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Nov 28, 2014
Story 6/10
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Usually for short manga, they don't fare that well in this department. Tig-Hug Planet is no different. In a nutshell? Simple, short and sweet. We are first introduced to our female protagonist/narrator, her personality and current day to day lifestyle. Then as with most school-based manga, a transfer student (male protagonist) with a "mysterious aura" comes through and veni, vidi, vici's the place. I would've appreciated some more back drop on some of the characters but the story flowed pretty well despite being only 4 chapters. As for the pacing and time-setting, it was reasonable; about one school semester/season took place from beginning to
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end. The mangaka did a good job in creating the typical romantic shoujo atmosphere.
Art 6/10
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The art wasn't anything amazing. I'm not sure if it was the specific scanlations that I've read, but the art seemed to have dropped after the first chapter or so. Designs went from solid and well defined to a sketchy and "everything is glowing and dreamy because love is in the air" kind of mood. I prefer the former. Character designs were still pretty decent overall, though I feel that the drawer copped out by resorting to an excessive amount of face shots. Normally that is fine, but when paired with rather simple facial expressions and panels that sometimes ran consecutively, it was a bit tiring.
Characters 6/10
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I'll be honest, something about a strong female lead and an apathetic male lead makes for good chemistry. Watching the initially strong-willed female protagonist slowly develop into a reliant one was great. Likewise for the male protagonist. Seeing him start off as a carefree, energy-less and go with the flow kind of guy that evolves into a rather dependable person paired nicely with his female counterpart. As for the supporting cast, they were really just there to add to the atmosphere, fill in the gaps and sometimes serve as emotional support for the pair of mains. None of the characters stood out much regardless.
Enjoyment/Overall 6.5/10
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Going by MAL's scoring system of standards, this manga pretty much is a solid 6 or "fair". It wasn't anything new and unique but it wasn't so terrible that I wouldn't be able to make it past the first few pages. If you're into the shoujo genre and need a dose of romance with a pinch of comedy, then Tig-Hug Planet can do just that. Nothing more, nothing less.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Nov 27, 2014
Story [8/10]
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At first glance, Seishun Forget! looked like it might be a standard romantic comedy composed of male lead #7831 and female lead #5830. You know-- guy meets girl under unique circumstances, they rush to go their own ways without proper introductions, then by the power of fate (read: plot) are reunited, and we become witnesses to their slow paced, gradual grind of a relationship that would make 8th graders seem like dating professionals. Seishun Forget! (SF!) did hit some of those cliche markers but with some unique variations. Our male lead and female lead hook up in the very first chapter! Hey, pretty nice
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change of pace huh? Well that is short lived as the premise/plot device (something I won't spoil mention here) really shakes everything up and keeps the readers engaged. As far as the story elements go, SF! fared very well. The chapters not only fit nicely together in a continuous format but the pacing of the story was satisfying. While I do think part of the ending was kind of far'fetched, it's always a pleasure to get a true happy ending.
Art [8/10]
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Beautiful art work all around. The overall quality of each and every chapter down to each sequence of panels was superb. We are given a high school life setting and the art never fails to match its tempo. Character designs were very polished, i.e both male and female characters were appealing. The designs for the "supporting/quasi-main" characters while simple, were good enough for me to not forget their faces. Although, one minor complaint is really just due to a pet peeve of mine- overly sharp chins. Now I know that's pretty typical in the manga/drawing world, but just something that I wish worked out differently. As far as backgrounds go, it was kept minimalistic. Nothing more than shades of either black, white or toning with an occasional panel or two showing spurts of creativity. Most of the focus was directed to the characters and I say it worked out pretty well in the end.
Characters [8/10]
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The area of the manga that shined the most in my opinion. The dialogue written for our characters were really funny and realistic. While some of their antics and actions were implausible, they were still very enjoyable and the characters felt like genuine high school students. There weren't character growths per se, more like "character unveilings" as each chapter progressed. We learn more and more about each character and this method meshed well within the story. I can't really say there were actual defined supporting characters because each chapter pretty involved all of the "main" cast in one way or another. Overall, the mangaka did a good job ensuring each character was memorable and able to shine on their own.
