- Last OnlineYesterday, 2:59 AM
- JoinedJun 12, 2023
You Should Read This Manga My MALentine Story Secret Santa Exchange MAL Bunkasai Visitor RSS Feeds
|
![]()
Dec 7, 2023
GOOD BITS: Great characters. There is depth to each of the main trio and layers that get peeled off as the story progresses. Lee Eul (the magician) is so mysterious and intriguing. Each of the main three give some kind of insight on how wealth can affect people.
The story is quite laid back but is still quite forward moving, enough to make you continue reading at least.
The paneling is often outstanding. While it does peak early on, Ha Il Kwon is still so imaginative with the space and magic sections.
The message and themes really hit hard. They provide judgement on society's expectations of students
...
and the well achieving, as well as the trials and tribulations the poor have to go through to do even basic tasks like buying food.
BAD BITS: The art is simple. Characters are simply designed and outfits rarely go beyond a school uniform or suit. The focus is more on the paneling rather than the artwork itself, not that great art isn't present, just that it isn't the focus for most of the story.
No spoilers, but the ending is a bit weak, it would've benefited from another chapter or part to explain something: but it doesn't ruin the story or anything bad like that.
The theme of poverty takes a bit of a backseat to allow wealth as a whole to drive the story. It's a shame because it's argueably the most interesting and emotional part of the story.
OVERALL: Great insight into wealth and those affected by it while still having some good fun. You'll come for the creativity, but stay for the characters and message.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
What did you think of this review?
Nice
 0
Love it
 0
Funny
 0
Confusing
 0
Well-written
 0
Creative
 0Show all
![]()
Dec 4, 2023
GOOD BITS: The art is breathtaking. Junji Itou really knows how to draw.
The horror can be really quite scary and unsettling. Some chapters are difficult to get through, but that's coming from someone who hasn't experienced much horror.
Some of the mini-stories are fantastic, and most are at least serviceable. They are all exciting and quick to get through.
Without spoiling anything, the ending is very effective at making you feel what the characters do, and is arguably the best part of the whole thing.
The concept is absolutely fantastic, so simple yet effective, it really isn't like anything that came before or has come after.
BAD BITS:
...
The characters are blank slates of nothing. They exist only to fuel the horror, which does work very well, but don't expect anything apart from, The nice one, The insane ones... yeah that's basically it. This might not bother some people, but I just did not get attached to any of the characters because they are all blank slates.
The story is... fine. It ramps up in the insanity nicely but it is such an easy to escape from problem until the vey end of the story.
Some of the mini-stories are terrible. They are absolutely nonsensical to the point that they aren't scary and the art stops impressing.
OVERALL: Fine. Pretty great horror some of the times, but the characters aren't effective and the story(s) can get so silly that they lose all impact. If you can look past the characters and silliness you're left with a good horror series.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
Dec 4, 2023
GOOD BITS: The premise is unique, going through 8 stories to build up to a single fight is a rare thing, and it should be difficult to create interesting and memorable characters when you only see them for a short time. Despite how hard this should be, Satoshi Mizukami makes it work and is able to create multiple stories that take place in vastly different times and settings.
Many different ideas and concepts are presented, such as cult activity or the danger of super-weapons. Each one gets a short but very interesting time in the spotlight and proposes some interesting questions.
The characters are
...
pretty good, despite being reincarnations of the same people they are each different both in looks and personality.
The story is very interesting, many mysteries are left unsolved and there is often a brief conversation before entering a past life that excites about what is to come.
BAD BITS: The art is quite bare-bones, there are often simple or no backgrounds present in the story, although it does improve towards the end.
The action isn't very important or focused on, but what is present is pretty mediocre. However it isn't the focus of the story and it's done well enough that it doesn't ruin anything.
While the story is overall very good, it can feel like it's a single conversation or attack away from being over until the midway point. Even then it still feels like it could have ended at the first chapter or any of the others.
OVERALL: Pretty good sci-fi story with quite a bit going on. Many interesting concepts are introduced and the characters and story are interesting enough to see what happens next.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
Oct 29, 2023
GOOD BITS: The art is magnificent, it is crazy impressive how Makoto Yukimura drew such detailed spacecraft before moving onto vikings. It's clear he understand what he's drawing as well, the pages detailing the propulsion system in spacesuits and the helmets etc. are quite detailed despite not being necessary for the plot.
