Pixeldrum6

What can I say? Truly a GOAT manga. Whenever I heard of JoJo, I would laugh it off. When I started to watch from the beginning, it was ok but became great. After part 6, I thought it was over. However, the author literally revitalized a great series, and this is arguable his best story and one of the best manga's of all time.

I won't go into full detail because Realhumanbean said everything that needs to be said. However I will say that it's a must read for all manga readers in my opinion. It is slow paced in the beginning, but it is well worth the wait.

The characters are very likable, both the hero's and the villain's. The villain is someone who does bad things, but for a good cause. Completely evil villains are too lame and too unrealistic. Infact, the villain will probably remind you of America's current president Donald Trump in a way.

Reading the manga compared to the anime actually made this series feel a lot worse because of the weird things the author kept showing, such as child nudity and bodily fluids. You really start to notice these things and how most of the comic relief is... awkward sexual moments with the kids. Or at least body related things. If you can look past that there's still a lot of things that bugged me about the story itself that no one really mentions. As I read on I noticed it became more focused on shocking the readers without any real reason, for example they'd hit you with something messed up and it would always find some way to relate somehow in another messed up way. Just one "shocking" thing after another, always body horror related or leading up to something body horror related. It feels unnecessary a lot of times when the base of this story has a lot of potential. The recent arc (up to chapter 54) feels a lot like filler with the main goal lost and it really serves no purpose other than to give more shock material. Honestly if I wanted to read about body horror I'd just go read something by Junji Ito. It feels like that in the recent chapters sometimes but with kids and crazy emotions mixed in. There are many attempts to get feelings out of you for these kids and the horrible things that happen but a lot of it comes from them being kids and not actual character we care about. It was sad to see those parts yes but its definitely not that deep since it just gets more and more horrific. They hit you with too many emotional scenes and not enough build up to balance.

The art is nice yes, but it's really not enough to justify the rest of this manga. It is unique but it isn't a big factor for me in deciding what makes manga better or worse. Sometimes it was a bit hard to tell what was being drawn but its still very detailed and nice to look at.

I did find it interesting to see what was happening and to learn about the abyss but it definitely drags on a bit later and over time you just kind of expect it to be messed up all the same. 

The main characters are likable in how they have their own passion and love for each other, but I found a lot of problems with Riko especially. The decisions she makes are questionable and she really would be hopeless without the other two. It's like she gets into these difficult situations without knowing the consequences...even though it's pretty clear they are bad. She cannot sit still for even a second before getting into trouble again. Nanachi and Reg are the only characters I dont have much problem with because they do have some depth to them and they make logical decisions. I dont have a problem with the side characters either, its just that none of them are really given more depth. A lot of them are barely shown at all after being introduced (trying not to spoil). 

Overall I dont really get why everyone likes this so much, maybe its the creative ways to twist kids around and make things as gross as possible that hooks everyone. Maybe the emotional rollercoaster that just keeps going but never really hits. I would maybe understand their thoughts if they only read up to around where the anime stopped but that just shows how downhill it goes. It is interesting to go through but Im not really sure if I could say this was an enjoyable read with all these flaws. It does have its moments where you want to find out what happens next and it keeps you going until you realize that nothing really changes with the characters and the story just drags to shock you.

I signed up to MyAnimeList in July 2008, and read YKK within a year. At that time, it was rated around a 9 and perennially ranked in the top 5 manga, including a stint at #1. Now, 6+ years later, it's rated 8.67 and #48, while Akira is in the top 25, a JoJo series is in the top 10, and two Urasawa manga are in the top 6.

In other words, good job, manga MAL readers!

YKK is about a young woman, Alpha Hatsuseno, who owns a small coffee shop in rural Japan and runs errands on a motorized scooter. This takes place after a global apocalypse...but that never becomes relevant to the story. And Alpha is either an android or robot...but that never becomes relevant to the story.

It's been well over 6 years since I read the manga, but I remember YKK like it was yesterday. Not because it was memorable, mind you, but because there was so damn little to remember!