Enjoyment/Overall [8/10]
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All in all, it was a very enjoyable read. The mangaka's ability to combine individual story components such as the comedy, the romance, character cohesion and basic story-telling into a wonderful piece of work is commendable. Being a rom-com, it will naturally draw criticism for some cliche and or silliness but in my opinion it can still be enjoyed by veteran manga readers as well as fresh readers to the manga scene.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Nov 12, 2014
STORY (5.5/10)
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Not much to talk about in regards to the story or plots. Each chapter is a different scenario based around different characters, a one-shot if you will. The catalyst (basically the reason for having our characters in each story being cohabitants) for the vary a bit for each story but there wasn't anything outstanding that made a specific chapter stand out compared to the rest. Each story pretty much followed the intro>small conflict->resolution->happily ever after format. If I had to rate the stories from favorite to least then it would be something like [ch6 > ch2 > ch3 > ch5 > ch1 > ch4].
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Not sure if it's a common characteristic of Josei manga but most of the chapters revolve around sexual desires.
ART (5.75/10)
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The art was subpar, for lack of a better word. Nothing unique or memorable, but there were on the more mature and realistic side and fit the atmosphere of the manga. A lot of the characters looked like each other or at least the designs were quite similar. I'm not sure if it was my static memory but I found myself going back to other chapters to compare certain character art works. Sure, it's good to have consistent details and drawings but I think it would've been nice to see some variety on our couples-- especially for lovey-dovey romance works.
CHARACTERS (5.5/10)
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Despite the chapters being one-shot romance stories based on a pair of characters, the characters themselves get brushed over rather quickly. The chapters all start off with a simple introduction from the female narrator. This is usually is just her name, a few panels here and there and some monologue of her "backstory". The male lead or romantic interest of the story would appear and the female protagonist/narrator would usually then introduce him to the readers. This, again is nothing more than a name, what she likes about him and so forth. There are some minor "conflicts" in each chapter involving the characters but I prefer to call them gimped emotional development. For example, the female character would have something troubling her that is confusing her emotions or has to put on a facade when dealing with others. However, the source of the problem is something rather trivial like "we don't have any sex" or "by living with you, I'm troubling you aren't I?". One of those A for effort, F for execution sort of thing.
ENJOYMENT/OVERALL (6/10)
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I guess it was okay? I apologize for being rather simple but there isn't really much to expand my thoughts on that I haven't mentioned in my review already. I'm open-minded enough to try any type of manga so it didn't kill me to get through this manga or anything. Sure, there could have been improvements and refinement on the possible story development but I understand that each chapter was meant as a short/simple/sweet kind of read and I fully respect that.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Nov 12, 2014
STORY (7.25/10)
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"Asa made Matemasen!" or usually listed as "I Can't Wait Until Tomorrow Comes!" is a wonderful piece of work. I will admit that I'm a bit of a softie when it comes to any manga/anime industry related work probably due to the famed Bakuman series. While this isn't comparable or relate-able to Bakuman at all, it still held its own very well and has its own merits. In simple terms, the story is a rather simple take of "man meets woman and eventually develops feelings for her" but I feel like it was handled and executed well. The pacing was also done well, the
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story didn't crawl like a snail nor did it go 0-60 in 3 seconds. The 40 something pages that this manga was composed of could have easily flowed as separate chapters. Not too many forced cliche scenarios and the interactions, both romantic and comedic, between our male and female leads served as the driving force behind the story and it was definitely enjoyable.
ART (7.25/10)
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Not much to complain about in regards to the art. Despite the drawer deciding to keep a majority of the panels simple in terms of design the characters felt alive, realistic, friendly and were still easy on the eyes. Our male and female leads were still plenty attractive as well. I applaud the drawer's ability and instinct of knowing when and where to blow up and enhance the drawings and details which end up creating a nice balance to everything. Facial designs and character expressions were probably the strongest aspect in this department and the backgrounds designs served more as mood-setters and supported the characters in their particular panels.
CHARACTERS (7.5/10)
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This area actually surprised me. Despite being a one-shot the characters were well written and developed. Putting aside the obvious fodder characters who had a slight purpose of setting the story in the manga they weren't main focus so the pair of protagonists definitely led the manga very well. Ootomo Junpei- the male protagonist is a very lively character that likes to exhibit female mannerisms-- pretty much done for comedic value. Being a mature older guy, he is still very human and reacts like a healthy male when it involves his female counterpart. Though he doesn't grow much as a character compared to his female opposite, seeing his romantic interest piqued and develop was great. Mizuochi Yuuko serves as your female lead. She is initially a straightforward, no nonsense, do whatever is necessary to accomplish results kind of person but you can see how Ootomo's personality gradually rubs off on her, which eventually humanizes her a bit.
