- Last OnlineNov 24, 2022 1:49 PM
- GenderFemale
- BirthdayAug 9
- LocationOver there, YES, OVER THERE!
- JoinedJun 1, 2008
RSS Feeds
|
![]()
Jul 28, 2014
Warning: If you're looking for a shoujo manga that has anything with quality in it, do not read this manga.
The reason I managed to finish this manga is because I kept on hoping this manga would actually become something worthwhile to look at. The set-up was good, but the execution was awful (story-wise). I liked how the heroine, Mugi, was investigating her sister's disappearance, and at times I even felt a thrill as she got clues and would run into trouble.
However, any trouble that arose always ended fairly quick; it was anti-climatic and flat. You can even figure out why her sister disappeared within
...
14 chapters of this; the mangaka really did a good job of making this manga a no-brainer and uninteresting. She would show characters, such as the vice-principle and French teacher do some odd acts to foreshadow I suppose, but by doing that she shows everything about how the story is supposed to unfold (unlike where it's supposed to be a teaser to keep you gripped, the opposite happened-- I was like "not surprised at all by this development." BORING). Instead of a show-not-tell story, it was a tell-and-show story. The supposed mystery wasn't a mystery. And if that wasn't enough, any clue that was ever found got repeated 5 times within the same chapter (okay, that's an exaggeration... 3 times), not sure why she would do that.
Anyway, I know this a shoujo manga, so it's known for it's romance. Yet, the mangaka even failed at that. I know this manga for being extremely dull. The link between Mugi and every single guy character who falls for her is weak; it's rushed, you don't feel a particular connection with any of the pairings. None of the other characters surrounding her make an impression either.
I'm glad I'm done with this manga, and I would never read another one of the author's works again. Like this one, the other story summaries seem bland and cliche. It's no surprise the author doesn't have another series going on longer than this one.
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
What did you think of this review?
Nice
 0
Love it
 0
Funny
 0
Confusing
 0
Well-written
 0
Creative
 0Show all
![]()
Jul 15, 2014
WARNING: SPOILERS HAPPEN IMMEDIATELY
There are two types of people in the world: ones who accept their fate and others who deny it. Through their denial, there are attempts to escape and sometimes it can lead to an unyielding willpower or withering to death. At first our main character, Kyoha, has unyielding willpower, but by the end readers can see that her fiery personality is slowly dying for she has been entrapped in the brothel.
In the first few chapters, readers are introduced into her childhood and how she insisted on finding love and eventually leaving this place. She did not want to sell herself and sleep
...
with men who she did not know; it was only natural she wanted to leave. As she grew older and saw the fate of some of the prostitutes who gave into the idea of love, she saw that instead of it giving happiness to them it only worsened them and in the worse case scenario: they were murdered (metaphorically and physically). At first, her love was good too; she knew her limits and boundaries, but in the end she still suffered from it.
Readers may make an assumption she will remain in the brothel forever as she states something along the lines of "I have nowhere to go, therefore I came back." She escaped briefly to get some finality on her love if he abandoned her. That was when she knew her fate was clear from the beginning; she would never be able to escape and her youthful dream of finding her love was never going to turn into anything with fruition.
I am one of those people who mainly read shoujo, so it always ends up happily. I mean, I like happy endings. In reality, I know that is not often the case. Sakuran is one of those stories which depicts the reality of the prostitutes. There aren't any flowery details; the story is straightforward and flows well. For thirteen chapters, it was interesting to see Kyoha's development into a prostitute, as she learned tips and how she attempted to rebel. In fact one, if not the only, redeeming quality in reading this manga is Kyoha's character. The other characters basically acted as enforcers; none of them were memorable. They were like cardboard pieces to make Kyoha's character more likable. It is rare to find such a strong heroine. The art wasn't hard, but sometimes the females except for Kyoha looked so similar that it was difficult to remember their names.
I would recommend this manga for people who are interested in getting a glimpse of what the lives of past prostitutes in Japan were and who dislike unrealistic endings. I am giving this a six overall, because as I have mentioned before I like happy endings. The realism and hopelessness made me give this a six. The reason I read manga so much is to escape such sad realities after all. One thing I learned for sure through reading this is that I am very glad I was not born in that era.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
May 7, 2012
WARNING: SPOILERS.
First let me begin to say that there is nothing out of the ordinary about the story and you will not regret not reading this story. But, I really wish there was more attention for this shoujo manga. I feel that the little attention it gets is undeserving as the execution of this story is well-done in my opinion.
Like the summary, you could already tell the story is ordinary. Kyousuke is a guy whom Nina crushes on but of course the problem lies with him not being able to reciprocate her feelings and him dating a girl in high school, Yuiko.
