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Hunter's Guild: Red Hood is inspired fairy tales, but takes them in a far darker and gruesome direction from the very first chapter. The problem with Red Hood from there isn't that it was boring or bad, it's got more to do with the meat it left on the bone. This manga is dripping with unrealized potential, sporting a familiar art style that felt both fantastical and horrific. It doesn't wow with any storytelling, and that's probably where most of its problems lie.

The good is that, again, the art style is great, and often bordering on amazing. The world is rich in detail, and makes ... use of the white space well. The characters are all unique, with a majority of them giving off an old-world middle Europe vibe, but the women stand out the most. There are two absolute tanks of women who dwarf most of the cast in either height or muscles, so there isn't any doubt that author/illustrator, Yuki Kawaguchi, left his personality on his work. The manga promises so much so soon, and while fun, and exciting, it contrasts sharply with the methodical nature of the first major arc.

The first major arc is a training arc of sorts, that brings together your rag-tag group of Shonen troupes who must pass a test and learn how to do it together by outsmarting their way tougher, stronger, and cooler teacher/tester. It slows to a crawl, and while still enjoyable, it feels more like a barrier to a much more exciting world and story taking place in the background. The ending is the only other really bad part, and that's solely because it was rushed. The twist, the payoff, and the culmination of what felt like a more nuanced plot was plopped right at the end of the arc, without any build up or warning. It felt like an artist that desperately needed more time to set up his trick showed his hand out of frustration.

I recommend this to anybody who likes fairy tales, great art, old world Europe, busty women with even bigger muscles, the current age of Shonen Jump properties, and anybody who loves interesting world-building. I really wish I could have seen how things would have played out had he not been forced to throw a wrench into the story at the end, but as it sits, it was a fun time that I point to as my favorite 'canceled too early' Shonen.

This may have been the first mange I hate read. I truly believe there is no such thing as bad art, it all has an audience, but there is hardly anything redeeming about the story taking place in this manga. I couldn't wait for it to end.

I will give it some praise, however, because it wasn't without success. The first chapter was really good. The art is pretty clean, and by the numbers. It evoked a very western superhero-esque look, and was easy to follow along with. The super powers even looked good. Some of the characters had personality, and the main couple had some ... moments of romance that were cute and read really well. There isn't anything saving this from itself though.

The story is just disappointing. There isn't any sense of danger or tension at all. They fight God because the family that selfishly destroys the fragile balance of nature together is also the family that stays together. The pace is all over the place and you constantly ask yourself when anything meaningful is going to happen.

I recommend the first chapter. Pretend it's a one-shot. Outside of curious masochism, I struggle to find an audience this appeals to over the age of eight, and even then this might be too mundane for your average intended Shonen reader.

Aliens Area likens itself to a Men in Black inspired alien detective story, with the superpowered twist of the protagonist having alien abilities. On paper this manga seemed like a wonderful addition to Weekly Shonen Jump, with its unique art style and memorable first few chapters, but in reality it squandered ample opportunity to build its world and explore its themes at a slower pace.

There isn't much to say about the manga as a whole, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. What Aliens Area does well is both fun and interesting, but it often feels inorganic and rushed. I truly think with some attention ... to detail, and more time to flesh out what it was trying to show, this would've been a pretty fun read with plenty of science fiction to make any nerd happy. It just couldn't strike a great balance between detective noir and alien fighting secret agents. The power system never feels properly explained, but seemed like an interesting take on one, albeit riddled with atypical Shonen troupes.

I would recommend this if you're a fan of sci-fi and shorter reads, as this clocks in at 21 chapters, as it was at least an interesting idea with great illustrations.