ENJOYMENT (7.75/10) + OVERALL (7.5/10)
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I enjoyed every minute of it. From the early pages where we are introduced to our characters and the story, to the ending pages where we had to say goodbye- it was all a joy to read and experience. A part of me wishes it wasn't a one-shot. I think it seriously had potential to be a serialized piece of work! It was a well written one-shot manga with good comedic values complimented by an underlying romance. It is a great manga for those looking for light-hearted stories to read and can appreciate a simple rom-com piece of work. One-shots don't take much time to get through but they can be quite rewarding. Good return on investment, or ROI for you business savvy minds out there.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Nov 11, 2014
STORY (7.5/10)
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As stated in the synopsis, this manga has a different scenario and plot for each chapter. Similar to the [Shoban!] spin off, this sub-series shows us the daily lives and activities of the Haganai cast done in stand-alone chapters. The scenarios however, are tamer than the ones found in the [Shoban!] series. In fact, I could see these story lines actually being used in the main Hanagai parent story. So one could argue the authenticity of this work in comparison to the more outlandish scenarios in [Shoban!]. They were all still very enjoyable nonetheless.
ART (7.25/10)
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Like [Shoban!], the art style is much different from
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the parent story work. Clear, defined and clean lines/details unlike the laid back flowing style found in the main story. However, I felt like the artwork fell a bit short when compared to [Shoban!]. It was softer, not as sharp and not as "realistic". Of course, if you are a fresh reader overall, not be as anal as I can be or make the mistake of comparing manga works then it might not be a big deal but personally I noticed it. It wasn't a glaring weakness of this manga but something to keep in mind when giving out scores and or reviews.
CHARACTERS (7.5/10)
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The characters are still the lovable, fun to read and watch cast as their parent story counterparts. The nonchalant male lead Kodaka, the stern yet caring Yozara, the perverted and adorable Sena, Rika with her ecchi mad scientist persona and the genderly confused Yukimura. If you've experienced them in the main line then expect to be delivered plenty of laughs, giggles and smirks like always. Fresh readers can still experience the same but having prior knowledge of them will enhance the experience ten-fold. Again, being one-shots do not expect major development so let the characters speak for themselves.
ENJOYMENT/OVERALL (7.5/10)
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Another spin off series of Haganai and another satisfied read. Though I did prefer the far-fetched scenarios in [Shoban!] more, (I apologize for the constant comparisons found in this review) I still enjoyed the time I spent reading this. Maybe I can be a bit bias when discussing Haganai related works but seriously unless you purposely avoid these type of (insert tags here) manga, they are all great reads in general that allow you to sit back, relax and enjoy.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Nov 11, 2014
STORY (8/10)
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For readers not familiar with the Haganai universe, the story basically revolves around a group of schoolmates/friends who form a club on how to make friends (no, you read that right). Having said that, there isn't a solid defined plot line. We readers are basically treated to their day to day lives (the slice of life genre aspect) their crazy antics (the comedy aspect) and the relationships between our main characters (the romantic aspects). This sub series [Shoban!] is no different. However, I think that the situations and activities of our cast were more "extreme" than the ones found in the parent story. I
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found myself laughing out loud during pretty much every chapter. Each chapter of this series has it's own backdrop and setup so don't expect story lines to carry over from chapter to chapter.
ART (8/10)
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The art was superb. The drawer for this manga Shirabi-sensei will definitely be on my watch list and I look forward to their future works. The character designs and details were much more sharp, clear and refined compared to the flowing laid back art style in the parent story. Although the male lead Kodaka could have used a touch up in his design, the rest of the cast were drawn well. The trio of female leads were attractive and their personalities were expressed wonderfully. The overall shading, toning and basic ink work were spot on with no complaints. Background work were detailed and you can tell that quite some time was invested into it due to how accurate it was to the anime settings, if that means anything. If you ask me I prefer the art style in this manga compared to its parent version.
CHARACTERS (8/10)
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The characters in this manga did not deviate much if at all, to their parent story versions. As I might have mentioned in the STORY review, our characters were more outspoken and "popped" more. The dialogue and character scenes/interactions are more ecchi-orientated but they were done in a hilarious fashion and did not deteriorate the manga at all. Because this is a spin off series and the fact that each chapter is pretty much a stand alone, we won't witness scratch to finish character development and are expected to already know about each and every character's personality. Can be a flaw to some and new readers, but I'm fine with it personally. It will be in the reader's best interest to familiarize themselves with the parent story before heading off to spin off works anyway.
