Even better than the first game. The characters don't make much use of their talents though, so those are mainly there for flavour and could probably be better used as plot devices. That said, it had more satisfying explorations of the characters' backstories and personalities as a whole, and was way more hype when approaching the endgame. The characters are also more memorable, really.
Playing on mean difficulty and experiencing the ramp-up in annoyance during hangman's gambits and logic dives was both satisfying and distressing.
There were a few stylistic changes which made the game feel less like a comic book brought to life and more like a normal VN, which isn't bad in itself... but it doesn't quite have the same feel as the first game.
Danganronpa: Trigger-Happy Havoc - 10
For how similar the premise is to 999, it sure beats the crap out of it. Most of the choices are just there for immersion, so it's quite a linear story for a visual novel, but then you could say that a normal story is just as linear, so it doesn't actually detract from the work at all. I think that the despair vs hope theme is a little overwhelming given the lack of logical basis for the occurrence of 'the tragedy', and some characters were just there for the ride, but other aspects are incredibly well-executed.
For example, the mysteries - while extremely easy to solve when answers are presented in multiple-choice form - were well-integrated into the interactive games and did require some measure of deduction on 'mean' difficulty, at the same time being much less frustrating than in other detective games like KnS and 999. The ability to move throughout the school is also a great idea rooted in the video game genre, and is a mechanic significantly underrepresented in other VNs. The music is well-placed and Sakura Ogami is the best girl.
When you combine this story with the rest of the franchise, I have no doubt that the sum total is a masterpiece. Granted that some aspects, such as the background of 'the ultimate soldier', could likely have been integrated seamlessly into the final product as well.
Nevertheless, this VN has a lot of flavour, a lot more than other VNs - just based on the timing of the music, the interactive games and the visuals. It's one heck of an experience.
999 - 7
Chemistry and philosophy~ the various plot elements, while still evoking a bit of thought - such as how they provided a valid, negative-proof model for the existence of the intangible soul, probably weren't unified well enough into a coherent whole. Of course, this is only one part of a franchise, so as a standalone game it probably isn't intended to be a complete package. In the end, it felt too much like a game instead of a story, so I never really had a sensation of actual danger - rather like Ever17 in that respect.
The root of the problem probably lay in the cast; the characters weren't distinct or memorable enough, especially given that as the MC's controller you're forced to do everything yourself while everyone else is practically incompetent. You can give them as unique designs and names as you want, but side characters with forgettable personalities and actions may as well be part of the background.
Yeah, let's actually just call them background characters, since all they did was provide hints and background information whenever you screwed up.
If there was one thing this story achieved... well, it did make me yell through the screen at a clueless main character.
Perhaps this needs to be viewed as a sequel.
G-Senjou no Maou - 7
Too many red herrings - it got to the point where the alternative was absurd enough that it must be true, yet the characters always jumped on the simplest possible deductions first while acting like we didn't have the same information. I'm not sure if a reverse Occam's razor is the phrase to describe it. I really appreciated how the MC hardened himself in the true route, but among other things, both the post-mortem epiphanous reconciliation and the budding romance came across as spontaneous developments with no decent foreshadowing.
Maou certainly managed to make an impression, but ultimately failed to become a relatable character due to his actions in the epilogue where he pretty much just showed up to play spoiler like a third-rate antagonist. Uh, in terms of the cat and mouse game he was holding... while the atmosphere was impressive, the tricks themselves were really rather transparent. Some, such as with the bomb at the arena, were pointless as far as I could tell. Is there a need to start a fire in the east to attack the west, if nobody's guarding the west anyway?
I admit that I was tricked into believing certain things about Maou's identity which turned out to be untrue. However, there was such a lack of logical basis for his true identity that he might as well have turned out to be from the future, or an alien, or a secret admirer, and everything would've made as much sense. That the MC had a brother was brought up in only a single scene, practically as a footnote, before the reveal. Any decent story would at least include some childhood flashbacks or something.
For all the emphasis on classical music, even that wasn't used to its full potential as a motif. The OST was mostly adaptations/arrangements (I particularly enjoy 'A bad joke'/'Sabre Dance'), however, in terms of plot relevance there was a concert which literally bombed, 'Flight of the Valkyries' used during ice skating, and a single violin note played by the heroine.
Still, 'the devil on g-string' is an accurate title. An invisible and soundless demon resting on your shoulder, twisting just one note and ruining an otherwise perfect symphony. The convoluted chords birth twisted notes, orchestrating chaos in the present.
