DelicateYui14

A manga you can ignore if you're not into it for the art.

Neiru2012 pretty much brought up all of my distaste for this manga but I think it's unfair to over-simplify Vagabond using spoiler cases.

That is because Vagabond can simply be said to be Shamo set in a samurai period using a famous character like Mushashi.

***Skip to the last paragraph for summary***

This isn't so much saying one is a clone of the other or that one came before the other or that others came before these two.

It's simply my way of attempting to provide a low review without taking away what the manga is by focusing on the specific spoiler designs.

Yes, Vagabond has a plot. Yes, Vagabond has characters. Yes, Vagabond's art is on one end great and on the other end requiring a certain taste.

Yet beyond all of these, none of these is what makes or breaks Vagabond.

The plot while a modified romanticized version still is stuck with the predictability of who Musashi is as a historical character.

The characters whether you find them generic or not is still not about them but about their way of fighting clashing with another way of fighting. While you can say manga/anime generally does this with fight scenes including such things like Rurouni Kenshin/Samurai X where it already borders on heavy handed, Vagabond goes beyond this. Not just subtlety. It only makes the scenes an actual fight scene so that you as a reader will still be excited to read it and it would satisfy those "awesome shiny fight scenes" reader but it is a true and true manga where the art invades everything and if it's not the art, it's the lack of a plot. It is almost Zen-like in that it portrays the conclusion of each plot as there being no plot.

In fact if this wasn't even about a Vagabond, the manga would not be seinen and believe it or not is more like Shojo with swords. If you focus too much on the female connotation of Shojo of course it's not. However if you consider Shojo to be more of a genre where the thousand mile stares and slice of life = tragedy and that all the characters are trapped in a mine of longing, I'm not exaggerating Vagabond is basically this.

This is both Vagabond's strength and weakness. More so than Shamo although Shamo equally has those unrealistic moments.

When Vagabond is dealing with a fight scene, an upcoming one, the combination wields an engaging plot that would make you curious as to what will happen next. In fact the later chapters pretty much spells this out with a major character retelling flashbacks more than the manga trying to be an adventure story anymore.

However when you remove the fight scenes, this is where both the Shojo and Seinen elements fail. Even though one reviewer said they liked that there's not much gratuitous violence compared to other Seinen, the thing is Vagabond's gore and nudity can be more disturbing than traditional gory manga.

Not because there's too much but rather because there's too much stupidity for almost the few times violence and death and nudity is shown. In it's attempt to be philosophic, Vagabond ends up making it's characters mere caricatures. Ones where the art and the panel storyline takes precedence over the overall storyline.

Don't get me wrong. In many ways this is why it's a good read. If you've ever wanted a semi-realistic portrayal of a goody imposter, a mute samurai, a horrible old lady that gets her just deserts, a woman who sees a flying chibi ghost, a monk who doesn't know what in the world he is doing and just tries to torture people he randomly comes again - Vagabond is almost comedy gold in that in a subtle manner.

The problem is: that's pretty much the entire manga. Even the violence and nudity falls under that same pattern where one panel is for an action scene that would please many fans who are into manga for the art or the eye candy and then the next panel, same situation, it would be text heavy and then the next panel there are guys that come off like they get cut down because they think too much. As in literally they get sliced up while they are thinking.

This doesn't mean the manga or the manga's fans just sweep over these flaws. The whole thing is supposed to represent a lightning fast event happening over an introspective event. It's like an event where someone shots a bullet at you and your mind flashes through everything and it's both a blur and yet after the fight, there's lots of rationalizing and events pouring through your brain.

Unfortunately, again, this is why the manga is both a good read but something you can skip. In many ways a philosophical text book has a limited audience and the philosophy has to stand the test of time. Atlas Shrugged for example is famous but unless you buy into this idea that Ayn Rand's themes are worth reading, then instead of being an enlightening read, it's just a classic. The same can be said for the Bible. Unless you're curious or got hooked by the flashy effects, a Biblical movie at the end of the day is just a flashy fantasy movie that tries to be philosophical but just ends up not being deep at all except for those people who they themselves are shallow but pretends to be philosophical in nature. The type of people that would re-interpret a realistic portrayal as a violently shocking one and be glued to the screen as if they watched a train wreck but then go on and complain about how a realistic scene is too gory or made too shocking because they themselves put on rosy tinted glasses that got shattered as opposed to the scenes being actually overtly violent.