ENJOYMENT/OVERALL (8/10)
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As a big fan of the Haganai series, this was a wonderful read. I enjoyed each chapter and wished there were more when I finished. The amazing art and the more extreme settings were a perfect match and hit all the right notes for me. To be honest, I would have no problem if this sub series served as the main parent story instead. It really was that enjoyable. A well done sub-series for fans and new readers of the Haganai series (to a degree) to enjoy.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Nov 11, 2014
"...words have no mass but they're terribly heavy"
STORY: 7.5/10
If you haven't noticed from the (english) title already...Yes, this isn't going to be your typical happy go-lucky romance story. What starts off as a rather depressing and heavy introduction evolves into a beautiful tale of romance. The pacing and direction of the story flowed very well from beginning to end, the ups and downs of the protagonists' adventure together were narrated very well and surprisingly, there were a healthy amount of comedic scenes involved. What I truly admired in this department is the fact that the story never failed to remind you the dark themes it
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carried.
ART: 7/10
Let's be honest, after reading the first few chapters you'll realize you won't be seeing the second coming of Da Vinci as you progress further. Disappointing even, for 2013 standards. However, I will admit that something with the artwork paired with the mood of the story clicked. It felt natural even. The art-- the character's designs specifically, did gradually improve. Almost to the point where I thought I was reading a new manga with a different set of characters. I don't know if the mangaka worked their butt off and leveled up their pen game along the way or what, but it's a very noticeable and welcomed improvement. The implementation of the few "real life" photos early on were questionable at first but looking back at it, I can sort of understand the meaning behind them. The contrasted color pages were a nice touch, a bit pretentious maybe but overall a good addition.
CHARACTERS: 8/10
The creme de la creme of this manga. Our pair of protagonists Shinji and Kyoko has some of the best chemistry I seen in a relationship in a while. It could have been due to the nature of the manga that caused them to live with such reckless abandon or true affection for one another; but either way it really was a joy to watch and read. I won't give props to their strengths as they wanted to kill themselves as a means to escape reality but damn it all- it was a really humane way to depict these characters. The emotional growth that these two characters shared with each other as well as their own personal transition from start to finish was appreciable. There were a few supporting characters who didn't do much beside add to the overall dark themes and served as minor plot drivers but special shout out goes to the character Keiko and her story line. Her arc was powerful and really beautiful to read.
ENJOYMENT/OVERALL: 7.75/10
I feel like I should point this out but THERE IS a chapter 38 floating around on the internet. I doubt I can post it here but it is rather easily find-able so please read it and properly finish up the series before concluding and hating the series at only 37 chapters. While Chapter 38 isn't much it's still enough to offer a wrap-up to the manga.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Nov 10, 2014
STORY: 7/10
I would have to say that the story was probably the high point of Kami Sen's assessment, although that's not really saying much. I really liked the basic premise though. Deities, spirits and the underlying memories/amnesia plot device(s) were entertaining but I felt that it wasn't executed to its fullest potential. I can't quite put my finger on it specifically but I would have preferred a little more time and or panels dedicated to the main plot line. At times I felt that the story was being dragged on too much on something entertaining but rather "unnecessary"-- fillers if you will. Being a manga
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aimed at the more comedic + ecchi side of things, I could be asking for too much here. The ending was decent, it was written in the "fast forward some time and then have a character flash back to the events prior" style, something I'm not a huge fan of but it was acceptable I suppose.
ART: 6/10
I usually don't have any problems with artwork in manga but I felt like the designs in this were bland. Sure, the art matched the pacing and events of the story but being a ecchi manga and keeping your female characters on the plain side of the design spectrum is a bit of a waste. I'm not saying the female cast were a total train wreck, but when I felt that our male lead was more facially aesthetic, then we might have a problem. The manga also triggered one of my pet peeves-- too many similar looking characters. I wasn't sure if the drawer was trying to be politically correct with the whole gods=genderless thing but when they all have mostly the same facial designs with simply minor adjustments and recoloration, I tend to believe that's just due to poor execution.
CHARACTERS: 6.25/10
I liked the variety of characters. The several gods introduced to us had their own personality and their place in the story. However they, along with the supporting characters lacked depth. Our male lead is the only one with some character development, well if you can call it that. Simply put it was just emotional transitioning from coming to terms with his feelings and thoughts. As far as antagonists go, they were basically fodder. Minor conflicts here and there and they were pretty much downplayed to the point of just being there for the story's sake. Don't expect too much in this department overall.