The characters and the growth they go through are fascinating, each character is wholely different from one another and they each change in meaningful ways.
The story, while simple, is also interesting and involves a couple twists and turns which help make it interesting. The main story is simple but it provides room
...
for growth and has a clear end in sight.
BAD BITS: There aren't many. My biggest complaint is that Yuri can be a bit underutilised, but he had his story in the first chapter and before the main plot begins, he doesn't have much more room to grow so the story doesn't have to focus on him.
That's really it apart from some nitpicky or personal things like the old Ukrainian woman not being translated, but it just becomes a positive when you can still understand the sentiment behind her words from the art alone.
TLDR: Amazing characters and world with amazing art.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
Sep 26, 2023
It's really hard to describe this manga. Its both a coming of age story and one about sports. It's about someone learning to enjoy people more and it's about how villainous those people are. Whatever it is, it is an amazing character study with incredible emotion and story.
GOOD BITS: The characters are the obvious highlight. You meet someone and expect them to be and act a certain way only for them to completely change the next time you see them. This sounds bad and usually is, but here you learn how and why the person ends up this way. The way characters drop into and
...
out of the story helps it feel real and grounded in the main character: Mori Buntarou.
The art is some of the best I've ever seen, including classics like Blame! or One-Punch Man. I would even argue the anatomy compares to Sun-Ken Rock in certain parts. The artwork is insanely detailed and is often FILLED with imagery and hints into what the character is thinking.
BAD BITS: Since the artwork is so detailed and realistic, it is sometimes hard to tell what the mangaka wants you to focus on. This can make it hard to understand the incredible detail in the climbing techniques and equipment that shows a lot of research and the like was done.
The manga can also be dark. This can make it a bit hard to read at certain parts, especially if certain parts can be related to. However, This goes to show just how good the writing is that it makes you feel this way.
TL;DR Even the "bad bits" are really good bits in disguise and you should totally read it.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
Jul 5, 2023
I mean it literally is One-Punch Man in harry potter. The only difference is that the one punch man (mash burnstead here) is a total goofball instead of depressed. There-in lies the strength of Mashle, its comedy and over-the-top-ness.
GOOD BITS: It can be quite funny. You'll find out if the humour is for you in the first chapter, but I think for the most part it's quite funny. The other thing I previously mentioned is how over the top it is. Seemingly impossible situations are created yet are thwarted with incredible ease. Again, this might not be for everyone, but it works very well and
...
is far more fitting in the comedy-action Mashle than the action-comedy One-Punch Man. (spoiler for opm but yes this is in reference to the lava squrit gun that replaced a great fight) Back to Mashle, the artwork really improves. At first it's very simplistic, often without backgrounds but as the story progresses the artwork improves greatly while still staying consistently simple and effective.
BAD BITS: The story isn't paced Well. It's quite often just a slew of fights without much room for the characters. If you're only reading for the fights (which are really stellar) this won't be a problem but otherwise it can be quite noticable. This is especially noticable in Lemon and Finn, who are vastly underutilised. The main trio get a lot of focus and the other characters do have some moments, but for the most part the characters are pretty black and white. The story and themes are quite simplistic. This isn't necesarilly bad but it is noticable how much the story is "fight him. Ok fight this guy who is the last guys boss now." This again isn't that bad if the fights and comedy are the main things you're after, but it's something to look out for.
OVERALL: Pretty good. Great fun. It's paced quite fast and doesnt leave enough room for the characters or story, but the fights and humour are exceptional. If you like One-Punch Man you will probably like this. If you dont like the first chapter, it probably won't be for you, but give it a shot anyway and find out.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
Jun 23, 2023
tldr: It can be really over the top with everything, mostly for the better except for the ecchi which (for me) is really uncomfortable with few exception.
GOOD BITS: There is a lot to like, there are sillier more comedic parts but also deadly serious and hype parts. Aside from the first 40 chapters or so, the tone is very consistent despite having to balance humour with serious mafia stuff. The characters are quite good, although the women when Ken or a man is involved will be absolute pushovers and it can take away from the enjoyment for a while. This problem does eventually fix itself
...
but prepare nonetheless. The main characters are all likeable, and I could see anyone being someones favourite.
