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Book reviews
JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken Part 7: Steel Ball Run
JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken Part 7: Steel Ball Run
JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken Part 7: Steel Ball Run
JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken Part 7: Steel Ball Run review
JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken Part 7: Steel Ball Run
Apr 16, 2021
JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken Part 7: Steel Ball Run review
After watching all the currently aired parts (1-5), I decided to continue by going through the manga since I was incredibly interested in part 7. Part 6 already proved a very pleasant surprise after the amazing part 5 anime adaptation, but Steel Ball Run is definitely the king of all currently completed JoJo parts. [Minor spoilers]

[Story: 9]
Part 7's story is overall quite simplistic, revolving around a 6 thousand kilometer horseback race across america to win a massive prize of $50 000 000. What makes this race special besides it's massive scale is however the fact that unbeknownst to a lot of the participants, the race was put up in order to collect corpse parts of a "saint".

Steel Ball Run managed to briefly catch my interest in the first few chapters, but unfortunately after that I was met with a somewhat sluggish and boring 20+ chapters. In SBR the stands are introduced quite far into the manga, and the first stand fights are nothing extraordinary. After reading the arc "A True Man's World" in chapters 33-35 I was however instantly hooked, and it's after this arc that the story starts to pick up.

The stand fights may not necessarily be better than in previous JoJo's, but every encounter feels well grounded in the actual story of SBR, making them feel much more engaging than in previous parts. Couple that with the fact that people aren't talking about their stand powers 24/7.

[Characters: 9]
The characters in part 7 are simply incredible, and since I don't think I can justify their greatness without a 50k character essay, so briefly:
- Great villain, great "good guys". Everyone has a well written backstory, everyone's character has depth. Side characters usually stand out on their own.

[Art: 10]
Although the art is not the best I have seen, comparing this to the previous JoJo parts is light and day. There wasn't a single bad panel, and even the unimportant, smaller panels can easily be compared to the cover art of previous parts.

[Enjoyment 8]
Unfortunately I simply didn't find this part better in terms of enjoyment compared to the previous part 6, but it stands above it in all other aspects.
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Akatsuki no Yona
Akatsuki no Yona
Akatsuki no Yona
Akatsuki no Yona review
Akatsuki no Yona
Apr 16, 2021
Akatsuki no Yona review
Akatsuki no Yona is the reason why I like so much everything about anime and manga.
So, let’s start talk about Akayona.

When I found the anime adaptation was love at first sight, then I had started to read the manga immediately. At the same time, I was watching the anime. Akayona isn’t a classical shoujo manga which the princess live a beautiful and romantic life to have a happy ending. This is shoujo manga about war, betrayal and power struggle but also it’s about love, overcoming and friendship.

Story: 10/10
Akayona is complex story and I love stories full of details.
I think that is very difficult for an author to be able to keep the level of the story from the beginning until the end (Akayona hasn’t end yet), but Mizuho Kusanagi can do it with mastery.
Another point to considerate about Akatsuki no Yona that I think very important is the way the author managed to unite so many classic elements of Japanese culture like dragons, warriors, kingdoms related with natural elements.
All of this makes reader to immerse is this world.

Art: 10/10
As I said, this story is rich, full of details. The design is very very beautiful and there is even maps in the manga to you understand better the story.

Character: 10/10

I read some complaints about Akayona. Some people have said that Yona doesn’t develop in this story, she is almost a whiner who needs someone's help. At the beginning of the story it's true, but everywhere else you can see how she becomes strong and confident.
Yona demonstrates great value by being humble enough to recognize that she didn't know the reality of her kingdom, and, even with all her weakness, she does not give up on to make it a better place to the people live. Only after that, she intend claim the throne back.
As for the other characters, each one has his personal stories, one more beautiful than another, by the way. And as for the antagonist of the story you fall in love with him at the same time that you want to kill him.

Another very important point in any manga that Mizuho Kusanagi succeeds in mastering again is the fact that all characters are important, there are not too many characters and not less, each has its own role within the plot.