Classy.
Muv-Luv Alternative - 9
Vast gulfs in VN experiences do exist - and it's no wonder that the gap between first and second place is so huge. What generates the void after finishing a story like this? In essence, a little piece of your soul dies together with each character.
My soul is fully depleted.
The direction in the VN was intriguing - action scenes were portrayed almost entirely through animations rather than with detailed descriptions like those one would see in F/SN. Personally, I prefer a written style, but I'm sure that the production quality didn't hurt MLA's ratings.
That said, oftentimes it felt like tragedy for the sake of tragedy. Edgy feels are fine in moderation, but when aliens just become a plot device to kill off characters in weird and wonderful ways, it becomes quite a problem for immersion, and thereby suspension of disbelief.
The ending was also a rather cheap attempt at closure. I understand that war heroes aren't always celebrated and what not; I understand that the MC's character development came at the detriment of any conceivable normal life. However, anybody can write an ending like that. It would've been nice to relate particle superposition to the MC's mental state, and have the memories converge over time. Not one person prefers the naive MC to his alternative.
Regardless, it was definitely an experience seeing that the MC, rather than being some generic Gary Stu due to his abilities, was still forced to overcome trials, re-evaluate himself, and lose several important things. Character growth is definitely one of the defining characteristics which makes this one of the best stories I've ever completed.
Muv-Luv - 6
Ever17 - 8
Closure, closure, closure. Honestly, the amount of closure this VN brings stops me from considering a re-read - because while the first few routes introduce questions, the last one answers them. Once you know the answers, it becomes difficult to enjoy being trapped in an underwater facility playing tag for even ten more minutes.
I definitely felt that the time-travel plot was well-represented, perhaps even more so than in Steins;Gate, though I would argue that they didn't actually resolve the paradox in the end. Well, whatever - it's a fourth-dimensional entity exerting agency, so who knows.
I wish there had been more animated CGs, since the onrushing wall of water near the beginning brought possibly the only real rush in the entire VN. In terms of atmosphere, I think that had there been more of an emphasis on survival rather than playing, it probably would've been more impressive - and that might be why 999 tends to outrank it in the wider community.
Kara no Shoujo - 9
A classy detective mystery written by somebody with more than a few issues, but enjoyable all the same. I couldn't save them, but they lived in my thoughts (as amputees and black eggs) for a considerable time afterwards.
The soundtrack is perfection and a permanent addition to all my playlists, thank you based MANYO. Rather than character development or plot, it might be even be atmosphere which drives this story to the top. Thematically, Touko is also one of the best-designed characters I've ever seen, those vocal chords on a face like that...
The mystery is strong and unpredictable, if only because the reader is given so few clues - and the madness which flits intermittently throughout the story gives the impression that the serial killings are less like murders and more like natural disasters.
Inevitably, the reader begins to search for the killer not for the sake of story progression or curiosity, but out of desire for a happy ending. Can I avert this tragedy? Is it really possible to read this story with an uninvested heart?
To both, the answer is 'no'.
Fate/Hollow Ataraxia - 7
Are you kidding me?
Where's my Ilya route?
Honestly, the way that I can choose to go spend a day with her at her castle is the best, even if it doesn't actually incite any progression. The whole thing felt like a script from Take-Moon, i.e. well-crafted slice of life. However, I wasn't left with any strong impression regarding the ongoing conflict... maybe I simply sat through too many slice of life scenes to the point where the action became part of the background?
It was a pleasant surprise when I found out that the story involved the redemption of the tainted being in the Holy Grail, though.
Give these people a happy ending, geez.
Fate/Stay Night - 8
Saya no Uta - 9
The first VN I tried was inevitably my favourite for a long time. I admit - prior to this, I didn't think very highly of VNs, assuming them to be a somewhat outdated storytelling medium and affiliated with the stereotypical otaku image. However, the fact that this story remained on my mind for so long serves to showcase one of the medium's defining characteristics: natural, unforced character development.
Making the audience sympathize with a villain is not unheard of in today's stories. However, creating a villain that the audience cheers for, without actually making them a likeable character, is a different matter. Then, making the audience cheer for something which is undoubtedly evil?
No - is that cruelty and sadism not simply born of an innocent ignorance, like the cruelty of a child?