Nonetheless I'm not saying Vagabond is a bad manga. Again, it's just a skippable one. If you like the first few chapters, go ahead and continue reading it. But if you start disliking the manga or if you start hoping for more or if you want to read another manga or if you're tired of the artwork, it's skippable. I'm not saying this for the benefit of those who have actually read the manga. Of course the choice is always there for all manga. I'm merely stating this case for those who haven't read the manga. Some mangas have a big pay off in arcs. Not just in terms of entertainment and philosophy and depth. Vagabond is just not one of those. The only reason it's a 7 because it understands what it is and that's a unique take on familiar characters and it tries to string along that characterization. However characterization alone is not enough if most of the additional scenes all ultimately fail for feeling like filler rather than philosophy.

To summarize: Philosophically, this does not even match up to Slam Dunk and Slam Dunk is not that deep of a manga to begin with. It's inspirational but it's not that deep. So imagine Vagabond being this way but trying to shove you more philosophy and less action and ultimately you get a 4 (decent) manga wrapped up in great artwork and historical fiction so it becomes a 7 but the hype for this manga is centered around entirely on the sizzle of Takehiko Inoue improving his artwork to do a samurai manga based on famous characters and not disappointing even though he doesn't break much new ground either.

Despite the cries claiming this is an unprecedented masterpiece, I've found that while it is a pretty good basic zero-to-hero power fantasy, it's not much beyond that.

Story: 6
If you break the series down to its core, it's really all about Jin-Woo (the main character) being an overpowered badass, beating up people/monsters who consistently underestimate him, both literally and figuratively. There really is not much more to it.

What makes this series stand out, however, is that this one is well executed. Even as the series is busy showing off just how much of a badass Jin-Woo is, its story arcs are still mildly interesting, not to mention the main character's goals are respectable – features not many power fantasies can claim to have.

Apart from that, it's pretty bland. The video game-like growth-style power system is a fairly popular trope in the Korean web novel scene (which this started out as part of), and the "monsters assaulting our world through dungeons/gates" is too.

Art: 9
I have to give credit where it's due. The art in this series is simply gorgeous. While the backgrounds are a bit bland when they're not strictly necessary, this is made up for by the highly detailed colour(!!) art. I really don't have much more to say on this point. The art is great.

Characters: 5
I think the characters in this series is one of its greatest weak points. They are bland, without much purpose apart from highlighting Jin-Woo's good points, which are abundant, seeing as he rather quickly turns into a classic example of a Marty/Gary Stu-type character. The villains are pretty cheap villain-of-the-week types, and I'd be tempted to say the most interesting character in the series is Jin-Woo's friend Yoo Jin-Ho, as he at least has some degree of development.

Enjoyment: 8
Despite its flaws, I'm a sucker for this kind of story. While most of the ones I've read are quite horrible, this one manages to execute it about as well as I think is possible. The way the series manages to make you giggle over a power up, or over a character's reaction to the main character's badassery over and over again is quite admirable.

Overall: 7
While not the masterpice many claim it is, this series is certainly enjoyable. The art makes it pleasing to the eye, and the minor plot points are interesting enough to keep you reading. If you like power fantasies, I'm sure you'll like this. Even if you don't, give it a read – it's executed well enough to be enjoyable regardless.

This is one of my top manga series of all time.It's going to be getting an official English release this year and despite the series not being finished yet, i thought it'd be a good time to write a review of it for anyone who's curious about it.
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Story+Characters
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The story is very interesting and contains a lot of mysteries. It presents many questions about this world and it's characters. Like, who and what are the moon people? What is the managers goal? Where do these gems come from? and is there anyone else on this world?The series is not all dark and depressing either,as there is a lot of comedy here too which i enjoy.

The most intriguing part of this series for me were the gems themselves. All the characters aren't just named after gems, they literally are that gemstone and take on their real world properties.For example, Cinnabar is toxic and keeps himself away from everyone, whilst Diamond is one of the strongest fighters due to his hardness level which prevents him from breaking easily.

I really enjoy all the characters in this series,while some get more time in the spotlight than others, their personalities were distinct enough that i remember them well. Phosphophyllite is an amazing main character,without spoiling anything, lets just say he gets a LOT of character development.

Also an interesting thing to note is that all the characters are androgynous and refer to each other using male pronouns. Just another element that makes this series so unique.
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Art
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Very stylish. I love how the art shows how shiny these gems are,like how their hair refracts the light onto their shoulders. Although it is a little morbid seeing a character broken into pieces sometimes.