Enjoyment/Overall: 10/10
In order not to prolong, I can say that it is really a story worth reading.
In addition, among the shoujo manga listed in MAL, it is the one with the highest note (8.88), and this story really deserves this position.
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Jikkyou!! Izumi-kun no Koi Moyou
Samurai 8: Hachimaru Den
Samurai 8: Hachimaru Den
Samurai 8: Hachimaru Den
Samurai 8: Hachimaru Den review
Samurai 8: Hachimaru Den
Apr 12, 2021
Samurai 8: Hachimaru Den review
Samurai 8. Done. 43 Chapters. I could've probably squashed in 2.5 hrs but here I am. I almost a year later. Rushed climax aside, the heart of Kishimoto's second main title isn't one to be dismissed out of hand.

The story really did have the foundation to go far and maybe, clearer and more concise than Naruto got to be. If I presume there were reasons why Samurai 8 didn't succeed and if I had to guess I'd wager it was:

- The Aesthetic of the world of Samurai 8. There is a initial density of visual information combined with the amount of clear negative space from the Samurai tech and holders that leaves action sometimes hard to follow. I'd say though that this get cleaned up and refined as the series continues.

- The density of lore. Within the first 20 chapters, when we could probably assume that the Sam8 team didn't know they'd have to wrap up the series in 23 more chapters, we're getting a LOT of information. It's pointed out by Hachi that his teacher Daruma will go off on long lectures. While not the deepest dives, the idea that he exposits too frequently is right on the money even if self aware.

To compare to Naruto, Chapter 20 we knew about the Nine Tail fox, Ninja Presidents, evil ninjas, and the Sharingan but only it's copy function. I figure the reason we might of gotten a heavier hand at the start was either because Kishimoto after 15+ years with Naruto and ever aware of it's defects with plotting, wanted to establish more of the world's rules and continuity ahead of time. Or he felt a rush from early on to try to say as much as he could as quickly as he could in fear of a premature cancellation of this title. Regardless, I figure it would've calmed down if we were to have even been able to make it 10 volumes at least.

- Lastly, Boruto. I feel when "legendary" mangaka behind Naruto of Big 3 fame is coming out with a new work, it might be beneficial to be the one thing that the community you've fostered for more than a decade could follow. As an immediate sequel to Naruto, Boruto obviously would be the one with the greatest focus. Even with Naruto being used to boaster the advertising for Hachimaru, it would be strange to suspect that would be enough to tip the scales when Boruto can be said to have Naruto Uzumaki in it. So on top of being in the normal Shonen Jump weekly contest for supremacy but Samurai 8 was also in a fight to be the true spiritual successor of one of the greatest series in recent Shonen Jump history.

I recently saw a poll comparing Samurai 8 and Burn the Witch, Tite Kubo's newest project, for reader interest among Japanese readers. Burn the Witch won in a landslide and I figure that's because of the one shot drawing a direct connection to Bleach. From experience, I can tell you Burn the Witch is mid at best. It's alright. Girls are cute and the foundation on its own divorced from the parent story could be something fun to build on but it is suppose to be a Bleach follow-up. For the limited run, the main force driving me forward was trying to see how it connected back.

With all that said, Samurai 8 had solid characters and while some of the more modern tropes appeared to turn some people off, I can't help but have found the direction I felt the principle cast was going would've been a joy to see. It would've been a real thrill to see if Ann and Hachi would be able to prove that Kishimoto had improve his understanding of how to convey romance. It all felt very promising. And I enjoy myself up until the rush finale.

It's not great. Naruto, in it's totality wasn't either, but it was good. And if Kishimoto and Ookubo want to follow up on the sequel door they built in there at the end, I'd be all for it.

Couldn't really be Samurai 8 then huh? Probably Samurai Princess: Ann then.


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11TH CAT
Bluesteel Blasphemer
Bluesteel Blasphemer
Bluesteel Blasphemer
Bluesteel Blasphemer review
Bluesteel Blasphemer
Apr 08, 2021
Bluesteel Blasphemer review
*contains minor spoilers*
So this series was extremely interesting in the beginning, but then it got cancelled and was concluded with only four volumes. That alone should be enough information for some people. Still interested?

