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Oct 17, 2022
From one of the most anticipated names, Masaoki Shindou's first manga series, Ruri Dragon, became Shonen Jump's newest big hit! Its first volume debuted with 74,874 copies sold in 6 days. Making it the second biggest debut in the magazine! The rookie mangaka debuted in Jump Cross at the age of 17 and went on to win Jump's Treasure Newcomer Manga Award in July 2016 with 'Twin Peach'. After a few more one-shots Shindou started their first series Ruri Dragon. The manga follows Ruri Aoki, who one day woke up with two horns growing out of her head. Her mother reveals that the reason
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might be because her father is a dragon. Although confused and shocked, Ruri decides to go to school unbeknownst to the chaotic life which lies ahead of her.
This story was an unexpectedly relaxing and entertaining read. Even though Ruri is from a different race, many people around her are understanding and supportive. In real life, that won't always be the case but in contrast, there is an abundance of such stories discussing discrimination. As a result, this title can be a bit refreshing. Although I always try to act mature and responsible around youngsters, there certainly are times when, on the inside, I'm completely confused or panicking like crazy. Of course, I can't show that in front of them cause it will make things a lot worse. So either I have to stay calm and fix it myself or get the help of other adults and try to sort it out together. Which was exactly what Ruri's mother did and I found that quite relatable. And in addition, the dialogues flow neatly and realistically. Similar to titles like Dandadan, they don't feel like tongue-in-cheek clichés or overly smart adults in the skin of children. They talk like regular people, which is surprisingly rare in the medium. Since it's only the first volume, the story has yet to develop into something complex or delve deep into its characters.
The art is not anything mind-blowing yet it is a delight to read. Character designs are well-illustrated and meaningful. Some notable ones would be Yuka with her soft curvy and bouncy shapes that match her bright and cheery personality and the homeroom teacher with his rigid lines that gives the feeling of firmness and maturity however his not straight but wavy hair hints at his laid-back nature. And finally, we can't forget our protagonist Ruri, she has a plain design that works well with her introverted personality. As a result, those sharp horns stand out a lot more, showing that there might also be an aggressive side to her. Of course, being a good illustrator is only half of the job for a mangaka. But Shindou doesn't fall short on the other technicalities either. The eyes are neatly guided through pages of well-placed speech bubbles, great framing and thoughtful layouts. These pages give time and space for the smaller interactions to build up into more impactful moments contained within larger panels with plenty of room. One of the best examples of that is the final page of chapter 4.
Finally, would I recommend Ruri Dragon to general manga readers? Aye, it's an easy recommendation for those who love slice-of-life series. The first volume felt like an iyashikei but whether it'll stay that way or develop into something more complicated is something only time can tell. Sadly, Ruri Dragon is currently on hiatus due to the author's poor health. I sincerely pray for the author's health and hope, once fully recovered, they'll continue the series. Furthermore, this essay will be rewritten with the release of new volumes as well.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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May 7, 2022
As per usual, do not consider this a review for various reasons. I will simply give my thoughts on the title, a rating and maybe a recommendation as well.
Watashi no Oshi wa Akuyaku Reijou or WataOshi for short is a web novel written by Inori sensei. It is her first published series which has a light novel and manga adaptation. This essay will be on part 1 of the web novel. I chose to read the web novel first because it is the original source that was later adapted into other mediums. Still, I do have plans to read both the light novel and
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manga later on.
Rei Oohashi is an average office lady in 21st century Japan. Suddenly for unknown reasons, she finds herself in the body of the main protagonist from one of her favourite Otome games. Although, a typical girl would do everything in their power to get the main princes to fall in love with them. Rei wants the villainess to fall for her. While WataOshi initially starts as a typical slice of life, wholesome Yuri as the story goes on gradually the complex and exciting overarching plot will be revealed.