ENJOYMENT/OVERALL: 7/10
Simply put, I liked it. The flaws are clearly evident and there could have used improvements and tweaking to the story line and art. If i had to score it in terms of words, it was an all-around average manga. Despite the somewhat wasted plot and the monotonous art designs of some characters, I wouldn't go out of my way to avoid reading this. However if you have other things you want to get to on your reading list, I'd keep this manga at a lower priority but do try to get around to reading it eventually!
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Nov 9, 2014
Scanlations for this series have come to a standstill it seems (last update over 4 years ago) so I'll review the ~4 chapters that have been released.
STORY: 7.25/10
Unlike most manga with similar settings, the story starts off with our male protagonist living a rather comfortable lifestyle. He has friends of both sexes that he can mess around with, classmates to hang out with in and out of school and even a cute loving girlfriend! Naturally, a love rival appears and is integrated into the story. There hasn't been much focus on the plot line so far or rather there wasn't really a solid one to
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begin with in the first place. Like typical school based settings, there are plenty of scenes filled with comedy and the cutesy romance scenes are done decently.
ART: 7/10
The art in this manga was definitely not its strong point. Probably average standards for a ~2008 piece of work. It is good enough to the point where the characters are distinguishable and detailed enough to set the mood and pacing of each chapter. Comedic scenes via character interactions and expressions are adequate and the high point of this work. Could it have been better? Yes. Was it a big deal? No, not really.
CHARACTERS: 7.5/10
Being a short 8 chapter manga, one shouldn't expect heavy character growth and development. Having only read 4 chapters, I suppose there won't be much heavy progress from where I left off either. So it's best to just enjoy the characters as they present themselves currently. We get a variety of characters with fun personalities that are able to play off each other wonderfully. Character interactions and chemistry are crucial to rom-com/slice of life mangas and the characters of Ru~mu! Room No.1301 properly fulfills those needs.
ENJOYMENT/OVERALL: 7.5/10
For what it's worth, I seriously wish some scanlation group out there would pick up and finish the series. Either that or I need to spend my time learning the Japanese language and writing system. Not being able to see this manga to the very end left me a bit unsatisfied but there's no helping it I suppose. I still enjoyed the few chapters I've read regardless. So in short, if you do not wish to prematurely end your experience then yeah, I would avoid picking this up but if you have the means to get to all the chapters I'm more than confident that it'll be a decent read.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Nov 9, 2014
STORY: 7.75/10
I found the story pretty darn satisfying. Make no mistake, it's clearly geared towards the comedy side of things but it's supported by a rather appreciable plot line. I can be a bit bias in regard to works that incorporate time-travel, future/past/present type of things and the addition of "sudden daughter appearance(s)" just seals the deal. The fantasy/magical elements were done well and the comedy, though a bit silly at times, did its job. The ending like most manga, was decent. I don't recall any plot holes or anything but you can feel the sense of urgency or rush towards the end.
ART: 6.5/10
The
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art isn't outstanding; I think that's pretty evident. The mangaka Kazurou Inoue's designs here are pretty much similar to his other works such as [Ai Kora] and [Midori no Hibi], to name a few. While it isn't to my liking for drawers to use repeat designs- especially ones that are simple by nature, in the end it wasn't a big deal as the overall story made up for it. The character's personalities and expressions inked through the drawings were done well and the same could be said for the background and art movement fluidity.
CHARACTERS: 7/10
I couldn't help but make the comparison of our male lead to the one in [Ai Kora]. Both guys are usually very nonchalant, a bit pathetic, stick to themselves but when push comes to shove their sense of justice is unmatched. They fight for what they believe in and determined to protect their loved ones. Though this isn't all praise, as mentioned about repetition concerning the art. The rest of the supporting cast, despite getting pretty much equal screen time don't really develop all that much. I didn't particularly hate any characters, but none of them were that memorable.
ENJOYMENT/OVERALL: 7.5/10
One of the few times where I come in, glance at the genre tags and expect the norm but end up finish reading with a satisfied grin on my face. In the end, I found myself enjoying each and every chapter despite a somewhat wonky final chapter. As with all short manga works, one shouldn't come in expecting the world and if you allow yourself to simply enjoy the work that was made and presented-- you'll appreciate it too. I could see this manga being serialized longer but could become stale unless the mangaka puts some refinement into it.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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