I thought, and still
...
do, that the way Kyousuke was presented was highly realistic. He's been with the heroine for all of his life so when she confesses to him of course he cannot look at her in a 'womanly' way. He knows her flaws, her likes and dislikes already, her past and how she thinks. There's nothing new that he would find from her so that's why he manages to be so comfortable with her and be unromantic. Some people who read this manga will become annoyed or even hate on Kyousuke for that (I did), however, when it comes down to it: wouldn't you agree with his actions? A childhood friend confessing to another childhood friend where they've known each other for all their life cannot just suddenly jump in and be all lovey-dovey towards one another, especially if they have never considered them to be a romantic interest. That's why I like the manga. Kyousuke is a realistic character and he's a likeable guy too. He's nice to everyone, he tries his hardest and he doesn't bully anyone. He makes mistakes and isn't perfect.
That's why Nina likes him in the first place: a perfectly nice guy and he's always been her knight-in-shining-armor and to keep him close to her in that way still she knows that she has to be dating him. When she finds that Yuiko manages to date him she immediately tries to confess instead of muddling in despair. It's nice. She isn't the typical shoujo girl where all she does is cry out her heart and wait for someone to rescue her. Instead, she confronts the problem be the result beneficial towards her or damaging. She is pretty innocent too yet not to the extent where one wonders if she's a real human being.
She doesn't know what a relationship is like and when Kyousuke tries to touch her in a 'romantic' way, she rejects the action. A question that arises is: when you like a person and cannot touch them, what does that mean?
I'm not sure as I've never been in a relationship and neither does Nina get it. I think that Kyosuke saw that she does not know what she's trying to get herself into. After all, this is her first love and that's another realistic aspect to this manga.
What is love? What does the warmth of being beside one mean? What would you do for the person you've known for your whole life who is starting to become out of your grasp? What would you do for someone who's changed yet you still continue to like them, even when they're cold, would you still manage to give them your shoulder?
The questions are answered in this manga, and if you'd like to know then I encourage you to find out. You will not regret venturing. There are times where you want to hit your screen but at the same time you can understand where the other person's annoying personality comes from. *cough*Yuiko*cough*
The feelings that Tonari no Atashi spouts from me is frustration, happiness and sadness. I can understand so many different aspects of the characters in this manga even though I just want to shut out the character and not find out as their actions seem despicable to me. Again, Yuiko I'm looking at you. Of course I'd tell you more about her but let's just leave her as the one who's dating Kyousuke. If you want to know why I dislike her then check out this manga and it's not just because she's in the way of Nina becoming Kyousuke's girlfriend.
Once you understand a person, you cannot whole-heartedly dislike them. Sigh, but hey that's a redeeming quality of this manga.
Again, Tonari no Atashi is not a once-in-a-lifetime manga and can be quite predictable yet it still leaves you gripping and wanting to know more about the fate of Kyousuke's and Nina's relationship. Although, if you're not the type of person who's into drama then this isn't the manga for you.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
Mar 24, 2012
WARNING: SPOILERS INCLUDED.
Red Lion has got to be one of the silliest things I've read so far. It's ridiculous how all of the guys fall for this kind of protagonist.
Meet Eisul, the strongest girl ever and someone who speaks her mind. She stands up for people, a tad heroic. She moves to a new place to rid of her past name the 'Red Lion.' People from her past show up to ask her for help; everything turns out all right as she always beats down the people who have some sort of ill-will against her. Many guys fall for her. Her secret of 'Red
...
Lion' is still disclosed even though people have seen her get into many fights and other boys mentioning that name. The manga isn't anything special; it's cliche. But I guess it is refreshing to see a girl who isn't a damsel in distress.
In addition, a part that was annoying to see was that there was no character development too. I mean the guys who Eisul have rejected constantly come back proclaiming their love for her, even at the end it's like that. The ending didn't even seem like an ending to me. It was truly open-ended. Throughout the manga I was waiting for a 'true' problem. What I mean by a true problem is one that would have a guy completely beat her and she'd have to train or admit defeat. She NEVER lost in any fight even if it was like 1v30+. So yes that kind of problem never happened and the only time when she needs a guy to save her, he's conveniently there and the only reason why she needs help is when she's asleep or rendered useless from using her arms/legs.
The art is okay. It doesn't hurt the eyes or make you get excited. Although, it's troubling when there are three characters that look really similar to each other.
The only thing I find redeeming about this manga is that you can read this quickly as things happen really suddenly and if an event occurs it's in the span of two chapters.
I got some enjoyment even if I've seen ideas that have gotten used tons of times (besides the one mentioned above, there's the whole 'oh-no I killed my best friend, everyone hates me!).
I suggest reading if you are like me, who writes this in a lot of my manga reviews, who wants to pass the time and does not necessarily mind reading something that's been done before.
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
Jan 7, 2012
Warning: spoilers ahead and could be kind of clunky to read.
Rarely do I find a shoujo manga so enjoyable and without any annoyance. Why? Well it's for the simplicity and how the humor is shown.
