Back to styval's Profile styval's Profile

There were no reviews for Tousei Gensou Hakubutsushi, so I decided to write one for people interested in reading it. I began reading Tousei Gensou Hakubutsushi because others had marked it as similar to xxxHOLIC, Mushishi, and Yumekui Kenbun - all manga where someone involved with the supernatural would solve the ordinary person's problem with something supernatural, or solve something supernatural beings were involved in. Considering the brevity of the manga, there were a a solid number of stories/episodes -- they just didn't all involve fantastical yokai, and were more general spirits and things of that nature.

The characters were fun. Shinobu's relationships with the neighborhood ... sculptor Kaisei and his employee Shingo were fun, as was his relationship with his housemaid Hatsue. The most interesting character was a mystery I'm sure most readers will enjoy solving. On the whole, the characters weren't all too memorable, though, as they felt very cookie-cutter. Comparing the story to other manga I've read around this length, there are quite a few that develop their characters with more memorable personalities than this one.

The artwork felt pretty typical for a 2000s piece, and given the author has a few works published before this one it makes sense their style would seem a bit older. Nothing that's hard to look at, but nothing crazy. Action panels are done well when used, so it's clear to follow what's happening. The reactions/emotions are also displayed well, though that may be a bit of bias toward older manga depictions of them.

As for how I feel about the manga overall, I'd say a 5/10 score fits my thoughts just about right. It's an average manga with some redeeming qualities. In other words, it met my expectations and delivered about what I'd anticipated with any major surprises or disappointments. I liked it, but it wasn't particularly outstanding or exceptional. I'd recommend it to anyone who is interested in the genre, especially since it's a short read.

There were no reviews for Working!!, so I decided I'd write one for people interested in reading it. I decided to read it after looking for more 4-koma style manga to read, and I'm glad I decided to do so. There are no spoilers in this review.

Story: The main plot that drives the manga is that our main character has been recruited to work at a family-style restaurant. While there (and occasionally at home and commuting) he interacts with a regular cast of employees, an irregular cast of visitors, and his own family members. There are subplots throughout the manga for almost each of the ... regular characters as they deal with their own problems (good or bad), and they all help each other succeed in their lives. The author did drag some of these stories out too long, or extend them farther than they needed to by repeating some of the story (although enjoyable, I wanted the payoff!), but it was pretty well done for a feel-good manga.

Art: The art is very basic, nothing outstanding like scenes from Berserk but in a 4-koma you don't need quality, you just need consistency and for the art to nail reactions for punchlines. It was well done here, I love reaction faces being done well in comedy. Look forward to both foreground and background reaction faces that will have you smirking as you read.

Characters: Characters were, for the most part, well written. I think a couple of them were lazy, but they fit their role among all of the others so it worked out very well. You really do enjoy reading the interactions between the older and younger characters, the irregular visitors showing up when least expected and bringing instant comedy, and of course the romantic subplots which aren't diabetic while still giving you a 'rooting-for-them' kind of feeling. Within this type of manga, it can be hard to establish good character growth and I believe it was done well here.

Enjoyment/Overall: I loved this manga. It was something that I looked forward to reading every time I picked it up. I think something that authors struggle with in 4-koma is making the punchline feel natural, and there never felt like there were any really forced ones throughout reading this. There were lulls every once in a while where I was waiting to get back to the good stuff, but it never felt like I wanted to put it down, nor wish I could just finish reading it so I could be done with it. Rather, I'm disappointed that I've finished it so soon and wish I could re-read it again for the first time. It's not going to be in my favorite manga of all time, but it will always be something I recommend to someone as a great read.