2nd A to Z (+ Numbered) Read-through (Ongoing)
Manga
Off i go again with this sequel stack. Hopefully i get to read some great series and have a higher final score than last time. As before i will provide my thoughts on each entry upon finishing it.
Manga, 22 vol, 1999
Me:-
Author:10
Another unbelievable work of sci-fi mystery with the classic integration of real life history in the mix that only Urasawa's manga can provide. Suspenseful and engaging from beginning to end. Totally amazing as expected. 10/10
Manga, 1 vol, 2008
Me:-
Author:6
Another manga that consists of one longer tale coupled with a few oneshots, much like Fraction. Unlike Fraction though, this one barely squeezed a positive rating out of me because frankly the only good story is the titular Anamorphosis, which is another great showing of Kago's love and understanding of manga on a technical level as well as his ability to subvert expectations with meta storytelling. The rest of the stories are just plain bad for the most part. 6/10
Manga, 20 vol, 2000
Me:-
Author:8
Despite the fairly bland first couple of volumes this series manages to deliver in all the ways your typical battle shounen does, albeit without ever really doing much to distinguish itself from the competition. Cool characters and fun battles is pretty much all that this series is gonna mean to most readers but for a good reason. 8/10
Manga, 1 vol, 2008
Me:-
Author:8
A very sad little war story that never overstays it's welcome and manages to grip with it's tale of innocent kids during wartimes and shock you with it's contrast of relatively simple and cute visuals and the dark themes and events they portray. 8/10
Manga, 1 vol, 1955
Me:-
Author:7
A oldie, this little classic gag manga sets itself apart from most manga of its time by, first of all, actually being quite entertaining despite its age and also having an art style that is genuine appealing even after all this time. It seems to be more than one volume long so its probably one of those cases of MAL needing to update its data but who cares, nice little series. 7/10
Endou Hiroki Tanpenshuu
Tanpenshu
Manga, 2 vol, 1995
Me:-
Author:7
As my first experience with Hiroki's manga i thought i was getting into one of the best short story collections i had ever read after finishing the third story, all three seemed near perfect in writing and sufficient in terms of length so that they didn't seem like underutilized concepts. Then came the rest of this manga... I really hope that these types of stories don't show up whenever i get around to reading EDEN because they just felt forcibly edgy and ruined the amazing stories at the beginning by being included in the collection. Platform was kinda nice at parts though... 7/10
Manga, 20 vol, 1990
Me:-
Author:9
A fantastic nature vs humanity story with surprisingly good characters and emotional depth coming from an author who is more well know for his horror series than anything else. That being said, his artstyle will always give off horror vibes no matter what genre he delves into. 9/10
Manga, ? vol, 1999
Me:-
Author:3
Even with its short length i can't help but feel like it could have been shorter so as to spare me from reading it. Even if i did enjoy Hellsing and what little i have read from Drifters, Hirano Kouta does overall feel like a subpar writer at best and an edgelord pleaser at worst and it shows even in this little series. 3/10
Manga, 1 vol, 1992
Me:-
Author:7
A neat little introduction to a series that will hopefully be great whenever i get around to reading the sequel. Silly humour and a sprinkle of action makes this prototype worth reading to find out whether you would like to get into it again in a longer format or not. 7/10
Manga, 2 vol, 1996
Me:-
Author:7
Cool little collaboration between two legends of the east and west. Unfortunately the story ends way too abruptly and moves way too fast for me to enjoy it as much as i wanted but it still echoes the quality of its respective creators just enough to make it worth reading if you are a fan of them. 7/10
Manga, 2 vol, 1966
Me:-
Author:9
A series that is right up my alley, not much more needs to be said. Everything from the panelling to what is depicted in the panels and the story is experimental for its time yet it feels like quite an easy read despite that. 9/10
Kamisama no Iutoori
As the Gods Will
Manga, 5 vol, 2011
Me:-
Author:6
This series felt like one of the more cliché versions of what i can only ever call the gambling/death game genre (even though some of them don't really have life or death type of stakes). Some fairly interesting games and a bit of degeneracy as the series progressed didn't leave much to remember fondly but it is quite entertaining for what it is, here's hoping for a better...well... everything in the sequel. 6/10
Manga, 10 vol, 1990
Me:-
Author:9
A fantastic slice of life manga that kept me entertained all throughout even if it felt a bit too long by the end of it. Lovable characters, just enough balance of romance and funny gags and great pacing makes this one of the easiest slice of life manga to come back to for me. 9/10
Manga, 1 vol, 1997
Me:-
Author:4
A pretty underwhelming attempt at the Umezu Kazuo style of body horror. Lacks any of the charm of that mangaka. Not much else to say. It's Umezu Kazuo...but worse. 4/10
Nonnonbaa to Ore
NonNonBa
Manga, 2 vol, 1992
Me:-
Author:7
A wonderful little collection of vignettes from the author's childhood. I was a bit disappointed that there wasn't as much exploration of the yokai as the synopsis of this series lead me to believe and some events were already touched upon in his Showa series but it was enjoyable and whimsical nonetheless. 7/10
Manga, 1 vol, 2017
Me:-
Author:5
A series that is so short that it doesn't have the time to pull itself out of the the swamp of cliché gimmicks in order to be able to do anything noteworthy. Not really bad but definitely needed a couple more volumes at least to make a name for itself. 5/10
Manga, 1 vol, 2000
Me:-
Author:7
A fun little collection of stories that packed more of a punch than i expected. Nothing special really but still good enough to be somewhat memorable. 7/10
Manga, 8 vol, 1999
Me:-
Author:7
While not nearly as engaging or fun as Crows, and with quite a shorter story to tell by comparison, QP still manages to give you your Takahashi fix and it's fun enough. However, it can't really hope to reach the greats of it's own genre, neither in action nor in comedy. 7/10
Manga, 3 vol, 2007
Me:-
Author:4
Out of all the series of this genre, that i can only describe as the plague/catastrophe genre, that i have read i find this to be the weakest of them all. While i don't necessarily expect every read to be unique and super memorable this one clearly felt like it underutilized it's take on the genre. That coupled with mostly irredeemably annoying characters and not nearly enough levels of fun and i think i would rather just read Biomeat Nectar again. 4/10
Shurayuki-hime
Lady Snowblood
Manga, 3 vol, 1972
Me:-
Author:7
A classic revenge tale if there ever was one in manga. The plot structure works as a series of vignettes that move towards the protagonist's ultimate goal, simple and effective. There isn't anything here that i felt was extraordinary in my reading experience but it is a tale that works well within its genre especially for the early 70s. 7/10
