expressions are really good and help convey a wide array of emotions, my gripes with the characters are that sometimes their eyes and hands don't look quite right.
For a manga about Shogi it's surprisingly easy to read likely due to the panel layout being really good. I had a lot of fun reading it which leads into how it presents Shogi, the way pieces are thrust onto the board feels like an actual battle, it really digs into the Shounen aspects of presenting manga and it greatly benefits for it, some of the more action oriented panels look amazing! One final thing i'd like to talk about on it's art is the few times I saw pages with no text whatsoever but you can still tell what the characters may be thinking or feeling, these made me really happy to see as I think it's a really cool way to mix up how a manga is read but props to the author for presenting such a complex game in a very simple manner.
Character: 7/10
For three chapters I felt pretty invested in our two main characters, both have their quirks and are interesting enough from the very beginning, but I was very surprised with how quickly we got to see the reasons behind there motivations which are told in a clear and relatable way, and as much as Momiji's brother is used to further the story and the characters progression he himself is characterized quite a bit without him even being present, this along with the fact that the author hasn't spread himself thin on too many characters gives a sense that the small amount of characters that we do have are well fleshed out and likable before anymore are added.
Conlusion:
I was skeptical before I started as I had never heard a thing about this series other than it was axed which is a shame since I underestimated it only to find that I really like it, it nailed what a shounen series should be in my opinion, good motivations, characters and subject matter, with no access to translated chapters I can't say why it failed but either way it's a shame it had to end with only 16 chapters, compared to the currently publishing "Double Taisei" in Weekly Shonen Jump this series is much better, and it might just be that Shogi doesn't do well in WSJ.
FINAL SCORE: 7/10 - Good
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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