There is no conflict or even plot to the 14 volumes. They consist of Alpha drinking coffee, making small talk with the few other characters, riding a scooter to various errands, and contemplating nature. That's it. Many panels don't even have speech bubbles.

I even set a personal record. I have always read manga quickly, but never before have I managed to consistently read an entire volume of work, normally 150-250 pages, in 5 minutes flat.

The whole time I was asking myself, "why am I reading this"? Is there a compelling, interesting story? No. Are the characters interesting? No. Is it funny? No. Enlightening? No. What's the damn point? I have an extremely wide range of what I'm willing to enjoy, including high school shoujo romances and avant garde, surrealist works.

But utterly empty navel-gazing? No thanks.

I can't even buy that it conveys an appreciation for nature or Shintoism. For one, I get that sense far better hiking on a trail or in a forest. And secondly, the art is far too sparse and simplistic to convey any of that imagery. Maybe if we were talking about a landscape artist on the level of John Constable, JMW Turner, or Isaac Levitan, but we're not. Even by typical manga standards, Hitoshi Ashanano's art is average and unexceptional.

What we're left with is a ruthlessly boring, empty manga.

Shinano river, magnificent and towering over Japan
Flowing endlessly through the threads of time
Spreading suffering and misery on those that dared sully its name
Oh, tragic destinies of the ones that were born therein!

1918 – Tokamachi Naka'uo – a baby is left to die in the snow, jubilant feast for the wild foxes. A star shining upon it, a mysterious wanderer happens to save it and returns it safely to its family. Was it a lucky star or a god of misfortune that sealed the fate of this young infant ? Only the Shinanogawa will remain to witness its future.

1929 - Yukie Takano doesn't know it yet but she was born from an adulterous relationship between her mother and an assistant. Living in a rather fortunate household, she couldn't have any clue about that but she still wonders why she decided to be absent from her life. She doesn't know it yet but she might have inherited the lecherous and lascivious personality from her progenitor.

Her father is also a complete freak who likes to take advantage of his servants and abuse them at will. It won't take that long for Yukie to discover the secrets of her family but she will aspire to discover the curiosities of the male body even before that, starting with Tatsukichi, the houseboy, with whom she will fall in love with and experience her first kisses, but she will have to give up on him to move to a private school far from her home. The gaps in her heart will promptly be filled up once more: enthralled by her new teacher, a forbidden relationship between an adult and a minor will cause the board of education and the headlines to rage with indignation, forcing them to elope together to burn their passion to the fullest.
However, not even this scandalous relationship with this charismatic professor will be enough to quench her thirst for physical intimacy. Awakened to a new side of herself like a wolf cut loose, Yukie's life into debauchery is only now kicking off and many other partners will enter into her life.

Shinanogawa is not exactly about a succession of Yukie's conquests and showing her frivolous existence, Shinanogawa is about her quest for identity and to find a meaning for her life, longing for affection but rejecting any form of constraints, rejecting at the same time any chance to lead a happy life. It really boils down to the slow and dramatic descent into the abyss and the pace of the story is perfectly controlled, going crescendo until there's no coming back, for her or for the poor excuses of a men that she left withering behind her.

What's the most interesting about it is how the catharsis is fulfilled in the later part of the story and how each of the characters get to contemplate their self-destruction right in the eye. It's a shame the series was only completely published in 2005, 30 years after its original start, due to false accusations of plagiarism after the movie came out and because of its low sales, probably because of the success of Dousei Jidai that completely overshadowed it as it was still running in Manga Action when Shinanogawa began its serialization. That's how Shinogawa was stuck at the 13th chapter for a long time and remained one of Kamimura's lesser known works.
It's a shame because I really think it stands in its own right in his bibliography, a romance story enhanced by its political and cultural context of the early Showa era is remarkably well portrayed and by the naturalistic side of his art that is more elaborated than in any of his other works where is style close to traditional Japanese paintings shine the brightest.

The work where his most famous catchphrase comes from "The more empty an image can get, the more beautiful it can become" absolutely needs to be read if you're interested in his works.