Can something be called evil if it acts, by divine design, simply for the propagation of its species - like a man-eating predator?
Are we sure that we're not simply flesh-eating monsters who see one another as normal humans?
Are these questions really edgy enough yet?
The second standout element is probably the atmosphere. The art is as crisp and intriguing as it is unnerving and cthulhuian. The soundtrack is used to great effect, mirroring not just the characters' mental states, but even the reader's as the latter becomes better-acquainted with the characters. Walls of meat may haunt my dreams, but I feel at peace.
There are many stories which use morality well, yet fail to actively provoke thought. This one succeeds, and it does so in every ending.
Well, the definition of entertainment varies greatly from person to person really. I mean, there are almost 4000 people who rated Shamo with an 8 or above on MAL alone, when I found it to be super pessimistic realism to the point that it was depressing. I mean sure, it had some decent fights, but even those were ruined by the protagonist and his ridiculous actions. A quick example would be when he got a high profile fight (some world champion or something), but his opponent wasn't really interested in fighting him... So this protagonist goes right ahead and brutally rapes his opponent's girlfriend so that the guy would be more motivated for the fight. Yeah, not the kind of stuff that I'd even remotely enjoy reading about. Ridiculous leaps in logic and various brutal sequences litter the series, and the protagonist is human garbage, as you may have heard. Not the sort of thing I'd recommend to anyone (which you may have noticed from the fact that I rated it a 3).
While Kokou no Hito never really went *that* drastic at any point, I found the overall pessimistic vibe similar. Honestly, the only thing that kept me reading as long as I did was the artwork, which was brilliant. In fact, it probably had some of the best landscape artwork I've seen in manga (along with possibly Vagabond).
I'm currently at chapter 230 or so of Kumo, and I have to say that I like how long it took for Kumoko to grow to that extent. I mean... For example, in Tensei shitara Slime, his 'growth' was pretty much completely covered in about 5-10 chapters. Meanwhile, in this one, it took over 100 chapters for Kumoko to be stronger than mini-boss level. Then again, the charm of the story dropped significantly after the 'Ascension' part. Then again, after that, the story divulges into a series of side stories, which are interesting enough in their own right, but it doesn't really feel like the same series anymore. After the Ascension, Kumoko's escapades have become more and more like something straight out of Death March, just without the loli harem.
Tensei shitara Slime was something that I found kinda readable at the start, but it stagnated way too fast and I got bored out of my skull pretty quick. Didn't take long for me to drop that one. As for Tate no Yuusha... It could've been something great, but it just constantly squandered its potential. The WN was more manageable, but in the LN and consequently the anime, they try way too hard to make it seem like your typical dumb harem, just with some added edgyness. Then again, even in the WN and Manga, the edgyness gets quite annoying at times, especially when Naofumi mentions his grudge or gets a flashback about his grudge every few minutes or so.
Honestly, Kumo can't really be compared to Mushoku Tensei, since the latter was far better in most aspects (after Rudeus became less trashy, of course). Re:Zero is even better than Mushoku Tensei imo, so again, not really worth comparing.
I haven't really read Knights and Magic, but it doesn't really seem worth reading either.
Konjiki no Word Master was... Bad. I've read a decent amount of it, and the logic in that one simply doesn't flow most of the time. While the protagonist was unique and likable at first, he slowly became your typical harem protagonist. While it wasn't as fast as Slime, this one was another LN that I lost interest in and dropped over time.
Honestly, Konosuba and Danmachi would be some of the better LNs I've read, especially the latter. Konosuba is the sort of thing that continuously improves over time, even while it stays true to its roots. It never takes itself seriously, and pretty much none of the developments are of any real consequence on the long run. Still, it's the sort of thing that you have to read without expecting too much or being too serious about it, since it's a gag series at its core. I believe it's around volume 6 where it really picks up (some rather amazing events, which are still meaningless on the long run, of course). Either way, it's a novel that I'd recommend giving another chance to. It currently has 15 translated volumes, which is a pretty good amount of content. Even the updates are fairly frequent, even though it's translated by the volume rather than by the chapter.