Likewise, the realization of "Oh, this isn't like that, isn't it?" was quite exciting. WataOshi is written similar to a mystery series. Despite not being categorized as one, there will be many questions that pop up here and there only to be answered in the most satisfying way possible by the end. While reading this novel, you will encounter various topics on subjects such as debating, law, politics, accounting etc . . . All of those will be carefully explained for the readers to understand certain points in the story they come across. Especially cases surrounding LGBT+. Topics such as sexual identity vs sexual orientation and gender dysphoria were completely new to me. Thanks to sensei, I was interested and started researching and learning more about them. Regarding LGBT+, although I've read a bunch of Yuri/ GL and a few Yaoi/ BL titles, I've never come across a title where they have a proper debate with those who have a prejudice against LGBT+. All of sensei's arguments were not only informative but solid without holes as well. Moreover, this might be my first time encountering a plot-driven Yuri title. Every Yuri I've read so far has been about the internal conflict of the characters (character-driven). While WataOshi does have some internal conflicts the highlight of this specific title is the external conflict or the plot. As the author said this is more of an "Adventure Yuri". It certainly is a breath of fresh air to a sub-genre that doesn't have much diversity. On the contrary, when some emotional scenes managed to bring me near tears others were handled poorly. Sometimes the scenes felt like they had poor writing or felt rushed and other times a touching moment would be suddenly interrupted by a joke or something similar. The ability to convey emotions through text and other mediums is truly a gift, it is not something I will think light of. But I do think one-day sensei will become excellent at it.
Above all, the main duo in this Yuri is a delight to read. Rei, our protagonist, is an oddball. She has some questionable fetishes and is never afraid to display her affection for the villainess in public. However, she is quite selfish. Rei will do whatever it takes so that Claire makes it out alive, even if it means her own death. In other words, she can be quite terrifying at times. Sometimes I understand her and sometimes I don't. That eerie unpredictability is what I love about this character. I like Rei but my favourite is the villainess, Claire François. I will make it clear, I despise tsunderes. I cannot stand their personalities or actions no matter what. But for some reason, all the "bullying", huffs and puffs and pouts she does make me fall for her without a question and I don't know why. She is the character I love the most but she is also the character I see the most flaws in. Adorable as she is, I cannot help but notice her lack of contribution to the overall plot (other than for two instances). Everything is Rei's hard work. To which Rei hardly ever gets good rewards for either. However, I will accept that she has some of the best character development in the story and she is a strong, brave character who is compelling to read. But I wish she would contribute more to the overall plot rather than being just cute and strong. The side cast is charming as well. Strong characters such as Manaria, Rod, Lene, Yuu and Misha not only does huge contributions to the overall plot but sometimes they can be even more entertaining than the main duo.
So finally, would I recommend this? Most certainly. Although this has won a few awards here and there, WataOshi is not quite well known in the genre. But thanks to the manga adaptation it seems to be rapidly gaining popularity. I hope more and more people would get to know and come to love this little gem just like me. Since I praised this soo much some of you who know me might have the question "So now what's the best Yuri?" Well, YagaKimi has a great story but I simply could not care about the main duo, AdaShima also has a great story and I like the main duo but WataOshi has an amazing story and I loove the main duo soo . . . ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Consequently dethroning AdaShima as my favourite Yuri and claiming the 5th spot in my all time favourite manga/ light novels, I rate I'm in Love with the Villainess a 9/10.
(Those who want links to read the WN feel free to PM me. And I won't be writing an essay like this for Part 2 cause that is too much work. Instead, I'll write the usual 2000 character essay for it (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧ )
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Mar 28, 2022
Firstly, this is not a series that I'll recommend to anyone or something that I think everyone will enjoy, but a series that I want everyone to at least give a try once. I also would like to mention that I categorize this more as an appreciation essay than a review for many reasons. With that being said, on to the essay!
From the beginning, this series felt like one of those worlds where I could simply get lost in. The world and magic of this anime induce that sense of awe and wonder in me. It has folklore and mythologies from Celtic, Irish, Christianity,
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British, Shakespear, Russia, Japanese and probably from all around the world at this point. Ever since I was young, I've adored mythologies and folklore from all over the world. Even though I do not believe in the supernatural, I've always loved watching and reading about these mystical and supernatural stories that have been a part of all of our cultures for centuries. So being such a mythos and folklore nerd, one of the most irritating parts about this medium is how it likes to butcher those already amazing stories into cliches or obnoxious rubbish. The West is a bit more respectful most times, but not every one of them managed to capture me. Some of those series that did manage to capture me would be those little book/ film series called Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings. But even compared to those massively popular cliches, this feels better written and more authentic.
