Ione3

Steel ball run is another example of why JoJo should have ended in Pt 3. Despite having a score of 9.22, it was easily the worst arc of JoJo, taking place after another good point to stop the show. Containing a mediocre plot, bad stand writing, bad characters, and horrible battles makes me wonder about Araki's credibility and his ability to write two solid parts in a row.

Going into Steel Ball Run, I was expecting a good story, but got the typical transcontinental race. Yes, the typical transcontinental race that takes place in any Midwest American set anime. This plot is by no means unique or different, meaning that there are a couple of things they can do to make the plot entertaining. One, they can add great characters to balance it out, two, they can add a new element that makes sense and is interesting to it, or three, they can make it so over the top and unbelievable, that it comes off as amazing. What did Part 7 try to do? Every single one of them, but not in the capacity needed. And one other significant change is the change to a seinin, meaning long chapters that either flow greatly or are slower than Polnereff in turtle form. And as you could guess, it was the latter.

Now the first problem with this part is the characters, who were insufferable, and impossible to watch without getting annoyed at them. We have Johnny Joestar, who is just annoying, and somehow powers up even more than Goku. Now there are so many problems with him, starting with his personality. Araki likes to make each Joestar different and unique so that the parts are never dull, and I respect that, as it helps each part feel different. But when you disable a person for personality and then forget it, you've gone wrong. Johnny seems to be like Speedwagon, a guy who is there just to react. If you look at his character interactions, he just seems to narrate what happens, while Gyro at least adds something. He acts more as the peanut gallery than a character, as he has to specifically tell us what is happening on screen at all times.

And despite this disability, it seems like he doesn't have one. Aside from the first chapter, he just trots on his horse, pretending he isn't. And unlike FMA, where it shows these small scenes that convey how disabled Ed and Al are, it entirely skips over it. In every fight, he somehow lands on the ground and can somehow move around. It's understandable you can drag yourself with your arms, but if you are paralyzed waist down, you don't have a vast range of motion. It is also pretty hard to move around using your hands while shooting fingernail bullets out of the same ones you are using to move. His broken powers didn't help either, as he just becomes more of a Merry Sue. There was no way Johnny mastered those techniques in seconds that Gyro spent his whole life learning. The one bit of character that is forced upon us is the noble, and his somewhat pacifistic tendencies, used as buildup for when he goes “Hard Mode.” This switch and mentality makes no sense, especially if we look at his backstory and how he deals with enemies in fights. It was obviously an allusion to the nobility of Jonathon in PT1, but just does not work. And his final stand was GER all over again, and equally as bad.

The 14-year girl married to the 50-year-old balding man was Araki's poor attempt with mystery and suspense. He tries to have both parts happening simultaneously but fails and ruins one of the few real characters. Her being scared is a natural reaction, but there is no way a scared out of her mind 14 year old would decide to infiltrate the people with these magical powers without any of her own. Her character, who was portrayed as innocent and bashful quickly turns into a stealth operative who knows which buttons to press, and which ones not too. Hot pants who was only there a healer, fine to do as l
ong as she doesn’t be painted as a complex or main character, but sadly that is the case. She receives a character arc that doesn’t resolve, only mentioned in a stand fight, and literally the reason the fight turned out to be that way. She gets a backstory that starts, never finished, and has a clear goal for her to finish it, but it never does. Jesus, who was literally the crux of the whole part, was left criminally unexplained and showed up in that same fight which Hot Pants created. He appears only there, but never appears again.

Remember how this is a race, and they have to name the winners and give them designs. Well, Araki seemed to be lazy, as every single drawn character that was not the main trio, was a villain. That's right; the second problem is the villains, and what's worse, their motivations. It seems like each villain group on each part had some reason to oppose the main characters, aside from the ones in SBR. Despite going in a race that would give them 5Billion dollars, I repeat 5 Billion Dollars, they would rather risk it because a shadowy figure said they would get superpowers. Then they would accept and go to deathmatches so that a new character can take the spot of an opponent when they die. They never questioned that an insane amount of characters kept dying in the race, and didn’t connect the dots in what happened. Unlike part 3, where they had a flesh bud that made them follow DIo, or Part 5, where they were loyal assassins, and members of the Mafia that were contracted to do it, the these people just followed a random guy who they didn’t even know their identity. The villain writing was really slacking in this part, and probably the worst in the series. There is suspension of disbelief, and then there is asking someone to freeze it mid air while in a typhoon larger and rotating faster than Jupitor.