As for Danmachi, I'd put it right up there with Rakuin no Monshou - it's one of the best fantasy LNs I've read (it's not isekai though). It's another one of those series that starts off like your typical 'harem in an RPG world' thing, but evolves into something completely different over time. The author even explained that - he wrote it that way in the beginning so that it would become popular/get some readership, and slowly started changing it into the story that he actually wanted to tell. If you like stories about slow growth of characters (rapid in that world, but slow in your subjective sense), then you'd love Danmachi. While I wouldn't place it at the same level as Re:Zero, I would still highly recommend that you pick it up. YenPress has 12 volumes out, and the translation is pretty good.
Talk about Re:Zero, it looks like Witch Cult's translations are going fairly well, and they're giving rather frequent releases now. I guess you can consider picking up Arc 5 now.
Thank you for your reply and excuse me for this late reply. I've started buying the remaining volumes of the Umineko manga (I bought the question arcs a few years ago), so it's gonna be a pretty big investment before I got them all hehe.
AHHH I didn't even know that there was a new WTC coming out, how am I meant to contain this HYPE? How am I meant to work around my SCHEDULE?
UGH, I know, same. VNs take up way too much time and as a teenager ignoring high school it was still easy to play multiple ones at the same time. As an adult with responsibilities, however, it is definitely harder to dedicate a lot of time to a VN. Thankfully WTC5 is slated to release in the summer, so if you've got summer break, that's the time to binge it! lol
I really liked the remote settings of Higurashi and Umineko, so I might miss that... but in the first place, I grew to like that sort of aesthetic because of those titles. Even though Kikonia seems to be thematically different, as long as it has a strong mystery I'll be hooked.
I hope R07 won't drop the "mysterious murders on a remote location" setting, since it really signifies the concept of WTC's works. After watching the trailer, it looks like it's in a sci-fi setting though. This I totally don't mind; Higurashi and Umineko's settings were also very different and it worked out perfectly. SO hyped for the next entry!
Well, I can certainly understand where you're coming from with Kokou no Hito, but in my case, I just go by one rule - 'More realistic doesn't necessarily mean better'. I mean sure, Kokou no Hito showed what would most likely happen in a more realistic world, and the characters and their interactions were certainly there as well... But if you were to ask me if I enjoyed reading it, I'd answer with a no.
It basically felt like the sort of thing that an edgelord would love... Shamo was another manga which gave me the exact same feeling - it was certainly good, had some real depth, and was extremely realistic - but I hated every moment of it. At every step of the way, I felt like reaching into the page and throttling the protagonist, so that his antics would stop and the manga would end... Eh, I guess I'm just cribbing at this point.
Well, my point is that I don't really understand what people see in series that are realistic to such a point that all the fun has been sucked out of it. There are plenty of shows such as 3-Gatsu no Lion or Space Brothers which are realistic, but at the same time, aren't draggy/so damn pessimistic all the time lol.
/rant
As for Berserk, I just kept hearing different versions of 'the Golden Age arc is the best piece of literature ever written, period.' pretty much all over the place. When I finally took the plunge, I realized that it was... Well, bad. Then I thought... If the Golden Age arc is supposed to be brilliant and it turned out to be like this... How bad would the rest of it be? That's the moment when I decided that I didn't want to suffer through any more of it haha.
When it comes to Falling in Love with the Villainess, I believe that it goes like:
The story generally goes pretty well -> Peaks at a really good moment with major repercussions -> Arc ends -> Next arc starts really slow -> Picks up and gets back to the previous level
That pretty much repeats over each arc. With the first arc, that peak was Vincent's death. After that, it certainly does slow down considerably at the Strategy Part (as the translator calls it). Still, it picks right back up after a couple of chapters. At least according to me, the Strategy Part (post Vincent's Death and pre End of Storyline) was even better than the Academy Part.
As for the release schedule, the translators have been releasing at a weekly or occasionally bi-weekly, which is fairly good for a WN. Besides, they've got almost 100 chapters out already, so you have a fair amount to binge before you catch up. At least in my opinion, it's definitely worth reading ahead.
I recently started reading Kumo Desu ka, Nani ka?, and I've been enjoying it for the most part (except that really slow start). I guess I just have a thing for series that are all about RPG-style character growth. The only issue I have is the side stories, the positioning of which seems to make no sense whatsoever. Have you read this one? I don't remember if we've discussed it before.
Sorry for the late reply... Been dead sick lately.
Honestly, you couldn't go wrong with any of those three, since they're all top notch novels. Sevens has a bit of a slow start, but it manages to build up in a big way as it goes along. On the other hand, Saihate no Paladin is something of the opposite, in the fact that it has a very strong start, but it slows down a little near the third volume or so. Then again, that story is just beginning, so I'm willing to give it the benefit of doubt. Sevens, on the other hand, is completed, and is ended quite well. As for Re:Zero... Well, I'm sure I don't need to say much on that topic.
