Exorcist no Kiyoshi-kun
Ultimate Exorcist Kiyoshi

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So, I'm going to cut this one a little bit of slack since I really did like most of it. I'm actually surprised it's not more popular and I believe when it gets an anime adaptation, it will probably blow up. It already reads like it's perfect for adaptation. It's very streamlined without much filler and moves at a good pace, not too fast, but not too slow either. It really works well for it's tone, which is more comedic than serious.

The first chapter was not great, and this may be a big reason why it's not too popular. It of course suffers from being ... too formulaic and to the point, trying to establish so much in one chapter, instead of just easing you into an interesting story. This is pretty much all of shonen jump at this point. Everything is info dump on the first chapter so, nothing new there. But it bounced right back in chapter two.

Interestingly, it has a lot comedy, almost as if it's a gag manga and not a battle manga, and that's probably what I appreciate about it the most: it's genuinely funny. But, it does have some more wholesome moments that are really not too bad. I think the main character is a nice change of pace; he actually feels original, which isn't something I encounter very often in a battle shonen manga.

The art might be the best thing about this manga. Not only is the style super sharp and everything looks really clean, but I find that the paneling, and the expressions are really well done too. Everything is fluid and easy to follow and gives you a feeling, little to nothing is bland or wasted.

Of course, this manga is not perfect, hence why I said I am cutting it a bit of slack, as there are some points that come off a bit cliche to me but, they really were few and far in between. I actually haven't read a manga as quickly as I read this one in some time. Not that there's a lot of chapters but, it was pretty enjoyable. The latest chapters are getting a bit too formulaic for me, getting into generic plot lines seen in these kinds of series so, I'm not too thrilled about that as I don't see a ton of potential for this series to go too far with that but, we'll see.

So yeah, so far, I would absolutely recommend this to anyone getting into manga, or who likes battle shonens. I think even older people like myself might find this a bit refreshing in terms of a new manga that's in the battle shonen genre.

The plot is quite simple, a world full of demons and people to kill them - exorcists!
With a fun artstyle, cool designs and loveable characters, this manga has been a lovely read so far

Reading it hasn't been hard as the plot isn't confusing and the pacing is good, the fights aren't dragged out (in fact I wish some were longer) and all the abilities and powers are unique, it's not just your generic elemental battleground. However I wish there was more of a power system to this manga, something like nen from HxH (but maybe it'll be introduced later on like haki in OP?)

The ... art is one of the best things of this manga! A stylistic blend between cartoony and anime, it paves the way to express characters and cool looking demons in a new sense. It's also not something you see every day, making it more distinctive to any other modern day shounen.

However, the manga does suffer from being cliche at times, although most shounens now-a-days are. Even though some of it may be predictable, the paneling, stylistic art and characters make it enjoyable and easy to binge read. The change of pace from serious to lax and comedic is amazing, some moments I found myself genuinely laughing out loud. I hope this manga is able to make its way out of a cliche shounen manga and blossom into something new and innovative

It's a simple and easy read for all people, and I heavily recommend getting into it while you can.

Ultimate Exorcist Kiyoshi is full of shonen tropes you have seen "a million times over." Shoichi Usui was once an assistant for Eiichiro Oda--the creator of One Piece--and with that comes many similarities with its contemporary. It's easy to find every reason in the book to drop this series. Yet, Kiyoshi has a lot of heart underneath. Usui has taken a lot of inspiration from Oda's writing style--many moments in the series feel very much like something out of One Piece. This is also due to Kiyoshi's story beats reminiscent of manga from the late '90s to the early '00s. It's still very early in ... the story's development, but Usui is finding his rhythm and bringing a story worth attention.