Normally, the mangas we find for shoujo manga are pretty predictable. Girl meets guy, they fall in love through some events and the girl is pretty dumb-- always unconscious of her feelings.
This one could be the same in some ways, but you can't really blame the girl this time! Tsukimi, she's a big time otaku of jellyfish and she lives with other otakus of other things. The only kind of
...
otaku I knew before I came across this manga was just anime otakus. If you're interested in knowing what other kinds there are, I highly encourage you to check this manga out as I did learn some things from it. Slowly but surely all kinds of love is developing in this manga. It isn't the oh-my-gosh-I-just-met-you-let's-get-together. They are all super cute; there is denial and it's not for unjustified reasons. Who would expect a guy who's gorgeous, has the money and done it with many girls to fall for a girl into jelly-fishes? Who would expect a younger girl to be into old men and NOT for the money? Who would expect a woman who always uses men to fall for such a pure boy and thirty years at that who hasn't touched a woman before? Okay, two out of three I somewhat expected, but it's the way that the author approached this that made me enjoy it so much. Again, read this manga to find out!
At first I expected this to be a predictable cross-dressing manga too. But no, I was wrong, thankfully. The reason why Kuranosuke dresses as a girl is revealed if you read the manga. Oh and no he isn't dressed as a girl all the time which I see in most cross-dressing mangas. He dresses frequently as a boy and even dares to reveal it to people where most go "oh no! no one can find out about my identity!"
The communication with the characters is where most of the humor is conveyed. From blushes to old men appearing as school girls and asking their nephew or sons if they've gone to third base bluntly puts me into giant fits of laughter (okay... exaggeration). Still, I like it and the characters are growing more and more onto me and I'm sure it'll do the same for you too. Everyone that is introduced in this manga, you will find at least one trait that you like about them.
Overall, the art is amazing and the story isn't the most intriguing, however, I'm sure if you're into shoujo you won't help but like this manga. Also, I'm not surprised Kuragehime got an award. So get to it.... check this manga out!
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
Aug 2, 2011
**Note in this review there can be biases and spoilers.**
Have you ever had a dream you wanted to pursue but didn't because you felt that you would fail, or it wasn't practical enough for you, and your parents stated that they highly disapprove of it? Are you in the mood to read a manga that'll bring you joy each chapter? Are you interested in the cutest couple ever? Are you sick of love triangles and just want something straight forward? Are you over shoujo mangas having a bit too much drama?
If you said yes to any of the questions above or are interested in reading
...
something that the above questions mentioned, well then look no further! This could be the manga for you. :)
Initially when I looked at this manga on MAL, I didn't expect much out of it. I was pretty bored and just wanted to pass my time doing something, so I began reading. The story starts out with a girl who no one likes saying she's creepy and then oh look the popular boy approaches her, after that he opens her notebook and finds out about her dream. All of the things in the notebook are lyrics. Anyway, he gets her to sing for him and yada yada they start chasing their dreams, through that journey together they experience a lot of things like confronting their problems with their parents and not giving up. There are also a lot of sweet moments they have during their exploration to get their dream together, I won't spoil it but there is kissing! I know that this isn't the most original plot, but what matters is how the mangaka conveyed the story right? To me the mangaka did it perfectly and I felt the sorrow Shio, the main heroine (wow just realized this is the first time I shared her name LOL), felt for times she broke down or was unsure of herself.
The story didn't take a lot of time to develop either; it moves pretty quickly which I enjoyed. I didn't particularly want a dragged out manga, but you probably could have guessed this since there only eighteen chapters. There was one point where the manga introduced an ex-lover, and I thought to myself "oh great, this chick is going to cause problems for Shio and Nao (main guy/lover of Shio)." Nope, nope that didn't happen, which makes me so happy! She turned out to be a character who had a dream to play music, unfortunately she gave up because like many people (er at least I'm assuming, sorry) such as myself feel that they cannot make it big. It's like a 1/1,000,00 chance. Want to know more about the ex-lover? Well, find out yourself! I won't spoil anymore about her, by mentioning the fact that I want to give up my dreams because they aren't practical, I felt that this manga was also realistic not only in the sense of one having doubts about yourself but that there are people who won't believe in you succeeding (parents, teachers, and etc). There is more obstacles too like going to a big place such as in this story Tokyo to get noticed and be recruited, and in California it's L.A.
The art wasn't incredible, but it was cute and I enjoyed the drawings. All of the characters in the story are likable, especially Nao and Shio. Well, that's to be expected that these guys are the most likable since they only told about them, thoroughly... Shio is a bit clueless at times, somewhat of a cry baby, but she has a pure personality and can be courageous at points in the manga too! Nao is the dream guy: he's supportive, good looking, and knows not to stray away from his dream.