BAD BITS: It takes a while for the story and the tone to get set in stone but at around the 40 chapter mark everything feels more consistent and just better in general. At first I didn't like this, but there is a reason for it that you don't even realise until you're halfway through the story. Until that point though, the story can be a bit hit or miss and the tone can be quite inconsistent. My biggest problem however is the ecchi. I understand that Boichi drew hentai and I went in expecting some, but every 10 or 20 chapters Boichi will just feel horny and draw ecchi for a couple chapters. It feels earned maybe twice, but for the most part it can kill any enthusiasm with the current plot.
ART: If you've been involved with manga at all you probably already know how good the artwork is, especially when drawing people. Outside of the amazing character and landscape/cityscape drawings there are the fightscenes which can be hit or miss with the artwork. It feels like Boichi puts too much detail into them which can make them feel a bit stationary and stiff.
CHARACTERS: I talked previously about them but basically, the main characters are good and enjoyable, the villains are dislikable yet sometimes understandable, and the women lose all personality when a man is involved.
ACTION: The action is mediocre at the start, but when Boichi decided to write things better the action followed suit and became really quite good. Nothing outstanding but it isn't bad. That is, apart one of two fights with only women, which would be comical if it wasnt so badly written.
NO SPOILERS ENDING: It's not the best but I will not say any more.
OVERALL: 8/10 brought down by the ammount of ecchi, the ending and the start but overalla great mafia/yakuza manga that is absolutely worth it.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
Jun 19, 2023
An absolute classic. The story is timeless and covers really dark topics like child abuse, prostitution, murder, racism, etc. despite the dark themes the story remains hopeful and optimistic thanks to the characters, which are easily the biggest strength of the story.
The characters are all nuanced, they appear to be one note but as the story continues more is revealed and any character can become a fan favourite. Something I generally use to guage how good a manga is is the women. For a lot of manga if the women are badly written the manga won't be very good, but if they are well written
...
the manga is more likely to be great. I'm happy to say that Naoki Urasawa fulfills this prophecy. The women are all great, there is little sexualisation and no ecchi thank goodness.
The artwork is just alright. There isn't much that stands out but it is a very high average. The characters all look visually distinct and the different races all look unique. The artwork is not bad or rushed, but rather there isn't anything that really wows the reader like berserk or one punch man. It's due to the fact that the story and text takes priority which itself isn't a bad thing.
The story is AMAZING. There are so many twists and turns and there's rarely a moment when you might not be interested in what's happening.
You should absolutley read this if you enjoy murder mysteries, Naoki Urasawa's other works, or if you just want to rread a classic story that will forever be considered a masterpiece
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
Jun 12, 2023
This is the most fun manga that I've ever read. There are enough problems to fill an aquarium, but the story, characters, artwork, everything is so well done and is such a blast to read. The story can be a bit messy, and towards the end of the monstern association arc, the longest arc in the story, can feel like a bit of a slog to read through. The story is still very good, with things being set up and payed off sometimes a hundred chapters apart.
The characters are the real stand-out of the manga though, every single one is memorable and visually distinct
...
from one another. This is thanks to One's amazing character writing and Murata's amazing designing and artwork. Speaking of the artwork, it is some of the best I've ever seen. There isn't a manga with better dynamic posing or monsters. The backrounds are sometimes a bit lack-luster and when people are just talking they sometimes aren't the best, but when they start moving, it's breataking seeing the multiple double-pages in a row.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
Jun 12, 2023
I mean come on there's a reason most people consider it the best manga of all time. While there are a few problems, especially with the ammount of SA in the golden age arc, they dont impact the story enough to make it any less than the greatest manga of all time.
The story is interesting and doesn't get confusing which can tend to happen with long stories. The art is just unreal, even early on the artwork is breathtaking. The characters are all captivating and memorable. Everything comes together perfectly.
The Golden Age arc (the first major arc) is probably the closest to perfection a
...
story can come. The sad part is that means the rest of the story won't reach as high. The good part is that you get to read perfection on a page. Each person will experience the story differently however, and a lot of people are shocked by the ammount of SA in the early story. I agree there is too much and even the late Kentarou Miura himself does, so prepare for that. Other than that there isn't much wrong with the story, it's just an amazing dark, gritty manga that still has hope enough to propell it to the top of most lists.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
|