Not only the mythos but the magic and alchemy too is beautiful. In a medium swept of fantasy MMO RPG worlds with your usual NPCs, your usual class systems and your usual elemental, buff, debuff magic systems you don't really see anything new being made. Because of that, every world and story has become oddly familiar. And no matter how good the story or characters are, the worlds have gotten stale. Or as Garnt said, "Magic ceases to be Magical". So compared to all of those The Ancient Magus' Bride (or MahoYome for short) feels or rather is a breath of fresh air. Magic of this world isn't something that only exists for destruction, it's something beautiful yet frighting and mysterious at the same time. It's never fully explained or understood and that's the beauty of it. The supernatural isn't painted black or white either. It's a phenomenon that can be good, evil or even both depending on various circumstances. Only the bare minimum information that's required is given. We don't learn everything about the world and its magic nor do the characters know about them. Even though beings who've lived for centuries exists in this world, they are still nowhere near understanding everything it has to offer. It's simply a world that exists and has existed for a very long time. Just like our real world. Exploring and learning about that world beyond my understanding is part of what makes MahoYome so compelling and fascinating.
The well-detailed world only complements that marvellous magic in the series. Kore Yamazaki, the original mangaka has managed to craft a world that not only feels fresh but somewhat familiar too. The amazing attention to detail that has gone into the series from the architecture to the food and even to the bloody patterns in the train seats! These subtle things are what makes this world feels real and so captivating. One of the worst things a manga could do is to have an English setting with a traditional British cottage and someone eating a piece of Onigiri or a bowl of ramen in the middle of it. A lot of research and care has gone into crafting this little gem and a lot of praise should be given to both the mangaka and the animation studio for it.
The magic and world-building are what captured me at first but that's not all there is to this fairytale. Tossed into this mystical world with no magical knowledge and with the help of her "mentor" character, our protagonist Chise Hatori learns more about the world and to appreciate the fantastical elements of it. Which does happen but later on in the story, you'll realize those were more of a surface level backdrop to the story, a pit of quicksand that looks solid until you start to walk into it. It's kind of tough, cause while some Anitubers and reviewers did break this series down to the bone and explain its amazing plot and characters, I kind of don't want to. If I were to do that, I'd reveal many things that initially you aren't supposed to know that will somewhat ruin the fun. But I will mention simple things such as a lot of the character designs in this series are very unique. The designs and character names all have mythological value to them, that reveal either backstories or parts of their characterization. The plot is somewhat monster of the week esque but it's crafted in a way that with happiness, sorrow follows. So it feels well balanced and will always leave you at the edge of your seat.
Wit studio most certainly did a magnificent job with this title. They proved that not only can they do action-packed titles like AoT but they can handle some emotional and beautiful titles like MahoYome as well. With gorgeous animation that was followed by some magnificent music, the manga panels were truly brought to life. The inserts complement the animation and the mood of the story very well. Though I'm not one to watch OPs or EDs, this was one of the few instances that I did not skip them in a single episode. It's also mind-boggling that this exceptional production was made by a group of newbies. From the director to the composer are all new names to these titles.
Would I recommend this to the general anime fans? Aye, this series became one of my favourite anime of all time. How it handles mythologies and folklore in my opinion, is the best. Another nerdy thing I loved about this world is its mages, witches and sorcerers. Usually, most series only have one of these magic-user types and the one they do have would be either butchered or twisted in an odd way. The fact that three different magic-user types existed in the same world and they all have their intricately detailed features and abilities that differentiate them from one another, which is also very much how folklore had described them over the years blew my mind. Kore Yamazaki is a mythos nerd and it very much shows, which is such a delight for someone like me. Though as great the manga is I think this is one of the rare instances where I prefer the anime over the manga. While I do like the very expressive and detailed drawings of Yamazaki sensei, the excellent animation, soundtrack and voice acting stands tall over its source material. If I somehow managed to pique your interest in this show with this overly long essay then I'd highly recommend you try the OVAs first before watching the series. Though chronologically they should come right after the end of the first cour, the OVAs are what first sold me on the series. Finally, with clamming the 8th spot in my favourite anime of all time, I rate The Ancient Magus' Bride a 9/10.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Aug 8, 2021
While I've read quite a bit of H-manga and doujins none of them come even close in terms of art to Jorori sensei's Kimi ga Suki. Simply a few steps above the rest. I'm sure at least some of you have seen that iconic pannel of the girl looking up from somewhere and ended up here right? Well, if you're wondering yes, that level of art is consistent throughout the chapters. I'd say Jorori sensei's art isn't that unique and more like a cover page of H-manga but throughout all pages. I'm sure she must've put in a lot of time and effort to work
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on these cause the detail on them is really nice. Normally H-manga artists find ways to cheap out on the background quite often and I don't blame them. Why waste time on unnecessary parts instead of what actually matters right? But Jorori sensei really draws every nook and cranny. Plus fx in this manga is very detailed as well and more used than other manga so it looks even better. When it comes to art, this artist has put in so much care it's amazing.