My enjoyment for this story was high. I even put it as one of my favorite manga! There are moments where you'll go d'aww, cry, laugh, and smile.
Overall: I think that this shoujo manga is worth taking a look if you have the time. You will not regret reading it. It's a simple story that you can appreciate. I thought that one of the themes this manga brings was nice too: even if a dream is impossible to oneself as long as you try you will not regret it, after all it's something that makes you the happiest doing. Spread your wings guys! (you'll understand why I said this if you read the manga)
P.S.
I hope I helped someone in making their decision to read this. I tried to make this a good review. :P
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
Jul 9, 2011
**May contain some spoilers+Could be long to read**
Story: One might think when coming across this manga that this is just another vampire manga, but in actuality it isn't. How? Well, when I first looked at this manga I thought, "oh great another vampire story zzz probably full of ecchi scenes since this big-boobed girl is with this male protagonist and full of violence. Also since there's a human before him he's obviously going to go having scenes of sucking her neck all the time right?" (kinda over dramatized my first impressions) Anyway, I was however proven wrong, which I'm very thankful for. Like the summary
...
says on MAL, it talks about how Staz, a vampire who is very powerful yet is very obsessed with the Japanese culture. I couldn't believe that this type of character could exist and when he heard of a human girl in his demon world he didn't want to suck her neck, and instead of that he wanted to chat with her! He was thinking about how they could talk about manga together and such. Unfortunately after meeting her he had to go for a few moments to deal with an intruder in his area, and thus he found that she was dead and only her soul remained. Staz saddened by this greatly, since this was the first human he had ever met decides to make her alive again. So, the adventure starts and a lot of comedic events too. I'm sure once you read the first chapter of this manga you'll be just as amused or enchanted as I am with this manga.
Art: I don't think it's that impressive, but all of the characters look different and you'll never have to guess who is who.
Characters: Okay, I won't get too much into this one, but all I can say is this is what made me enjoy the manga greatly. Every character introduced in this manga is quirky and entertaining. No one will be too annoying, not even Yanagi which I think is good. If she was like Orihime (girl from Bleach) I think I'd have to rip my hair out. :P
Enjoyment: Seeing as how I already mentioned that this was not the typical vampire story I was expecting and how the characters are all wonderful you should know that I'm going to say I enjoyed it highly! I give my enjoyment a 9.
Overall: In my opinion if you want to read a story that will make you laugh all the time check this out! I'm sure it will not disappoint you, and sure there are some perverted moments in this manga but there isn't many. Go read Blood Lad! I command you to (just kidding; you don't have to!).
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
Jan 28, 2009
Warning: Oresama Ouji is very cliche so please do not even bothering reading it if you're looking for something with a lot of originality.
Story: A girl named Sawa doesn't like judo anymore because it always scared guys off. However, she is forced to deal with it again because she is in a judo club. A guy named, Sumikara, forced her to and he is also the captain of the judo club. Anyway he claims that he knew her from the past and that's when her life becomes sort of off.. Yeah I pretty much rewrote the summary for the story but there wasn't really
...
much else to put for the story.. and if I put anymore it would give a way like everythingl.
Art: The art was cute.. it never really bothered me so uh yeah not much to add to that.
Character: It was pretty rushed how the characters reacted to one another even if they knew each other from the past.. I felt there should of been a bit more getting to know each other instead, but since it's a story of three chapters I guess I really can't complain.
Overall: I think that this is a good short story, and if you're looking for something that'll pass some time and aren't too picky about how things are rushed and uses ideas over and over; you should definitely read this.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
Jun 20, 2008
Story: The story was written wonderfully. The author made it really realistic; I could see it happening in real life, because it gave so much details and information about how the person felt and how the other felt. The situations that were in the story were very good too, because as I wrote before it was realistic. I haven't ever come anything like this either so I thought it was very original and enjoyable.
Art: The author did a good job on the art too; the characters didn't look much the same and the scenery was beautiful. It had everything you could see in real life.
...
However, sometimes the characters did have the same look just one or two of the characters though, which was sort of annoying to me.. but yeah it was good.
Character: Oh, I think this was the best part in the story. I loved seeing the characters developing! Especially how Takeru and Kayano were developing towards each other, but it did go a bit fast how Kayano got to like Takeru like that so fast.. nonetheless there wasn't anything too rushed after that at least in my opinion.
Enjoyment: Hehe I really enjoyed reading this but I think I did cry a bit TOO much I blame it on Kayano.. she just cried too much in the story. xD
Overall: I don't think the story could be written any better.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
Jun 19, 2008
Well after I read SOLD OUT! I can't say it's the best manga I've ever read. Why? Well because there wasn't much romance, and even at the very end it wasn't all that romantic.. just holding hands and hugging that's like all they do that is "romantic"(in between), though they do say some sweet things to each other.. Anyway if you like a cute, short manga you should try it.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
|