The character designs are great too, despite how most of the characters wear the same uniform, their hair styles are unique enough to tell them apart. Backgrounds art is also great, and it really sets the mood in some scenes.I like the use of solid black.
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Final thoughts
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Since it's not finished yet and i don't know when it will i'm giving the series a 9 overall for now. If it keeps being this amazing and answers all the questions i have,when it's finished i could easily give it a 10.That's how good this manga is.
Please give this manga a go if you're looking for something different from the norm!

(I also recommend watching the beautiful anime style trailer too, so you can join me in wishing it gets an anime series someday.)

I'm surprised every review here is praising the manga. It was pretty bad and the only reason why I was able to read it all was because of any slivers of romance between Hak and Yona. Anyways I'm gonna start ranting now. (spoiler alert)

Akatsuki no Yona is one of those mangas that have to crank out fillers in order to stay alive. 132 translated chapters so far and we still don't know why Soo Wun killed King II! Do not be deceived, I thought this historical manga had the potential to explore the character development of a maturing princess, battle strategies, and intriguing plot twists. BUT NO. Each arc becomes worse and worse. It took them 48 chapters to gather the dragons, no revenge or progress towards doing something for the Kindom of Kouka. I literally skipped 10 chapters one time and I didn't miss a thing. You know those lay chips with 40% chips and 60% air? yeah basically that’s what this is.

The comedy is so cringy, and is used to relieve the atmosphere even when there is a battle going on around them...seriously? And everyone gets hurt but miraculously survives every fight.

The plot armor is so strong, how does Yona keep meeting Soo-wun on the damn streets? And we never understand why she forgave him? It's so unrealistic. Hak at the very least tried to kill him.

The characters are also pretty bad. Yona has been kidnapped at least 10 times because her hot bodyguards leave her at exactly the right moment and come back in flashy entrances to save her. AND EVERYONE IS IN LOVE WITH HER. She never learns from her mistakes and ignores her safety because she doesn't want to use her bodyguards as shields. And somehow her "death glare" is scary enough to make soldiers back away. The hell? Thats her special power?

She learns about the state of the country through her travels and then becomes more benevolent and caring. Heck she drags some other nobles to the outside world and it's enough to shed light on their ignorant existence? If it was that easy we should just throw the nobility out onto the streets. That's the only development we've seen so far. She is more caring and savage...through the power of traveling.

The arcs explaining the backgrounds of each dragon are also extremely shallow. The magic of the legendary powers isn't explored very well either. They just serve Yona...because the dragons wanted to? Are they the only magical beings in this world? Why did the original dragons choose the first generation in particular? How come there is a priest that can talk to the gods? What Gods are there even. The author used them just so that Yona would get some protection, and they can't even save her properly.

Then there is Yun or Yoon? He was included just to solve the problem of food, shelter, healing, etc.

And there are so. many. side characters that are never relevant later.

The art was fine.

In conclusion. It was bad. Please just read something else. There are tons of better shoujos out there. Unless you are here to get some of that action between Yona and Hak. Which only happens about every 5 chapters. God damn it. She does fall in love with him though. At the very least the author hasn't pushed the romance out of the way completely and left us hanging.

My face still looks like this after I read the manga: (-_-) The story (more like a poem) is a bit ordinary and short leaving the rest of it to the readers' creative imagination. The artwork is great, unique and colorful. The readers should have a chance to get to know the characters. Of course, obviously the woman is waiting for her man... anything else? I enjoyed the whole manga. I have re-read it again and can re-read it for more than 10. I recommend it for those who are bored, have nothing to do, or like short-story mangas. You'll be entertained.

okay...this my very first review so please keep this is in mind... xD basically its an adventure manga with quite a common plot...the art also wasn't something impressive, it was kinda specific and i would have said it's a matter of tastes for every person individually if it didn't look rather lame than just original...i don't think it was enough to represent the characters at their best...the good point of the manga is that despite the ordinarity of the story and the art it never looked boring to read...there's not too much of text that is quite a plus and also the storyline developed quite smoothly and never seemed to take too long so it still was easy and enjoyable enough to read....................
until the end.... :/ i don't want to judge but the ending was kinda shocking...it left the feeling that there had to be at least one or two more chapters...untill the very last page it seemed as it was just the beginning of everything and the manga ended at the culmination...in the end nothing became clear, probably the author was forced to end the manga under some kind of circumstances because finishing it this way felt very unnatural...
in sum this manga is most likely suited for those who like to have some freedom for their own fantasy while reading when the author doesn't show every single twist of the story...although leaving the whole ending away was really extreme i'd say xD
since i personally don't like to create parts of someone else's story i felt very disappointed with this manga...i understand that picking up such a common plot needs something very special to outstand, but please...not this way... :/
xD

Y'know at first glance, I really had this thought that this short series could have the potential to be a decent horror manga because the art style was pretty good enough and the characters were not that bad. It also gave me The Shining or Melanie Martinez music videos vibes lol. However it failed to be a decent horror manga, due to the fact it wasn't great at deep diving into the characters minds like there should have been room for improvement. I just feel the author made the characters dull and seem rather unimportant to the story.