Children is a rough around the edges attempt at murder-based shock value. While the initial premise of the main character being sent to a daycare only to find that its actually a slaughterhouse is interesting, that intrigue only lasts for a couple of chapters resulting in a very soulless read for the most part. While there is a twist at the midpoint of the manga, the transformation of the main character is far too drastic which kills any immersion in the story. From there, Children finishes off with more shock and murder tied up in a fairly clean ending.

While this manga is a very quick read (approx. 30mins), I can't say that it's worth it unless you enjoy casual murder stories where the insanity of the characters is on full display and don't require decent story or characters. Either that or you have half an hour to spare and your standards aren't too high, then this is a passable way to kill that time.

Story: The story has some nuance to it which stops the manga from being a waste of time and there is enough mystery to give you a good enough reason to keep reading.
Art: The art of this manga won't be for everyone, as it's of a more unique style than you would usually see. That being said, the art is still good and suits the content of the manga very well.
Character: The characters in this are not good. While they are actually quite nuanced and have some decent character dynamics, the way the characters are written, with shock-value first and story consideration second, makes it difficult to care too much. There is also the issue of simply not having much time with the characters so the huge shift midway through just doesn't work well.

TLDR: Mediocre murder manga that's good for killing half an hour, just don't go into it expecting too much.

Ah, the love story between a deranged narcissist and a robotic serial monogamist; if I were to describe it in two words, it would be "toxic relationship". This tale between "two girls" is not entirely as it seems on the tin, and the people who put that tin on the market would probably be sued for false advertising. As the guidelines on this website prioritise reviews without spoilers, I'll try to provide one with as many vague, half-assed descriptions as possible.

Before I delve into the incessant waste that is the narrative, I'd like to mention the two positive things in this manga: the art, and the hook in the opening chapter. I'm not an art critic, but what I can ascertain is that it looks great. Not unbelievable, megabrain level art, but still good enough to make you think "huh, that's neat".

The plot has an interesting enough start, but it's all downhill from here. Where it all goes wrong is when the inevitable tragic event takes place, and makes every character in the story seem like not just idiots, but also completely emotionless, unempathetic aliens. To give it in short strokes, this tragic event had already taken place, and every single character knew about it, except the MC. Within these circumstances, the decisions of the love interest just seem like the actions of a sociopath. This also leaves the main character feeling like a complete robot. Completely unfeeling, and gets over probably the biggest event of her life in one chapter, making it seem like she either doesn't know or doesn't care that every single person in her life has deceived her, neither of which reflect well on her. Let me remind you, it takes her one goddamn chapter to get over [spoiler] and the fact that every character in the manga has been gaslighting her since pretty much the beginning.

As the story begins drawing towards its conclusion, you start to wonder if the MC will, by some fucking miracle, grow a functioning brain. Alas, not quite. The emotional and social intelligence of this chipmunk isn't the greatest, so she actually continues the relationship with the massive black hole of angst and sociopathy that is the love interest. You may notice the original description I gave of the main character: serial monogamist. You may not quite able to see where this is coming from based on my review so far, but that is something I can't quite get into without spoiling everything. Just know, that description is quite fitting for this nutcase.

It seems the author wanted to write something interesting, but didn't sit back to think about what the fuck they were actually writing. If they were planning on writing a plot about the love between brain transplant patients, then they certainly did their research.

This manga is a massive waste of the limited amount of time I have on this blue marble. If you have stomach acid great enough to digest this rot, then I applaud you. Take-away: don't read this.

This is a collection of stories from various points in the author's career, so, by her own admission, the art tends to vary in style and quality between stories. The second and third stories in particular have a 90s shoujo look to them (which I didn't find too appealing), whereas the first and fourth look more in line with what you'd expect from a 2000s manga.

The characters are...unremarkable; if it weren't for what they did in their stories, I wouldn't remember them for their traits. And since each story gets one chapter, the characters are only developed as much as the plot requests it.

Speaking of the plot, there is something remarkable about each story: the first story has a twist on the classic Little Mermaid fairytale (nothing special on its own but saved by the funny ending); the second...I'm still not quite sure what happens there, but I can't say I've seen it before; the third is a take on "AI being better human than humans"; and the fourth is a cute allegory for a couple learning to accept themselves and each other, presented as a fairytale.