Now to the story. Most say it's wholesome, while that is true for most chapters but the others? Well, there is a nice variety present from forcy pervy girls to quite aggressive ones as well. This helps the manga from being too wholesome so, it balances it all out. And the plot only helps to complement the art so, they mix soo well together! I appreciate the fact she did that. It's clear that her strong point is vanilla, wholesome content but if you've looked into some of her previous work well, let's just say if she wants to get dark and gritty, she sure damn can.
This seems to be her first published manga as far as I found and for being her first, it's gotten quite some attention. On YouTube and Reddit, panels of this manga were shared a bit but I'd say this it needs a bit more recognition. This manga is magnificent compared to the vast majority of titles in the medium but the attention it gets isn't all that much compared to some other big titles we know of. And would I recommend this to the general manga readers? 100%, it doesn't have any forced or disgusting content in it so, it's quite friendly for anyone to read so, of course, you can share this without any worry.
For those who are unaware, the English translations to all but one of these chapters do exist and if you want to find them, you can DM me. I'll show you how to find them and if you're interested then, I'll share other works of Jorori sensei as well.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Apr 11, 2021
From what I've read until now this Yuri doujin is a bit unique in my opinion and I want you to know why it is by writing this review and hopefully convincing you to read this piece of art. Worry not as my reviews don't necessarily contain any spoilers.
A very interesting story and concept, my first time seeing both pleasure and pain presented so well!! Since either, it's just awfully disgusting or just there for comedy. But this is very lewd and very engaging to read. And for your information yes, it actually has a plot that actually good.
One I wished Mira sensei would do
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is colour her art. Cause all the covers of her manga/ doujins are soo good and lewd that it just drags you into reading the manga. Her art isn't bad per se, it's just, it feels like it's missing a bit of detail other than that how she shows all the lewd scenes will most certainly leave you drooling.
Can't say much about the character designs since they aren't anything special. But their personalities and how they interact makes you forget all about it. Also, the character development our protagonist went through was not expected at all.
This was a new experience to me and I was questioning at first but I ended up loving this doujin more than I expected. Something very different but it's very good.
Would I recommend this to the general manga readers? I can't say I wouldn't, this manga is very good with its lewd content and the plot is engaging to read so considering what general H-manga and doujins have to offer this wouldn't be too bad of a shout >.< Overall rating 8/10.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Apr 1, 2021
Gintama is quite an interesting piece of work, why I say that? Cause it's a masterpiece without question but if you were to ask anyone about what the content of this story about, I'm sure most of them will be scratching their heads. So let me try my best to explain this anime without spoiling anything.
In the beginning, we are told of is that a middle aged old man, a normal youth with glasses and a girl in a Chinese cheongsam(?) with a big a floofy dog going on with their lives as Yorozuya, taking on various tasks given to them by various clients. But
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if you think it just ends with that, you are horribly mistaken my good sir/ lady. As I previously stated, it's very hard to explain what Gintama is about but that doesn't mean the story tries to follow different topics and different genres altogether and in the end, biting off more than it can chew. No, it's the complete opposite, this might be one of the most genres packed anime I've watched to this date and one of the few anime that is incredibly successful in each of those genres. The very first time when Gintama switched from comedy to action you would be confused for a slight moment but after a few minutes, you'll completely forget that you were watching a comedy anime. Every time Gintama switches the genres they do it soo seamlessly and so well that at that moment you forget this anime was originally something else. From the tears of joy and sorrow to the cheers of excitement the plot of Gintama is something so unique that I wouldn't hesitate to say it's truly a unique but still an amazing series across all mediums.
The art isn't anything exceptional but there aren't any complaints about it. The character designs are well done and are quite memorable as well. When it comes to the animation it is done by the same studio which made the legendary series Cowboy Bepop so you'd expect the animation to be quite good and it is just as you expected or sometimes even better. At times the quality of the animation, not even considering when it's from, is nothing even when compared to modern day anime. The attention to detail, the smooth and well directed action scenes are something done with soo much love and respect.