The third issue is the combat, which really suffers in this part. Remember how there was Hamon, and Araki discarded it when he said it was a one-trick pony. Remember when he created stands as a replacement and a whole new concept, that would develop interesting fights that had to depend of whit and who could figure out each others stand abilities. Remember how the universe reset would only change the situations people were in, as they were merely transferred to a different world.

Well, that shouldn't change stands, but they did anyway. In this part, it didn't seem they had stands but magical abilities. It appeared to be a mix of the old stands and new ones, as some people had magical powers and others straight-up stands. This also further ruined the combat. While the fun of stands were these unique and unknown abilities that they had to decipher and beat, these fights set up just boring fights like Hamon. However, you have to give credit to Araki as he attempts to make it like stand fights.......... and fails. The characters over-explain every action when it is blindingly clear, and the combat isn't necessarily combat, just Gyro and Jonny using the same attack repeatedly. While stand fights didn't need amazing choreography as they were weird unexplainable abilities, Pt 8 has to, as all the main characters do is shoot balls and shoot fingernails. These battles also have to be interesting, as every episodic chapter or set of chapters involved someone attacking them. The characters are bad, the story is boring, so what else do these chapters bring aside from fights? And the stand formula only hurts this part, as even the week's predictable stand with a cool ability, becomes a generic battle lasting five chapters, where we see the same tactic be employed again and again.

The fourth issue is the story, which is both slow and pointless. As mentioned earlier, the story is a weak excuse as one, just a way to make it that there are characters nearby and they could look for the corpse. While all these other Jojo parts are looking for a dangerous villain and targeting them, this one is just looking for a corpse. Their whole reasoning for the corpse was the power lust Johnny felt, and nothing else. And because of this, they are perfectly fine with risking their lives for a power rush(as Gyro points out way too many times). The story's pacing was also abysmal, as each chapter was an unrelated fight. Consisting of pointless battles to convince you that it is a seinen, this further slows down the borderline unmoving plot. In each chapter, there had to be a conflict in which they further ruined the part. Rather than have a couple of understandable battles and the other chapters focusing on the race and the characters, it only did battles. If you think about it, the first stage was a race, and then it was completely forgotten, until the last five chapters with Diego, where these background characters suddenly appeared after 80 chapters of no screen time. And Again, while Part 3 and Part 5 had a similar set up, they used their insane fights, and their characters to stay interesting, not mentioning that in each fight they either got close to Egypt(as shown on the map each episode) or they had found another clue or lead against the boss.

And finally, the power escalation.

Now there comes the point in any show that there has to be a power boost of some sort. There is little tension in a fight where the bad guy is as strong as the Shōnen protagonist in the first episode. And like P5, this is a part where Araki goes overboard, where the somewhat grounded in reality powers, spiral out of control(No pun intended). With Gyro's introduction and their team-up, Araki set up that Gyro would do most of the fighting, and Johnny would help in the background. Gyro had this rotation ability, and Johnny has a weaker version that could back up Gyro. But sadly, he switched it where Johnny got all these versions of Tusk and rotation, WHICH GYRO TAUGHT HIM AND CHOSE NOT TO USE. Johnny was a worse version of Star Platinum, where while it made sense Jotaro was that strong, and had all those powers, it simply didn't for Johnny. He just powered every other chapter, his fingernail bullets constantly alternating between the rotation "natural ability" and a stand.

Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, while a fun thing to say, was just the author's way of keeping the cash cow alive. They had 15 chapters of in and out fighting, and then Dio again to prolong the part. Unlike all these other parts, which had these three episodes finales of just one constant adrenaline run battle, in which you were on the edge of your seat the whole time, it was fragmented. They clashed at least four separate times, in which they would attack, Valentine escape and killing an ally, the good guys catch up and lose an ally but injure him, valentine heal, and then repeat. Despite having the ability to just hide in a different dimension and wait for a while (as he had all but two corpse pieces), he decides to face them off, mano to mano, where he loses due to plot armor.