Story: At a sacrificial ceremony the main character saves the damsel in distress and kills a local God. Thus becoming the new local God. This was a good, solid beginning of a story. But after that nothing really happens. The villagers won't accept a human as the new God, romance goes nowhere due to the yandere lil'sister. And fights can last 20 pages and end with the enemy running away only to return later.

Characters: With the non blood-related yandere lil'sister and the Over Powered main character out for revenge after the big-sister was murdered by the church, it's all so generic while being too much too fast. A story should have characters grow, but this feels like missing the first movie of a trilogy.

All in all, the world itself is among the most interesting ones I've read about. But the focus on drama and too long fight scenes makes the story lose it's charm. No real explanation about how he created guns or the motorcycle in a medieval fantasy world. And with (yet another) incest romance ending, I lost any respect for this piece of literature I had.

Honestly, I wanted to like this series'. But the author simply wasn't good enough to make this interesting fantasy world into a growing story. It was cancelled but at least the author got some experience.
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Dungeon Seeker
Dungeon Seeker
Dungeon Seeker
Dungeon Seeker review
Dungeon Seeker
Apr 07, 2021
Dungeon Seeker review
This has got to be for me, the most disappointing manga I have ever, which is surprising because both after and before it i had read so much manga, and i have even read trashy generic manhwas that just repeat the same thing over and over, and I think I actually enjoyed them more than I did this.

The start was good, I really liked it, it was the whole evil god sending them to a different world for entertainment, which to me was pretty nice, but right afterwards it just killed it. It starts of with a literal time skip. We genuinely don't know anything about anything and yet we already got a time skip , with nothing at all interesting happening at all throughout that time skip? The characters at the start were pretty nice and I really like the desperation of the Main Character to survive and the whole dungeon is relatively nicely mapped out, the levels are cool, but that is where the good ends. Without mentioning what happens inside of the dungeon, I will just say that all the intensity, seriousness and feeling just evaporates into thin air. The entire story and plot from after he enters the dungeon just feels so rushed as if it is a speedrun. New characters appear and disappear pretty much in the same chapter and of my main reasons for wanting to continue this manga just vanished. Afterwards a random timeskip, then the final battle, which was disappointing and I felt no emotion whatsoever. Right after the battle there is ANOTHER timeskip, and it ends. That's it. I have never been as disappointed in a manga as I have here. It is actually wild how it started good, then it began a speed run and finished as if in less than 3 chapters. The story felt good at the start, had multiple forces pulling it forward but by the end all those were gone, killed off as if they were extras.
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Dragon Ball: Episode of Bardock
Dragon Ball: Episode of Bardock
Dragon Ball: Episode of Bardock
Dragon Ball: Episode of Bardock review
Dragon Ball: Episode of Bardock
Apr 06, 2021
Dragon Ball: Episode of Bardock review
Something we've all waited for(well I waited for at least), A Bardock chapter i was quite thrilled to see the heros father come back and finally kick some ass! Afterwards I was satisfied, yet I wish they would have done more with it.


Story: 7
Honestly its not that strong.But being based of a CARD GAME, yes thats right its based off of a card game it does quite well for itself. It takes place right after the Bardock special, but at the same time before... It confused me, for we all know Bardock's useless psychic powers, but how does he time travel? That's never really explained through out the three chapters. I wish that Ooishi Naho would expand upon this point to explain how Bardock got on Planet plant, hundreds and hundreds of years in the past. Other than that its quite enjoyable, seeing Bardock again made me EXTREMELY happy which leads me into.....

Characters: 8
There is minor character development, but the reason being that this special was quite short which left little to no time for character to really change. I'll only cover the 2 main characters from the manga and not any of the Planet Plant People for they were all generally the same, weak timid shy kind.

