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I'm gonna be real with you. I'm not reading this for the story. This is your basic wimp and star-kid best friends get thrown into some weird shenanigans when the wimp gets hit with out-of-this-world powers. I'm imagining Sui Ishida went about this manga like so: "what if I made a re-take on Tokyo Ghoul but I'll do whatever I want, take any artistic liberty, take the story wherever I feel like." And I'm loving it. The classic tropes that ensued appear as the perfect neutral medium for Ishida to dish out on the art.

The story is keeping me hooked, the cast is likeable ... and has cool powers. It's not a particularly original tale but f*ck the magic of it is beautiful. It's an enjoyable aesthetic project where Ishida pushes the boundaries of their artistic skills, and I'm here for it!

At heart, just like its main character, this is a simple story. Boy with a shit life tries to make it out alive and content with his circumstances at best, but shit happens. And then more shit happens.

When reading this manga, I'd say, take it as it is and don't think too much about it. I'm not here to try to understand the inner logic of this world, because if I did I'd come to the impasse of 'it just does not make sense', and I'm fine with that. This story takes you by the hand and then suddenly starts running and just won't ... let go. Surreal scenes are thrown at you left and right, and I can't do anything but want to devour more at each page. This universe is chaotic, crazy, mind-bending.

The senselessly evil Makima has made her mark as one charismatic manipulator. Power while maybe a loud and grating to some, brings a tenderness quirked up by her fits of rage and violence. Aki might be a stereotypical broody quiet guy with a revenge plan and a lack of value for his life, but his dynamic with Power and Denji makes him a loveable and convincing holding glue to their chosen (well, imposed) family.

There's an inherent silliness to Denji that is fully owned by the manga and shines like a light at the end of a black hole of nihilism. In the chaos of the universe, at the edge of life and death, maybe all I wanna do too is touch a boob and have jam and butter on some bread. As a lover of the bizarre and twisted, the first part of this manga is a great fever dream -or nightmare.

The second and current part of the manga is the only reason why I can't give it a 9. It's slower and unfortunately not as compelling to me. It is a radically different story, though the weirdness and mild horror elements remain. Maybe a re-read once this part is completed might change my mind, but right now, I truly struggle to care about the new characters or even Denji.

Unlike a lot of other people I've seen in these review, I actually enjoyed TG:re more than the original TG. Is it great? No. Is it good? enough.

The premise is not bad, some of the new characters have compelling growth. While the pacing was inconsistent, I found the characters' relationships to be better fleshed out. Ken Kaneki's double personality struggles, his regaining of his memory, and his mentor relationship with the new recruits make for an interesting extension of the themes and conflicts set up in TG.

Just like TG, the art is fine and the fights are enjoyable though sometimes a bit ... hard to read.

Sometimes mangas that look like a dark story, use tropes and are structured in a way that is supposed to lead you to the apex of a dark story, and set up characters for complex conflicts... end up leaving you underwhelmed. The characters felt like they were pushed through scenes that Ishida wanted to have because they would look cool - and they do! - but the manga was not particularly gripping to me.

If I was again a 14-year-old emo kid, I would have eaten it up. But it felt like the manga tried to be bigger than it really is. If it hadn't ... been hyped up to me as one of the best mangas ever made, I might have not been as unimpressed and underwhelmed. Oh well

I'm late to the party but yes, there's a reason One Piece is one of the most beloved mangas ever published: it's amazing. While I'm only a quarter into the manga, I have read enough to know I have more greatness to enjoy.

The art is great and keeps on getting better as you go along and perfectly complements the wacky universe Oda created. You really have it all: a charismatic cast of larger-than-life villains and heroes, a gargantuan world that sketches itself out at a timely pace, ridiculously fun and creative fights, and epic arcs. There is true passion and love infused into this carefully ... crafted manga and you feel it. You laugh, you cry, you root, not only for the main cast but also for the inhabitants of this big world you meet on the way.

Of course, the manga is not without faults. Oda takes some easy shortcuts to solve seemingly hopeless situations and some arcs are underwhelming and won't leave a mark. But in the grand scheme of the manga, these faults are negligible. Additionally, it looks like the characters' dimension and growth have come to a stalling point. They remain fun and likeable enough for now, but given the length of the manga, I hope to see more for them to remain compelling.

All in all, I can't wait to read more.

How underwhelming. I really really wanted this to be a great epic story. The premise was fine, Claire's backstory was intriguing, the art was gorgeous, but the manga overall just lacked pazzazz and creativity.

I didn't particularly care about most of the cast and the combats just came one after the other with little sense of stake. Too many of the characters looked almost identical, which did not help in making me root for them. Some of the powers did not make sense and I could let it slide if the fights felt worth it but I was so out of it about the story ... that they did not feel meaningful. I was not so put off to stop and I did want to see it through. Overall.. it was fine.

HunterxHunter is what got me back into reading manga as an adult. I remember loving the anime the first time I watched it and in a bout of nostalgia I decided to read the manga. Past the emotional bond I have for the story and the characters, it's time to face it: it's overall mid.

The art clearly is not why people love the manga. Togashi *can* draw, but he just can't seem to be thaaaat bothered to put in that extra effort to polish up spreads most of the time. However, from the storytelling point, there are some beautiful dramatic build-ups and climaxes that ... kept me up at night reading until my eyes fell off the bone. I loved how the York New Arc built tension and unfurled itself. The Chimera Ants Arc was grandiose and its climax brought me to tears. But following such an ambitious arc, the manga goes downhill and all I can think is "How did you think that would EVER be a good idea?!". Attempts at gearing the plot towards being some sort of political thriller are complete failures due to bad storytelling and pacing. What could have been fun 'race for the prize' type plots reminiscent of the Hunter Exam and York New arcs end up being so weirdly drawn out, convoluted, and over-explained that they're just painful to read.

All up until the Chimera Ant, you have moments of brilliance interspersed with fine entertaining moments. Following that, I wouldn't bother to read unless you like to make it a point to complete the mangas you start.

It's clear that Togashi would have benefitted from a creative partnership with a good editor who's not afraid to say 'no' when he clearly decided to go on a tangent and advise on how to redirect the plot. However, I have a feeling that Togashi just did not and still does not have it in him to go through rounds of story developments given his ill health and he's trying to deliver what he can and personally enjoys. As a fan of the manga, I'll follow the man into his convoluted antics, but I won't preach at you to do the same.

It's an 8/10 in my heart but really, it's a 6/10 only thanks to some compelling characters and the few brilliant moments that in real terms maybe represent only 40% of the manga.