In Conclusion, Jojo Pt 7 was a hastily put part that copied and pasted too much of Pt5 and Pt3. When he saw people liked the 2D power-ups for bigger explosions and a self insert with a broken ability, Araki decided to do the same in pt7. It got to the point that the only part that felt like Jojo was the copied and pasted parts of Pt 5. Many times while reading this, I would think of this as just a manga, rather than a JoJo part. If you liked the first 3 parts, or the interesting stands that were in the middle three parts, I suggest you stop at Part 6, and save yourself from possibly the worst part in the story.

Overall 4/10

Hajime No Ippo Dispite it Having some weak points.Its still a great Manga never the less.

Story:9
The story started out simple Ippo whats to know what it mean to be strong.While that is a pretty simple goal its self later on.Ippo goes into a deeper meaning.That the "strength" he wanted wasn't phsyical strength but something much deeper than that.

Art:9
The early chapters of Hajime the Art isn't bad but not good either.But Its Progression becomes aperent.Morikawa-san has one of the best art progression ive seen in a manga.The Climax of each fight Morikawa puts so much build up and anticipation then when the final shot comes in.Morikawa puts so much detail into one big hit and in that one punch the illustration really shows the impact and the destruction of the punch.Now going from that part.The Art also conveys so much emotions through every punch


Characters:10
Personally I like to the of Hajime No Ippos Characters as the One Piece of Sports Manga.Such a Large cast with very strong motivations and dynamics to them that they get arcs dedecated to them.Not one character is there just to box they all have there personal reasons on why they do boxing.In Most cases you might find your self rooting against the MC himself.

Enjoyment:10
This Manga can really teach you so much about boxing.Morikawa even takes the time to show you the basics.Then walk you along with some more advanced techniques.And Often teach you about real life boxers manly from their style to their careers as a boxer.I enjoyed this manga So much that im a fan of Boxing now.

Overall:
Now this isn't the perfect manga out their but if anything it has very few flaws.Honestly one of the greatest Sports manga Ive had the plesure of reading.Now the length may be a huge turn off for yall and I can understand that.So if you wanna cut down on the number of chapters you wanna read the I advise you watch the anime(it covers 558 chapters).Either way your going to see some power and impactful moments.
PS:My Favorite Quote
Coach Kamagowa
"Constant effort is life's greatest shortcut"
Thank You for Reading :)

Aegea-kai wo Wataru Hana-tachi, which I read in its French translation Les Fleurs de la Mer Egée is a historical travel adventure set in the mid 15th Century. I've greatly enjoyed reading this series which ended in three volumes, first owing to its historical setting in a period and areas that I've been very interested in for a long time. It is nearly contemporary in its setting with two other historical series that I enjoy, Divci Valka and Arte.

The story is very much all public and is suitable for younger readers. It can be both an introduction to the historical period and to the areas and cultures featured in the development. At times, the geopolitical and historical setting can be confusing for people with no previous knowledge of late medieval Europe, the Mediterranean and the early Ottoman Empire, but the author does a fairly good job at explaining the context. Indeed, one of the originalities of the series is its use regular breaks in the narrative to provide contextual and cultural explanations that are given by the main characters, which makes it particularly easy for younger readers.

The story features two female lead characters that display a positive model for adventure-loving young girls. From a historical standpoint, some of their behavior and adventures may be a bit of a stretch of the social and cultural realities of the day but I wouldn't say it is completely implausible.

It all begins in the late 1450s in the Italian city of Ferrare. Lisa is the spirited and adventurous teen-aged younger daughter of a merchant family who is fascinated by travel and the acquisition of art works. She meets a stranger traveling on her own, Ohla, a barely older young woman arriving from Genoa after the death of her husband. They become friends and Ohla explains that she originally comes from "Qirim", present-day Crimea, where several Italian Maritime Republics like Genoa and Venice ran trading posts then at the last staging area of the Silk Road. The area being under pressure from the expansion of the Ottoman Turks, Ohla has been sent West but separated from her younger sister Mina. Now a widow, she wishes to travel back home to find her sister and bring her to safety. Lisa and her family accept to help Ohla. Although Lisa is expected to enter a convent as she shows no inclination to settle in a subdued married life, her display of commercial acumen convinces her family to grant her wish to make one big maritime trip with Ohla towards the East before she takes her vows.