The soundtrack is good but nothing too impressive but one of the fields where this anime shines is its voice acting. Tomokazu Sugita, one of the most talented voice actors I've seen in this industry getting to play one of the best characters couldn't have been a better match. How he plays with his pitch to vary it on different syllables or his own unique pace for certain places is not only entertaining but astonishing to listen to. The other voice actors do not fall short as Shinpachi (Daisuke Sakaguchi) with his very loud but funny screams and Kagura (Rie Kugimiya) using a cute little accent to change the delivery of each line into a unique but cute speech all the other voice actors displaying their own talents in their own ways is just simply the best doing what they do best.
Character doesn't have much development it is not to say there isn't any. There are times where you see massive changes in characters you'd hate but in the end, you just can't help but fall in love with but also the characters you already love will gradually grow more and more with each episode.
Gintama is pretty much a parody of shounen to put it simply. The jokes in it are all reference to other shounen or big titles of the time which you can't help but laugh holding your tummy. Sometimes the show will find the wittiest ways to pass time in the show such as discussing how other shounen uses tricks to drag their shows or just teasing the creators of their own show. It's funny how they've made some names in Gintama. I'm not the best with my Japanese but some I've noticed are "Tama" the android = meaning balls, "Gintama" = a pun on the word "Kintama" which means testicles, "Ktsuno Ana" = ||Asshole|| and such, there should be more but those are the only ones I saw.
Would I recommend this to the general anime fans? No, the reason being you need to watch a couple of shows before you watch this or else you won't find Gintama as entertaining as it should be because of how the comedy works in this series. But all in all the story of the Shiroyasha (White Demon) is something else or rather it very much "hit different". Didn't find many issues and the strong points of the anime are too bright to even notice those little nitpicks. This is the fourth anime to ever make me do this and an anime truly well deserved to be given a rating of 10/10. A true masterpiece.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Dec 5, 2020
One of the best mangas I've ever read finally came to a magnificent conclusion. As a shounen, it did a great job on everything, and luckily for us readers, it didn't mess up the ending in a way that almost shadows the whole series, unlike a manga that recently finished airing.
Some might complain the final arc was a bit too long but I don't think it's true as the old shounen anime/manga usually has long arcs and personally long final battle just make it better for me as I love a well-detailed battle. Everything about demon slayer from the character development of the protagonist
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Tanjirou and other characters, the art all gives us a magnificent story that is very beautiful and fun to read. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this to anyone this very well deserves the 9/10 I gave it.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Dec 5, 2020
Have you ever been too scared to watch an anime when you even had it all aired and downloaded right in front of you but can't watch it? Cause you overhyped it and worried about the series messing it up? Well, that's Sword Art Online: Alicization - War of Underworld 2nd Season for me. And oh boy did mess up a considerable amount.
Well as I said previously I was very much excited for the season of SAO as the last of a crowned as the 4th ever 10/10 anime out of the 300 anime I've watched, which is quite a big thing for me. But
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all my prayers and hopes went unanswered as all my worries and fears came true. The first half is what I'm discussing here as before Kirito woke up the series was awful, with rushed scenes, childish lines/jokes, odd animation, illogical incidents and scenes that felt very out of place. I assume the reason for this been many fans complained or didn't like SAO without Kirito and they tried to get back Kirito as fast as they could. I wouldn't agree on that as the previous season didn't have Kirito yet it was pretty amazing. If this had more episodes the all the issues could've been resolved by adjusting the pacing and explaining more or adding more dialogues and whatnot. In my opinion, this adaptation did not do the series justice and could've been far far better if they were to pay a tad bit more attention to the source material. 7 - 8/10 for this partSword Art Online Alicization War of Underworld Part 2
That being said why not we talk about the second or the part where Kirito wakes up? Didn't I say if the first half had more episodes all the issues would've been fixed? That's exactly what happened in the second half. It had the perfect amount of episodes to work with and everything was paced out perfectly. Of course, when Kirito woke up it was just pure hype badass moments. With 5 episodes left they rescued the series from getting a 7-8/10 to a 9/10. Honestly, I'd still recommend people to watch this anime, not that it's a bad anime it's just I had very very high expectations and they went unanswered. Nonetheless, a very good anime that's as always only for a selected taste and if you're in that lucky few trust me when I say you're going to enjoy this quite a lot.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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