Well, I do see where you're coming from, and there certainly is a sort of charisma about characters who are ready to sacrifice themselves for the greater good. Then again, I generally prefer characters who are hell bent on getting their revenge on those that beat them down. A quick example of that would be Rion from Falling in Love with the Villainess, at least at the start of the series. Sure, he became more of what you described as the series progressed and he gained more and more people to protect. Still, I find that there's something more enigmatic about an avenger, as compared a hero. Then again, as you mentioned, an avenger wouldn't be able to evoke the same kind of emotional reaction from the audience that a hero could, so I'm a little conflicted on the subject.
Vagabond was something that I enjoyed reading while I was going through it, but I put it on hold at some point and never really picked it up again. I'm still not sure of why that's the case.
As for Kokou no Hito, it's much simpler. That one felt like Oyasumi Punpun with mountain climbing. The general tone was dreary and depressing, the protagonist was a loner to a ridiculous extreme, and all the character interactions gave me a rather negative vibe. Sure, there was a kind of beauty in it, but I simply couldn't bring myself to *like* it. I lasted some 50-odd chapters before I finally gave up on that one.
Berserk was yet another such manga that I simply couldn't stand. With that one, I dropped it after I read the Golden Age arc ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
The funny thing is, I can even think of a slightly different application of what you mentioned. For example, that infamous scene in Arc 3 where Emilia decides to part ways with Subaru. In his mind, Emilia has done so many things for him and just so many commendable things in general that she becomes worthy of his respect... But in truth, at least in that particular timeline, Emilia had done none of those, and hence, she couldn't understand why Subaru was deifying her so much. I guess that would be the flip side of what you mentioned.
I actually read up Falling in Love with the Villainess one more time (mainly because I saw some updates and realized that I had forgotten most of it already), and it was only then that I realized that it actually had a few pacing problems. One quick example... I was pretty sure that Vincent's death was something close to halfway through the story.. And then I found that it was actually in chapter 32, which isn't even a third the way in. On revising, I found that the events seemed to shoot past, one after the other. Sure, it wasn't a detriment to my enjoyment, but I found it strange all the same. I guess there are some things that you'd only notice when rereading.
Just read your review of Umineko EP8 and it was really well written. It made me reminiscence back to when I read the novels. A great read, thanks so much.
I finished the Umineko novel years ago, and after recently rewatching Higurashi I'm craving for more When They Cry. I also want to prepare for the upcoming WTC5, but rereading the novels will take too much time. Do you think the manga is a good replacement read?
Yeah, 20 times is a bit much lol. I've just played through Emerald and Platinum (and My Ass), and the only shiny I found was a crystal Onyx, which ran away. Go figure.
The main reason why I like Mystery Dungeon is due to the fact that it actually has a story (unlike the regular games, which are usually even more devoid of a story than Skyrim). The fact that the other characters (despite them being pokemon) are likable, is another aspect that I quite enjoy. While the difficulty may be lower, I didn't really find that a determent as such. Besides, I never really did much of PVP, breeding, or IV farming in the original games either (Yeah, I was a regular scrub).
Pocket Monsters Special was actually my first taste of a slightly darker Pokemon story, although it was still fairly childish for the most part. I really should get to Festival of Champions.
Well, I guess you would've finished that prelude by now, and have realized that the main point of that mini-arc was elsewhere. Either way, the pace of Arc 5's release is excruciatingly slow, even though Discount Anon (from Zero translations) is back at it, just that he's with Witch Cult translations now.
Saihate no Paladin and Sevens are both brilliant, and are well worth reading/getting back to. I prefer Sevens by a small margin, mainly because it is actually completed, and ended well. Just make sure that you're reading the WN instead of the LN, since the changes in the LN are nothing great, to say the least.
Yeah, that's actually quite true - even if the main character in Isekai stories have gone through some sort of trauma, it's usually (immediately) after coming to that world, rather than before (I'm looking at you, Shield Hero). The way Subaru's character was handled and developed throughout that arc was quite good, and I also liked how they managed to actually give some substance to the 'main' heroine, who might as well have been a cardboard cutout till then. There's also the matter of Beatrice, which was handled quite well (or maybe I just like stubborn lolis).