The volumes thus follow Lisa and Ohla on a sometimes perilous trip through Venice, the Adriatic, Crete, Constantinople turning into the recently captured Istanbul, and finally the Black Sea. They are benevolently led by Lisa's relative, sea-captain and merchant Lorenzo, and by Tyuva, a resourceful girl from Dalmatia who is a commoner and apprentice trader. They must deal with the risks of pirates, bandits, unscrupulous merchants and sometimes double-dealing diplomats and local rulers. As the trip progresses, we also get to discover additional clues about Ohla's somewhat mysterious family background just as the very open and gregarious Lisa does. We're treated to discovery of the way of life of the times, cooking, clothing, architecture of the various places the girls visit, across an Eastern Mediterranean and Balkan region that is being completely transformed by the Ottoman conquest at the dawn of the Renaissance period.

I had expected the story to run longer as it first appeared to be a slow pace recollection of the time that sea and land travel took in those days: The conclusion in the third volume doesn't lack for surprises. Although Lisa and Ohla part ways, it is not forever, and we leave them determined to consolidate their friendship and taste for exploration. It's a generally feel-good conclusion to an odyssey that celebrates cross-cultural friendships, openness to the world and risk-taking.

(I've not read the web novel or light novel that this is based on. )

Reincarnation, Remember, Revenge. with a hint... I mean a bowl of S and M and this is what you get. [not sorry for the crappy alliteration]

I wish we could have seen a bit more of Keare's journey from innocence to corrupt but hopefully more flashbacks will happen in later chapters. EDIT: Still not as much as I hoped there would be.

As you would imagine being exploited (and that's just a euphemism) till the very end would do some serious damage to the mind.

However, so far there does not seem to be a character that can be considered as a 'rival' or someone of equal power to oppose Keare which may become a problem - action or any danger becoming negligible because of Keare's OP-ness and knowledge of his world's future.

PS - all sex scenes are skipped. :^)

If you're looking for anything deep, this would not be it. Shoujo Satellite is very much "moeblob" in the purest sense, with very little world-building. The premise is that these girls are the incarnations of constellations and stars sent to watch over Earth, merely imitating human form but...there's very little that makes any character stand out as anything more than a cute anime girl in either design or personality. Nothing about their designs screams "stars," instead looking mostly like regular school girls, and having very little personality that seems to indicate them as being nonhuman. Even their life on the satellite is rather ordinary, watching them cook, read manga, grow plants...nothing feels tied to the promised setting. And as for its marking as a shoujo ai...aside from one character flirting with another, there isn't anything here to make it a romance, let alone shoujo ai. I can't even consider this Class S style yuri, because there's nothing there.

If you just want a quick read with cute girls and very little plot until one is quickly shoved into the last few chapters, then you can't go wrong with this one. But if you'd like something with more character, more world-building, and more of...everything, you may want to find something else.