The hero of the Chapters is you guessed it: Bardock.
It seems the visions of his son havent changed him much. He still has his rough Saiyan exterior. He acts a lot like Vegeta cold, yet is good deep down in side. Personally Bardock is Portrayed extremely well Ooishi Naho got it right with his attitude and refusal of help from any one, and to his Anti-Socialness.
Bardock does "Warm up" a little towards the end, and goes berserk at the sight at the new villain Chilled, who happens to look just like Freeza

The Villain: Chilled (I always wonder why the cold jokes)
With the outward appearance we can assume that he is Freeza's and King Cold's Distant ancestor, and appears to be in his 4th form from the get go. I wish there was more build up to the fight but, just the sight of Chilled made something snap in bardock mind and just made him scream.. "FREEEEEEEEZZZZZZAAAAAAAAAAA" and begin to attack him. Personality is like the rest of the Unnamed race, Arrogant Prideful in their ability and a total tyrant. He kills his own solders for no good reason other than the fact that he could. We honestly see where Freeza and cold get from. I wish they would finally name this damn race and go further with the whole Freeza family thing. It'd be cool to see more of his race running with him and how they differ, Ooishi Naho miss this chance to clarify on that which is very disappointing.

Art: 8
Ooishi Naho did a great job in capturing Toriyama's style. Being his student i didn't except anything less from her. My only complaints really are; the Planet seems a bit dry, and boring and extremely Bland. the background isn't the best, it doesn't seem as detailed, which is disappointing, for she has drawn Dragon Ball SD AMAZINGLY. My 2nd complaint is the Planet plant people. the way they look bugs me.... a lot.... The way they look seem to cartoony for dragon ball or Z so... they seem out of place.


Overall: 8
If you love Bardock and you want to expand the Dragon Ball Universe just a little more give it a read. Its fun its amazing and personally a great read for any fan of Bardock would love this. Be be warn fans of Broly might not approve.

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Doubt
Doubt
Doubt
Doubt review
Doubt
Apr 06, 2021
Doubt review
Unlike some people above me, I really liked this manga, and that's exactly because it's different. The main characters are different, than in common shoujo mangas, the plot seems to be pretty normal, but in the end, the story often moves in the opposite dirrection, then you expect. Some people call that unrealistic, but I think it's just original. I mean, 99 of 100 shoujo heroins would dump the guy imediately, if they knew, he was involved with other women(and that even in case it was just in the past, and not actual at all...), and I guess we all read it and hope, that now she'll treat him the way he deserves it, and dump him, and he would be depressed, tries to apologise, does something incredible to make her forgive him and so on and so on... but isn't it already a very common and often used scenario? I think it's much more interesting the way it was made, cause in real life you don't have such ideal guys running all over the world, and you have to try hard to be with the one you love and to maintain the relationship, though it would be really nice if you just could run off sulking by every problem, while the man would chase after you trying his best to win you back XD Yeah, the main hero is really not a typical shoujo knight on a white horse. He's nothing like the type "Oh, I fell in love with her, and will love her and only her for the rest of my life and will do anything for her". Or at least he wasn't that way till the late chapters. He doesn't mind saying something that hurts her, and it's not unintentional at all. He isn't perfect and doesn't have ideal reasons for his behaviour all the time. Well, he's a teenager after all... When I read shoujo manga, I almost forget, that teenagers aren't really perfect men in each aspect XD

And about that issue of wrong message, that is mentioned in the first review... I think, the message is totaly ok. Because it really says that most people can do something about their looks, if they have the will and put some efforts into it. Of course, if the people want to. And it's no use just blaming everything in the world on the looks, or covering own laziness with ideals like "looks don't matter if the person is good inside". I mean, of course it does count what's inside, but it doesn't mean people can use it as an excuse for not doing anything about the outside. If someone doesn't feel good about his looks, he should just do something so he would be content with himself, why should it be so wrong?
If this manga sends wrong message, then what about all the other shoujo manga? The people there are always cute or beautifull, does that mean they say that ugly people have no chance in love at all? XD