Honestly, I found L's death to be the high point of the series. Within that one move, Light managed to kill L, get rid of Rem (the not-so-cute one), get himself full control of Misa and another free Death Note. A masterstroke really. After than, it simply took a nose-dive. Near and Mello were just shoddy replacements for L, and as you said, the new dynamic wasn't anywhere near as appealing. Besides, without L to keep him under check, Light just went haywire, and basically became your stereotypical villain. From there, it just plodded along till the inevitable conclusion, which was the only part of the latter half that I remotely enjoyed.
Yeah, both Helck and Yuusha ga Shinda started off as comedy manga, but later went in the battle manga direction. I guess that's a rather common thing for comedy manga (at least according to Bakuman). Still, it was done well, so I'm not really complaining. I guess I'll be finishing up Helck sometime soon (had to keep it on hold for a bit).
Sorry for the delay... I've been dead busy lately, with job interviews and whatnot. Doesn't look like it'll be easing up anytime soon either.
Well, I'm quite similar to you in that regard - I only acknowledge Pokemon upto gen IV... Anything after that just goes over my head haha. I've played Platinum, so I'm fairly familiar with gen IV... I don't even know about the mechanics and such from later generations. Still, I really did enjoy playing the Mystery Dungeon series. Anyway, Pokemon My Ass is basically a joke game, but it's a particularly well made/balanced one from the gameplay perspective. You could give it a try if you want a good laugh.
I guess I was always more for the cooler looking ones, such as Garchomp and Lucario (which were also pretty useful, so no real loss).
The only sad thing about Arc 5 is how the translations are stalled at chapter 50 or so (some 46-47 is done by chicken, and the rest can be found online). So, what do you think of it so far?
Well, I guess I get what you mean. I don't really like those myself, but there are some that always keep a happy mood, but are quite exceptional (like Space Brothers). Still, if that's the case, then you may as well avoid Yotsubato, which is exactly that. Komi-san is basically your typical school based SoL, so that may be out too. 3-Gatsu no Lion though... That's a whole different beast altogether.
Yeah, apparently the author was a huge fan of Bump of Chicken, and they liked the manga too. You might notice that this came out two years before the actual anime adaptation.
Honestly, Death Note should've just ended with L's death. After that, the entire thing just started unraveling. The cat and mouse game was no longer interesting, and the 'successors' were drab as hell. Light himself started to feel like a 2-bit villain, and every other character was basically just a tool for him to use. The latter half pretty much gave up on character depth/development and made it a rather boring take at the usual good vs evil battle. The shinigami were almost always something of a deus ex machina, so I never really cared much for them.
Aah, I didn't check your list before recommending that one. I started Helck a while back (mainly reading it in transit), and it was indeed quite fun. Sure, it's not at the level of Yuusha ga Shinda on many aspects, but it's still a good read all the same.
EDIT: I found a site which has a few more chapters of Re:Zero Arc 5. Here you go.
Well, I can at least guarantee that the first two regions worth (~14 volumes) are really good, and are well worth reading. After that, I'm not sure if I can attest to the quality at all, since the new protagonists made me drop it.
Talk about Pokemon games, have you played Pokemon My Ass? It's a rom hack which actually has some good gameplay value, but the main thing is the nasty humor that's all over the place in it. Fully functional Pokemon game, just... Nasty and funny at the same time.
Yeah, Otto was one character who developed quite well in Arc 4. Surprising how far he came from that guy who left Subaru for dead the first time around (or was that the second?). Eh... I'd say the saddest scenario would be Patrache dying outside the save zone. That'd be heartbreaking.
As far as I know, Roswaal's strange speech is nothing more than a verbal tic, which is something that every character has, to a degree (Emilia does something similar, but that's mainly because she's a loli).
I was actually pretty surprised when Betelguese turned up in Emilia's backstory, since I was fairly sure that character was pretty much out of the picture. As for Subaru, he essentially inherited the Authority of Greed, but as for whether that's a good thing or not is rather questionable. You'll come to understand that during the final sequence of this arc.
Yeah, Subaru has no real 'powers' to speak of, besides the obvious Return By Death. Whatever else he has is essentially just useful to stave off an enemy for a short while, as you mentioned (or perhaps make a getaway at best).
Wait... Did you finish up arc 4 then?
