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Jun 6, 2025
The Poe Clan is a remarkable yet melancholic supernatural BL that explores the inherent misery of immortality and having loved and lost.
The story of The Poe Clan is a memoir uniquely told in non-chronological order, with its events spanning between the 18th and 20th centuries. Each chapter is a glimpse into the life of its protagonist, Edgar Portnell, trapped in eternal youth as a teenage vampire. The portrayal of vampires is unique in this manga and are instead called "Vampirnella" and are characterized with more uncommon traits that don't typically show up in traditional Western European folklore. The narrative of this manga primarily centers around
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Edgar and the two loves of his life: his dear sister, Marybelle, and his male companion, Alan Twilight. Over the course of 200 years, Edgar and his loved ones will mysteriously enter and exit the lives of many people they encounter on their lonely journey through eternal youth. Most of those they share their lives with are envious of their immortality, which makes for a somber exploration of life without death, and yearning for eternal youth. The themes presented in this series are handled very tenderly and make for a bittersweet read through from start to finish.
The characters presented in this BL have genuine chemistry with each other, unlike most I've seen from this genre. Edgar is ruthless and sardonic, while Alan is pompous and mischievous. The Bond between Edgar and Allan is quite captivating as their opposite personalities bounce off each other and create a playful yet steadfast dynamic. As for Edgar's sister Marybelle, she plays an incredibly important role in the chemistry of their relationship as she is the catalyst for Edgar and Alan's everlasting bond. I appreciate that Marybelle is an important leading heroine within the story and has actual self-agency. She actively contributes a positive development to the relationship between Edgar and Alan without being used as a vehicle to create tension between the two male protagonists. Marybelle's involvement in the plot makes The Poe Clan really stand out in the BL genre as she is more than just the token female, and her character is handled with sincerity without contributing to harmful tropes applied to a majority of female characters that appear in BL stories.
One of the most remarkable characteristics of The Poe Clan is its art. Each page is filled with luscious, elegant details that flow with the panel structure. Its art style defines the Showa era of shojo manga, along with its beautiful character designs that complement the lavish atmosphere. Taking a major inspiration from Western European art, the illustrations accompanying this series are among the most breathtaking from this early era of shojo that pioneered the BL genre.
I think after reading The Poe Clan, this might be one of my favorite BL manga series. I cannot put into words how significant the Showa era was to developing the shojo demographic, so I am genuinely grateful that a manga this old has been officially published in English and made available for future generations and BL fans alike to enjoy.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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May 10, 2025
What's Michael? is a fantastic pet-themed comedy series with charming feline character designs and a catchy soundtrack.
The story of What's Michael? is rather simple due to its focus on sketch comedy. Each bit is a different absurd scenario in the life of Michael the cat. Each comedy sketch depicts Michael having various owners, making for an optimal "what if" situation. From newlywed couples welcoming their first pet to manly Yakuza secretly snuggling their adorable cat while away from their gang buddies, Michael is depicted as living various wonderfully entertaining lifestyles.
What's Michael? primarily centers around only two characters: Michael, our delightful orange cat, who is
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the main focus of this series, and Poppo, his occasionally appearing female companion. Michael and Poppo don't actually talk and only communicate with a series of meows, growls, purrs, and hisses, just as real cats do.
While the animation is nothing that will blow your socks off, the character designs featured in this OVA are quite charming. I appreciate that the cats animated in this series are presented with more realistic proportions, giving them an adorably pudgy look. Of course, the best detail that is brought out in this series is that Michael is illustrated with a visible pair of gonads.
As for the soundtrack of this anime, What's Michael? reeks of 80s synthesizers in the most kitschiest way possible. Nothing in particular stands out in the soundtrack of this series, but the opening song performance by P.J. is spectacular, as it is catchy and one of the main reasons I first discovered this anime.
Altogether, What's Michael? is an entertaining pet-themed anime I would recommend to anyone who's a fan of cats, absurdist comedy, or just loves seeking out classic OVA series. I hope by immersing yourself in this anime, you will uncover the long-awaited answer to the alluring question: "What's Michael?"
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Jan 24, 2024
Plus-Sized Elf leaves me with tears in my eyes from laughing so hard at such an absurd title, yet I enjoyed this series much more than I should have.
This manga's story is simple yet engaging, with well-paced chapters that make it easy to read through an entire volume in one sitting. The story doesn't go anywhere but there is never a dull moment in any chapter with whatever situation the cast is put into. Although I am not the target audience for this manga, I found the premise unique because not many series represent obesity. Almost every chapter has an educational explanation of proper nutrition
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and various demonstrations of specific exercises that target an area of the body that is a place of concern. It is very evident that the author properly educated themself on this subject matter while writing this series which demonstrates genuine passion and dedication I have never seen in a series that primarily features tits and ass.
The art in this manga has a unique style that stands out in the ecchi genre and is enjoyable to look at. Multiple diverse character designs span several body types, with most recurring characters being people of color. I think the most pleasing mythical designs I liked specifically from this manga were the mermaid, the cyclops, and the werewolf. Besides the character design, the panel structure in this series flows seamlessly, making it easy to follow the story. Numerous props and backgrounds are illustrated very well, complementing the art style of the characters drawn across the page.
As for the characters in this series, they aren't insanely deep but that does not stop their personalities from being enjoyable. Throughout the story, several characters are introduced, with each one being given ample time for their personalities to be fleshed out over the course of multiple chapters that focus respectively on them. The token male character in this manga series is actually enjoyable and has a personality of his own instead of being a blank slate self-insert to fondle all the girls. Each girl is based on a mythical fantasy creature and has a personality reflecting their folklore which gives the cast ensemble a fairly wide range of colorful personalities. The only characters that seem to fall flat are any of the few introduced in the last few chapters since they were not given enough time to be expanded on which is unfortunate.
Altogether I really enjoyed this series and I'm even excited to see it adapted into an anime to reach a wider audience. I found the premise of this manga to be a fresh breath of air especially when seeing the diversity of body types for obese characters that are sincerely drawn as obese. Regardless if you're into bigger women I still recommend it as a good series to read that you certainly will not forget.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Sep 2, 2023
If you are a big fan of Haruhi and want to consume more content related to it, then this comic anthology is a must-read. However, if you are not interested in fujoshi queer baiting, then you might want to skip this one. If that kind of stuff is your bag then I would highly recommend this anthology, especially to any seasoned Haruhi veteran.
Each chapter features a short story written and illustrated by various artists depicting humorous narratives exclusively involving the male members of the SOS Brigade. A majority of the stories featured in this anthology are very enjoyable to read with only a few of
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them falling kind of flat. A major joke that is apparent in each of these stories is Kyon and Koizumi are put into some sort of homoerotic situation so again, this type of content may not be entertaining for everyone.
All chapters feature beautifully drawn artwork by female illustrators who have authored multiple original romance mangas.
I really appreciated this anthology's portrayal of the characters. The accompanying writing is funny and entertaining without compromising the defined traits of the main cast members.
Overall, I genuinely enjoyed this comic anthology. It is refreshing to see the male characters in the Haruhi series receive this kind of treatment, especially since the original series features a female-dominated cast. I am very partial to Kyon and Koizumi as a pairing so my enjoyment of this manga is heavily influenced by that personal significance. I feel that Kyon and Koizumi are very well-written characters, each with their own important role as members of the SOS Brigade. They are just as significant to the series as the female characters.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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