Overall it's a mixed bag. Out of the four stories, my favorite is probably the last, followed by the second, first, and third. There's some drama (Dr. Ashley from the first story is very extra), some humor, and some headscratching (with the second story). Nothing groundbreaking, but it was a nice read nonetheless.

Story: 7 | Art: 6 | Characters: 7 | Enjoyment: 8 | Overall: 7/10

This is definitely NOT for everyone.
This is absolutely NOT for those who have a strong sense of moral/ethical values.
If you are willing to question what 'ethical' actually means - what is considered right, what is considered wrong - and especially, what are YOUR reasons for it - then you should definitely take this short but equally vast and variegated manga up.

It deals with the taboo, it deals with headstrong and underconfident characters, it questions love, sex, the body, the woman, the man - it pinches your conscience, twists it, emotionally disturbs you and puts a question bang in your face - What do these things mean to YOU?


Overall: 9/10

There are two ways this manga can be read:
1) Like an ecchi. And you get what you want with a bit of spicy stories around.
2) Taking it seriously and understanding those characters.

I never expected this manga to be so mature, to be so realistic, to actually be able to have SO MANY different characters all looking quite different, each having their own quirks, their own problems, their own defence mechanisms and their own set of values.

Initially I thought I'd be embarassed to read this and show it on my list, but now I demand, what is there to be shameful about this? Just because it has a lot of sex? I'll tell you, it gets boring to see body after body and no foreplay at all! Hahaha! But it is precisely this feeling that the characters talk about and the mangaka wonderfully makes you feel as bored of sex as they do. Because sex is only fun and healthy if there's an emotional connect. Otherwise, what's the point? It's just irritating.


Sroty: 10/10

All the stories show relationships after the 'I like you' part, well, not always but in a generic sense. It starts off with the premise... 'I like you (maybe)' - 'Okay... now what.'

What do you actually do in relationships? What ARE relationships? What are you looking for in relationships? Is it always sex? Is that the beginning and the end? And one more thing - if you were in their shoes, what would you have done? No, not what you think you would have done, but what would you have actually done?

That, you can never say. And that is what defines you, your values, your choices and whether you like it or not, that's who you are and you gotta accept it. The moment we tangle ourselves into other people's lives, everything becomes complicated. Just because humans are the more evolved species who make societies and set rules to its functionality. But when the functionality that you seek is not in tune with the larger 'demanded' ethical values, how do you deal with it?

All the stories here start with or lead to a problem - and find a means to resolve it, whether it is right or wrong. The body is fickle. The heart is fickle. Is the mind also fickle? You see excerpts of different psychologies, confused decisions, teenagers just discovering themselves, their personalities, their bodies, and coming to terms with what relationships mean. And nothing can be concrete because it never is. It is curiosity - and whether it kills the cat or helps it have an epiphany, it is definitely an experience you've gained.

I like the fact that some of the stories are actual one-shots while others continue over the volumes. It gives you different perspectives, different states of mind.


Character: 10/10

One thing I love about this, is that the mangaka, Masaya Hokazono, discards the idea of the girl as the feeble, cute, fuwa fuwa lolita. And thank god for that. The girls here are not the popular tropes, everyone's hidden side is revealed, their vulnerabilities, their overconfidence, their utter confusion, their selfishness. And the guys are not the knight in shining armour guys either - they are hurt, they are cowardly, they wonder about their own choices, they want to be loved emotionally. You may end up hating the characters, but I saw more human characters in this manga than any other I've read and that's why I love them so much. There is a strong sense of the statement 'Fuck Perfection - it doesn't exist'.

The characters are always curious - the 'what if...' hangs at the tip of their tongues. They are teenagers, young adults, both mature and immature, testing the waters, exploring, gaining insight, understanding bit by bit and thus, seeking something - solace, refuge, affirmation - a way of functioning in their own lives.

I feel Hokazono has definitely been in some of these situations. You wouldn't know to write of it otherwise. He has captured the psychology, the complex mental mechanics so very well, that even if the stories are short, you get a glimpse of that complexity.

