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[MODERATE SPOILERS (Ch.1-14)]

I get a good chunk of my mangas from scrolling Next Manga Awards of previous years. For the year of 2022, I saw Gachiakuta for the english fan-voted winner and there's not much to say besides I agree. While the story mostly seems like an exposition to its weird dystopian fantasy world, I find its concept, mystery, & power system so fascinating that it almost outweighs the things I didn't enjoy about the manga... almost.

It has an awesome power system that at its core relates to its world, theme, & history, and this might be me jumping the gun but I noticed Semiu ... and the stick janitor have both been able to "sense auras" which I'm personally averse to since most series that can be boiled down to this "aura" concept usually have problems with unreasonable powerscaling & contrived powerups. Hoping it doesn't come to that.

Overall definitely recommend giving it a read if you're into art & worldbuilding in general because that's where this manga's strengths lie in my opinion.

[LIGHT SPOILERS]

I've gone back and forth from 8, 9, & 10 ratings using both my criteria & biases. The overarching narrative at the point at which I'm reading is simple, but every chapter always has like 5 subplots, 3 callbacks, & 7 new interactions to where it never really feels like it's "too simple". It's incredibly fast-paced, I personally have never read a manga where so much happens each chapter and I love it because it keeps my attention since it never has additive dialogue or panels for that matter that could feel like it's there to fill in space. The artstyle of each character ... is so unique yet somehow it doesn't feel out of place when it comes to the story and the action sequences are mostly easy to follow. The overall weirdness factor where anything can happen and it could make sense is also what gives the story and world its charm and keeps it refreshing.

That being said, a certain factor prevents me from keeping this story at a steady rating. That factor being its power systems. While I enjoy the fact that it's so loose with how it can be used & that there's multiple power systems that can work in conjunction with or play off each other, I'm not really a fan with how some powerups can sometimes feel a little contrived and like last-minute additions to the powersets. While it does make for cool moments, I can't help but think the power came from seemingly nowhere. I also don't like how heavy the main cast's powers lean on one side of the power system when there are 2 routes for power established in the first chapter (only recently has it been getting better at least in variety).

Most of my issue with the story come mostly from the lack of congruency within the power systems (which is an important factor for me), but I could honestly look past that as this series is a very enjoyable read for action, adventure, sci-fi, & fantasy enjoyers. Highly recommend for shonen readers.

If you're planning on watching Leadale, you likely already know the plotline for the most part. This one will probably, likely, and maybe even most definitely not be the one that "reinvents the wheel" for you, so if you're watching under the pretense that it's going to be some sort of "hidden gem" amongst the isekai, shonen, battle genre, then you might be left somewhat disappointed.

However, because this is a standardized isekai with little points of intrigue it does different in terms of worldbuilding, plotline, and story; the way it viably competes with other seasonal isekais is its comedy. I found it pleasantly surprising ... that it actually had good comedic bits & timing. Even still, the comedy being under the pretense of it being an isekai world tends to lend itself to fall in too much into isekai comedy tropes too easily so even though the delivery is great, one might not like its trope-ish context.

Overall, it does nothing groundbreaking or even different to most other standardized power fantasy isekai worlds. I'm more likely to recommend this to people who enjoy comedy over people who enjoy isekais. Personally, I watched the first 5 episodes with a friend and watched the rest by myself because it was enjoyable enough to keep me engaged but it's definitely not outstanding in any conceivable way besides humor.

[POTENTIAL SPOILERS]

Monster Janitor's Unique Skill: Soft Review of Kaiju No.8

This is epic. In all seriousness, the concept it brings within it in the first few chapters fills itself with enough promising aspects for storytelling. The list is of potentially great concepts just in the first 3 chapters is insane. The worldbuilding, the monsters, the monster hunter's profession & lifestyle, the monster janitor's profession & lifestyle, the monster anatomy knowledge, among other more nuanced concepts explained in further chapters. It has a great "power system", the main character has an interesting perspective of this world and seeing his "rags-to-riches" story develop further is satisfying. It's simply ... an enjoyable manga.

This might just be my nitpicking but I do wish we could've had more moments of the main character displaying the knowledge he'd gained from his experience in cleaning up monsters. As the main villains not only get stronger but the average "power level" of monsters get higher, because apparently there's a job that's just Industrial Monster Power Level Statistics and I find that so cool tbh, the MC theoretically gets less opportunity to display his strategic and analytical prowess when it comes to tactically taking down monsters, and instead of tactics and knowledge he has to start relying more on pure strength and combat training.

All in all, still an absolutely phenomenal manga that's definitely worth at least 5 chapters if you're a shonen fan. Promise it's worth the read... and if in a far future there's a GOOD anime adaptation, it'll probably also be worth the watch.

Idek what to say. Solo Leveling is a web comic that knows its consumer well. It has GODLY, and i'm not joking, GODLY art, FULL COLOR, releasing WEEKLY! Initially it hooks you in to see the progression of the colloquially nicknamed "World's Weakest Hunter" and it keeps you entertained for a WHILE. I remember reading all the way to chapter 80 without getting bored once. That said, due to his unique ability, the story reaches a point where he's so strong that not even the strongest humans or potentially even strongest monsters in the world can compare against him, which makes the fights that were ... once super entertaining now feel dull since there's undoubtedly no question in your mind that the protagonist will not only win, but it won't be close. That said, the story's great at making hype moments even with these complaints and it's definitely worth a read if you're a shonen fan regardless. I ranked it low but I still found it very enjoyable, but I implore you to give it a read regardless!

Why would you do this to me );

The instant I heard there was an anime about real-estate in a fantasy setting, I was immediately hooked. I should've done some research before starting the anime because that was the hardest clickbait I ever received. I don't follow the 3-episode rule with an iron will. If an anime bores me before the 3 episodes, I'll just drop it. This was one of those instances. I've been pranked, bamboozled, coaxed into a snafu, among others. While this anime's concept is fantasy real-estate, this anime's practical execution is just weird nonstop fanservice and occasionally you see a house interior. ... The processes of agreements, contracts, etc. are boiled down to a kindergarten level; making any real-estate process no more than a bit or a gaff and it's boring and lame. Slime Reincarnation did a better job at fantasy real-estate and that's not even that anime's main aspect.

In conclusion, all I know is pain.

What's on this review isn't really a groundbreaking opinion, I'm simply here to reinforce the thought that this isn't meant to be some magnum opus anime. First seasons aren't usually made to make you care enough about an anime with its in-depth character development or intense worldbuilding (there are exceptions of course), but rather to hook you in with the potential for it to be something worth watching and supporting. The anime itself has insanely stupid good animation. The fighting choreography was incredible, good effects and sound design. There really isn't any complexity to the story, it's just a good show to turn brain off ... and see epic fight because why not. It's only 1 season so it's not terribly long, definitely worth the watch.