And finally, probably one of the most important reasons for me liking the manga, is the fact, that it's really funny. I mean, most of shoujo mangas are just romantic. Well, they try to be funny, but it's pretty hard to not to end by those cliche jokes, that are everywhere, and are not funny at all anymore... Just the moment during their scholl trip: "I don't have money for a love hotel! - So let's earn it! Hey, foreigner, buy this, see, it's a japanese item, the sign say's "National treasure"" :D It's really rare coming across a funny romantic manga. So I think Doubt!! is really good one, in every aspect.
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Asatte Dance
Asatte Dance
Asatte Dance
Asatte Dance review
Asatte Dance
Apr 05, 2021
Asatte Dance review
Originally serialized in the US in Viz's sadly defunct Pulp magazine, Assate Dance (from this point onward referred to by its English title Dance Till Tomorrow) tells the story of college student Suekichi who, much to his surprise, inherits 450 million yen from his recently deceased great grandfather. But the old guy couldn’t resist attaching a few conditions: in order to claim the fortune, Suekichi will have to graduate from college, marry, and establish a career. Having planned to drop out of school so that he could devote all his time to the theatre troupe of which he is a producer (more out of admiration for its leader, the lovely Ms Shimomura, than any particular ambition), he suddenly finds himself having to reassess his priorities. What’s more, a mysterious young seductress named Aya suddenly appears and attaches herself to him - and she knows of the inheritance.

And so begins Naoki Yamamoto’s hilarious adult romantic comedy. Dance Till Tomorrow boasts sharp, snappy dialogue and subtle characterisation, all punctuated with a hefty dose of humour and raw sexual energy. Protagonist Suekichi has to contend with a procession of oddballs, including an over-zealous actor, a frighteningly well-endowed (and questionably stereotyped) south Asian immigrant, a persistent ex-husband, and theatre loving Yakuza. Stressed, paranoid, and generally exasperated with the parade of weirdoes imposing themselves on his life, he skulks around with a perpetual, and comical, suspicious narrow-eyed glare.

While much of Dance Till Tomorrow’s humour is dry and deadpan, there are plenty of absurd moments: the ghost of Suekichi’s great grandfather occasionally appears before him to offer sagely (or not) advice, the reader kept guessing as to whether ghosts really exist in this world of Yamamoto’s creation or if these encounters are simply a symptom of Suekichi’s ever-worsening mental state. And in one of the funniest moments of the story, Suekichi - finally overcome with the stress of university, holding down a part-time job, his role as drama troupe producer and accountant, dealing with all the crazies, and Aya's advances - starts to exhibit physical symptoms of his anxiety. And though it seems cruel, you can’t help but be amused by his suffering.

But without doubt the manga’s best creation is Aya - the devious and manipulative sexpot who seems to take great pleasure in messing with Suekichi‘s increasingly fragile mind. She becomes a permanent fixture in his life, cropping up everywhere, seducing him, and generally driving him crazy. And the reader, much like Suekichi, is never quite sure of her true motives. Is she, as Suekichi believes, interested in nothing but his fortune? Or does she genuinely have feelings for him? While she seems offended by his accusations, she refuses to explicitly deny that they’re true. Instead, she exposes his hypocrisy; she may or may not be a gold-digger, but there’s no question that he’s only too happy to use her for sex. She’s a wonderful character, powerful and intelligent, and she knows exactly how to get what she wants. But as the story progresses we see different sides of her, and begin to question whether maybe she’s more than just a calculating nymphomaniac. Later, Suekichi becomes interested in another woman, who happens to be the polar opposite of of Aya, and this brings a new dimension to his character, too.

Dance Till Tomorrow is one of the more explicit non-pornographic manga I’ve read. Each volumes features at least two or three highly erotic sex scenes, mostly between Suekichi and Aya, and often blurring is required to obscure genitalia. But despite this, the sex never feels gratuitous or unnecessary; it's simply a part of life and it's depicted as such.

If there’s one sticking point, it’s Yamamoto's art. While the designs are attractive, particularly the women, from certain angles characters appear off model and, frankly, almost deformed. It is, however, something that the reader becomes accustomed to. Some characters are simply designed to be ugly, and there’s plenty of exaggerated facial expressions, mostly courtesy of the hapless Suekichi. Finally, the background art is adequate, doing what it needs to and little else.

In the back of the early books there is a brief interview with Naoki Yamamoto. In it he states that he writes “Ordinary stories about ordinary people - but they have to be erotic”. That sums up Dance Till Tomorrow perfectly. It’s a realistic and mature portrayal of adult relationships, and it’s funny too.
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