When I first discovered Maico 2010, I got the first two volumes practially for free and didn't have much expectations for it. After finishing the whole thing shortly there after, I found a romantic-comedy/action(?) series that's actually a lot better than I thought it would be.
[Story 8] Maico 2010 has a pretty original take on the "naive, but cute android girl" bit. Sometimes, they're aliens, computers, swords, mecha, or teachers. Maico is a sexdroid radio host! Wow, that alone piqued my curiosity. So her creator Otari Masudamasu wants her to be as human as possible, which puts this series into the mind of an ecchi/female version of Astro Boy crossed with Steel Angel Kurumi. As a stand alone story, it's actually very good. It doesn't try too hard to sell the plot to you, the sexdroid aspect isn't as scary as you would think (or satisfying enough, depending on the reader) and doesn't weigh down to just having the reader flip through pages just to see some bare skin (but there is plenty of that). A few things are loosely explained, but that doesn't hinder the rather compelling story that abounds Maico 2010.
[ART 8] Toshimitsu Shimizu's visuals in this comic are crisp, clear, and beautifully detailed. I love the character designs, the females are all gorgeous and shapely. Even Matsuo is a good-lookin bishounen, even though he spends most of the series getting beaten up by his boss, the very sultry Masudamasu, who just might be one of the sexiest manga females I've ever laid eyes on. Forgive me for being a bit of a pig here, but this artwork is like 64% naked ladies, so it's hard to ignore the naked lady..er..elephant in the room. My only caveat is there should've been a bit of editing with some of the full body nudity, as it's a bit obscene. Nothing sexually explicit, it's just visually distracting.
[CHARACTER 7] I think one of the reasons why I enjoy this harem-style ecchi comedy tale is that for one of the few times in my anime/manga history, Maico 2010 isn't populated in a world full of peppy middle schoolers in compromising situations, and that makes me happy that I read a story about adults. That being said, this cast is pretty cool. Maico and Matsuo are precious together and share that awkward relationship of man/machine couples (dramatic sting), the villian is a hoot, but is actually a pretty sick bastard, and the sexual comedy is actually kinda funny, especially when Rie Sugita is introduced. This cast is well-written and not overdone in any aspect. Maybe a few characters a little later like Helena, who I didn't hate, but didn't add much, and the dirty old man boss character they all work for, but they're not too bad.
[ENJOYMENT 7] It's a short, fun read with a good plot. I've reread it more than several times because it's pretty easy to enjoy. With a pretty original story, fun, combustable character personalities, and some really good action scenes, I have no problem with this title on my shelf. This is my prototype seinen manga, and probably my favorite.
[OVERALL 8] Maico 2010 is one of the more unerrated manga that I didn't expect to like as much as I do. I recommend it to anyone who would like to read a pretty original spin on a love story or to anyone who likes a good ecchi title filled with fan service. There's a good chance it might not disappoint on either level.

PROS: Unique story, loveable cast, beautiful artwork
CONS: Too much detailed fan service

In my opinion this manga is amazing. I've often wondered how good a one shot can be, and Alive! is my answer. The story starts off innocently enough, but then we are dragged into an allegorical story about evil. Two death row convicts are drawn into a peculiar attempt to transfer this evil from a body of a seemingly innocent girl who has been infected with it by her father. Is this infection really a disease? Or is it something that lingers within every human being, waiting to be awakened? What kind of person can win against the black within? A pure-hearted one, or a person with nothing to lose? How far are people willing to go just to keep breathing? These are the questions this one shot ventures to ask. And it manages to answer them as far as it is possible to.

Where to begin with this.

First off the characters are all pretty much rehashes of Bleach characters with a new layer of paint on them. Balgo is Kon but more stupid, Spangle Ninii is a worse Tatsuki. The only good character in this is the main protagonist, and even then it's mostly subjective, because I have a soft spot for kuudere characters.

The story is set in London's Soul Society West Branch, which is similar to it's eastern counterpart, except instead of reapers you have witches and instead of hollows you have dragons. However there are some differences between the branches that I cannot say it's just a straight up copy of Bleach.

The art is of course pretty great, as that is Kubo's strongest suit.

The humor and writing is the same type that the end of Bleach had.

All in all it's pretty mediocre.

The "DEAD" in the title says a lot about this manga.

Gore is an extremely important element of this manga, so if that's not your thing, don't bother. Otherwise it's a great manga, though the latest arc had a lot of people confused and/or disappointed.

The art style is pleasant to the eyes. Some characters look a bit similar though, which is pretty much the case for most manga.

I personally like this manga because of the pretty and unique characters, the unexpected events and, to a lesser extend, the gore.

Conclusion: this manga is totally worth your time, unless you hate gore.

It was.. different? The story was kind of interesting and strange all at once, very original.

The art style is crazy and everything I read says it's ugly as hell but in my eyes it's beautiful. I've never seen art like that, reminded me of barbies. lol

Overall I loved the story, never seen anything like it.