Much of the stories deal with the idea of cheating. And Hokazono's not out there telling you if it's right or wrong. You hardly have dialogues that are preachy. He is not here to preach but to display what is as is. Even if your heart says one thing, your body reacts differently. And it can be the other way round. Which space you find comfort in, and how you go about using that comfort in order to deal with other things, whether it's escapism, fantasy or plain selfishness, is really upto you.

I find it fascinating that the characters come to life and are not mediated by the author. At no point do I feel that Hokazono is forcing characters into the direction he wants - instead, it's liberating as the characters decide how to deal with themselves, whether they know they'll regret it or not.

Some of the characters develop, while some are there just to show that such a situation exists, and yes, it can happen. It's true that it falls flat when the character just goes 'let's do it'. You wonder how easy they are with their bodies to fling it around. But in a society that has no conservative restrictions and peer-pressure is galore, modern Japan is something to wonder about. I come from a conservative family so it was a bit hard to digest some of the scenes, but I realise that generations younger to me are perhaps all the more liberal, maybe naive or just wanting to fit in. At times I wonder if teens would really act this way, but as I gather more stories from my friends, I realise all the more how varied lives and lifestyles can be.


Art: 10/10 ; Enjoyment: 7/10

I club Art and Enjoyment together because there is strategy used here. The artwork as such is fantastic, wonderful skill with lines, detailed backgrounds, wide variety of angles, very differentiated character designs (although, initially the girls would all seem to have rounded faces and broad jaws). The backgrounds could have been better, it does get better later on. But while the characters break ground, their designs are still popular - thin, sexy, handsome, cute. Come on, where are the fat people, the freckled etc? Well, they wanted the manga to sell so they catered to the popular demand. I wish at least one story would have had an unpopular, unexpected couple. The spectacled characters are cute too.

When it comes to the sex scenes.. Bettencourt (the artist) in combination with Hokazono's stories makes you question your own excitement of seeing nude bodies. If the excitement is only about the revelation of the body by stripping clothes to see how they actually look underneath, then the mangaka easily dishes out to your fantasy and strips body after body after body to please your eyes and you can masturbate to your hearts content - but that just means you've lost the point and you're looking at this work pornographically. You're losing the essence, the whole implication. The body is just the body, what is there to be aroused by it? It is the person inside who arouses you.


Wow, I can't believe I wrote that much. But that's what I feel. This manga makes you think and think hard. I definitely feel that some places, a few more frames would've been better to emotionally connect with those characters and their thoughts, even if it seems the mangaka was aiming for something. There is a deliberate attempt here at subversion. As much seinen it is, it is also josei.
I definitely recommend reading this through.

Again, i'm french, so don't mind too much my english writing skills.


Deus ex Machina, in a certain way, it's one manga for witch i was wainting for. Surely because of its steampunk/far west vibes.

Story : So Deus ex machina, narrate the story of two character, Machina, a young girl, and her Clockworkers, Deus. Both them are members of an organization called CWA, which's goal is to destroy all the clockworkers. At this point, an explanation is necessary : Clockworkers, are robot, who were created in the sole purpose of war. Originally, they are killing machine, but it doesn't prevent them to have a personnality, and thus, their own will.
After a tremendous and awful war, governements choose to make them disappear, but many clockworkers continue to roaming around, and are great peril for humans.

A quite good start, two character roaming over the counrty, destoying dangerous robots and stuff. Later in the story, another organization appears, with an unknown goal. The bads makes their entry...

So, the story is quite simple, but with a little vibes that detach it from others manga.

Art : Very good, I like the character design, and the background. Both are quite correct, and the drawing is dynamic.
There is some ecchi in it, but it's not overhelming the story

Character :

I'm truly loving Machina and Deus : Machina is one former rich girl, hautaine, who's considerate other people like her inferior, or so it seems. But contraly to the stereotypical character, she's not hopeless, weak, and annoying character. She is almost by herself, and refuse to have to depend on others. And thus, i love her character design.
Behind her, stand Deus, a huge robot, who's always holding a book similar to the Bible. Quiet and comprehensive, he is the opposite of Machina, and so, he is also a perfect "supporter" ( I don't know how to say it in english, sorry guys ) for Machina, taking care of the thing that she wouldn't bother to do.