Yeah it's just a shame that I had high hopes for this 11 chapter manga to be better than any other horror manga out there but not this time unfortunately....

Also found out about this through Overwatch Yanderes on Tumblr -https://overwatch-yanderes.tumblr.com/post/162171388287/yandere-animemanga-recommendations

Story: The story was pretty addicting, and set to the right pace of the length of the manga. Aside from the predictable fact of knowing that the woman will always be in the most unfortunate places at the most unfortunate times for the main character. However, about halfway through the manga, because of the sudden involvement of other characters and the initiative to rid the main character and co. from the stalker, you don't know how the story will end. Rather than being a teenage scare, this 1993 thriller manga has a somewhat vague and unhappy ending, which makes the story better.



Art: The art was horrid, to say the least. I understand that the style was supposed to be more realistic, and I think it was. But it wasn't very appealing. The art only really worked for the stalker character and the ugly smile she pulled off towards the end. The story easily makes up for the eyesores, though.



Characters: The characters had typical personalities. Though they weren't all that developed. I feel like the main character had reasons for the why he did some of the things he did, but we never see those reasons. So you're left to chalk it up that he's just an idiot. The mystery behind the stalker woman and lack of background is a good choice. Even though the characters weren't really all that outstanding, it just worked for Zashiki Onna.



I think that this is a good, quick read if you're in the mood to get creeped out. But if you're someone who looks at art as a vital part of the manga and you can't stand reading something unless it has good character development, then you might want to look elsewhere. Definitely something to try out, though.

If you read Ichi the Killer, you maybe were looking for a little more hyper violent action featuring your favourite sadistic crybaby manchild. The thing is, Ichi the Killer was written five years after this prequel story, and you can tell that time was spent drmatically improving the authors storytelling. The art is among the worst ive seen published. in some of the drawings a characters chin will take up 90% of their face, other times characters will become 11 feet tall and be half their height the next panel. The memorable characters of Ichi the Killer are totally absent, with Ichi being half as interesting & Dai being as generic as any character ever written. The overall plot is much less grandose than the sequel, being a basic "High school punks fighting other high school punks" saga.

TLDR: IF you like Ichi the Killer, this might be interesting. For everyone else in the world, there is so much better out there.

i dont know why people rate this manga low (when i write this, rate is 6.XX). first thing first, i think this manga only about something like... fishy romantic genre... but I WAS WRONG

if you guys see until newest chapter, i will says this manga have a best story that can make me so sad. sorry but i can't say why it make u sad, but if you came from poor family like me. i think you can feels what i feels right now when reading this.

until now i think this is the most emotional-drama and romance i ever had.

now came to real review
the story like i said unpredictable you can't think A character is good and B character is bad because all you can think when reading this manga will perish when you read next chapter so story 10/10 for me

For art, yeah this manga is good manga and have good art for me when read it on 13 sep 2020, so if you guys coming from future, pls dont judge to hard. and yeah 9/10 for me.

for character, i will give 10/10. like i said before, every character have unique story and have their problem so with all of that, this manga i sure will have a great story on next chapter.

for enjoyment, i give 9/10 because this can make me sad like first time i read manga koe no katachi, i think this can have same emotional story inside.

and yeah... overall i will give this manga 10/10
why?
you see... manga that update until now, majority of them have "bad" story even when they have a good art... and i think, this manga will get you to another level of manga,
if first you think this just "normal shitty romance-drama" well... you wrong :)
you will experience the feels of any character inside this manga.

oh yeah 1 again, i think, you guys musn't skip or "fast reading" the earlier chapter of this manga, even when that will be boring for you, but in earlier chapter this manga have an orientation of every charater and their problem, so pls read carefully. in past i also fast reading on chapter 1-2 and after i re-read again from first chapter, i can get what the meaning of the character on the lastest chapter. so remember dont skip any text when you reading a manga :)

thanks for read my potato review...
sorry for my bad english, in my country indonesia, English is not primary or even second language that i speak so i try my best to write this review
so sorry if i have some grammar error or something like that, i just want contribute to MAL forum with my review :)