The third, main character, is luke, who's just a bothering character for the moment, a coward, crybaby guy. His parents were killed by a clockworkers, and because of that, he want to be stronger. When Deus and machina kicked the one responsible for his parents death, he started to following them around.
Since it's a young character, his personnality is right, but I wish he had a bigger role in the events. It's the only male character (yep, for the moment, most of them are female or clockworkers or also female clockworkers).
The sole exception is a guy who's looking like Viral from gurren lagann, and on who the authors seems to have worked a lot. He has one of the most original fighting style I have seen in all the manga I have read so far.

So, to conclude on the character, I will say they are all good, with flaw, and no a single of them is really stereotypical.

Enjoyment : I'm really enjoying this manga so far, I'm just waiting the moment when Luke will stop to be a crybaby, and begins to take actions. I wish he could get older too. At this point of thestory, he seems to be 10 years old, i would prefer a 15/16 years character... Thre is not many chance for that to happen, thus. *sigh*

In conclusion, I would just say that it's a great start for this manga, even if the author doesn't seem to really care about the meaning of "Deus Ex machina" so far :D

Wow so what can I say about this manga. It's honestly beautiful.
Ema toyama doesn't get nearly enough recognition. Her art is always beautiful and her stories always engaging. I honestly think she is a master of her craft. Not every story needs to be ground breaking or have some shocking twist. Toyama sensei is a master of the shojo formula. She hits all the right beats and keeps you interested. I've heard complaints that her stories are generic, but I see nothing wrong with that. things seem generic because they work well and are featured prominently because of it. You can still tell the difference between someone who tells a story poorly versus someone who excels.

Art. 10/10
Seriously this womans art is beautiful. And she experiments with different coloring style for the color pages.

Characters. 9/10
Aoba has a unique problem and the source of his problem is entirely relatable. Hea of course hits some of the generic markers of a dense mc later on but more then makes up for it both before and after.

Mayo is someone I can relate to a lot. She is shy and quiet, but wants to help others and improve herself. She struggles to talk and find her her voice, but is a skilled listener. She has a lot of character development and I am so proud of her.

Nao is adorable and despite being the third point in the love triangle never seems annoying. He is genuinely a sweet boy who loves his friends more then anything.

The rest of the cast doesn't get a lot of attention. But the key players on the basketball team and the other manager all have some great moments. They really together and support each other. And they are more then welcoming to sakurada who seems like she shouldnt wouldn't even be interested in being a manager at first.

The story. 8.5/10. I love this story. I read it all in 3 days and even purchased the last several books so I could finish it. The story is about mayo who was helped by a boy in middle school. He simply listened to her problems. This stuck with her and she fell for him, but she had to move.

Now in high school they go to the same school again. But she is to shy to approach him. Mayo takes a job at her aunt's listening house to help her family with money. The listening house is a unique concept that works much like seeing a therapist. You go and vent your frustrations, only these people just listen. One day Aoba, her crush comes to the house and vents about how he has to quit the basketball team and doesn't enjoy it. Mayo decides she will do everything she can to get him to explain more and more as his listening house girl, and decides to get involved as the team's manager.

I'll let you read the story to find out the details. The story its self is well written and flows nicely. It respects its characters enough not to push them into situations that dont make sense for them, or pretend that these characters have grown more then they really have.

My only complaint is the last chapters feel a tad rushed. And it hits ome of the most generic shojo basics. The dreaded.

Major spoiler below this point.

The dreaded move. Now it doesn't resolve this issue in typical shojo fashion. In fact it even has several time jumps to show the happy ending. The first 1 year later and the last far enough in the future to depict mayo and Alba's happily ever after.

End of spoilers.

The story gives you closure for its main characters. Both career wise and romance wise. I promise you won't be disappointed if you give this story a chance. On my personal list I intended to give this story a 9. After more reflection maybe even a 10. But for the review I'll stick to a solid 8.5 overall. Which I'll wind up to a 9. So far this is my favorite work by Toyama sensei and I look forward to reading more.