You can find the first few chapters of Arc 5 here, though I can't guarantee the quality. Take a look, and if it's unreadable, I can try and directly send you the good version (I always prefer to keep a copy downloaded, so Zero translations going down didn't really affect me).
Well, I'm not sure what you mean by a typical SoL, but if you're talking about the moe crap, then 3-Gatsu no Lion is not that. Basically deep characters and believable interactions. I had actually written a review for the anime, which got taken down for some arbitrary reason. I'll just add it here, in case you're interested:
"There's just no place where you belong, anywhere in this world, is there?"
The most common, yet important worry of young adults is finding a place where they fit in, and are accepted. Most people spend a few years finding that comfortable point, while others keep searching in vain. 3-Gatsu no Lion is the story of a child who was forced into that stage at an age when most of his peers were arguing about crayons. This anime follows Kiriyama Rei, as he journeys through life, searching for a feeling of belonging.
Story (8/10):
The story of 3-Gatsu no Lion follows Kiriyama Rei and his interactions with the Kawamoto sisters, the other pros at the Shogi association, his school and his family. It is quite firmly rooted in reality, with a large amount of Shogi elements thrown in. As for romance, there isn't really any to speak of - just familial love.
While the pacing is fundamentally slow, it doesn't stop the anime from being quite gripping. The show explores many tones, from dark and introspective to calm and funny.
The only real complaint that one can have about this aspect is that there is a large emphasis on Shogi, with entire episodes being focused on it. This can be quite frustrating for those who don't understand the game, but it is made in such a way that you can understand how the match is going just from the music, which is quite brilliant.
I particularly commend Shaft for adapting the manga perfectly, with almost everything being done panel-to-panel.
Art (9/10):
The artwork is up to the usual Shaft standards, which is really good. The animation is quite fluid and the character artwork is quite nice. It may take some time to get used to it (like the thick mouths, for example), but over time, it becomes quite pleasing to the eye.
There are quite a lot of symbolic/metaphorical scenes, but they make perfect sense with the story and the characters' emotions.
Sound (10/10):
I'm not usually one to comment about the sound aspect, but this was just exceptional.
The OPs and EDs were all really nice, especially the first set by Bump of Chicken.
The voice acting was top notch for all the characters and the emotions were conveyed very well.
I particularly enjoyed how they went out of they way and voiced the cats, and even said a lot of the SFX out loud in cute voices.
Character (10/10):
3-Gatsu no Lion is mainly a character oriented anime and boy, do these characters stand out. Every single one of them is realistic, deep and properly developed. Every character is depicted as entirely human, with their own personalities and reasons for their actions. It is crafted in such a way that every character, even those that one would initially dislike, can be understood and sympathized with. At least in the anime, there is no truly hate-worthy character, which in itself is quite an achievement... Some people would would disagree, due to Kyouko and Gotou, but my point still stands.
The character development in this show is one of the best I've seen in a fairly long time. The growth is gradual, often unnoticeable, but the overall change is quite striking. Rei changes a lot, but the other characters also receive an adequate amount of development.
One thing I particularly like about this anime is how even the most minor characters are never left out or forgotten. Every character has a set purpose and they are utilized to the fullest extent.
Enjoyment (9/10):
3-Gatsu no Lion is an extremely enjoyable anime, to those who can appreciate the genre. I, for one, liked it quite a lot, and was looking forward to every week's episode. Some people may find the shogi aspects rather bland, but I enjoyed it, even though I don't understand the game.
Overall (9.2 ~ 9/10):
All put together, 3-Gatsu no Lion is a brilliant anime. Not quite a masterpiece, but certainly worth watching. It may not suit everyone's tastes, since it's not quirky like Sakurasou, or completely calm and relaxing like Barakamon, but it has it's own charm which I'd say surpasses most others of it's genre. Its slow pacing takes some getting used to, but once you're accustomed to it, you will begin to truly appreciate the anime.
SUMMARY:
- Deep characters, good development
- Focus on Shogi (Japanese Chess)
- Lots of cute moments
- Lots of dark, introspective moments
- Slow pacing
- Little or no romance (for now)
- Occasionally quite funny as well
Well, Komi-san is just a kinda cute and fluffy manga, which I wouldn't call anything brilliant. A quick and effortless read for sure, but there's next to no depth involved.
Yotsubato is basically the same as above, but it's a cut or two above. It's the sort of thing that awakens a feeling of nostalgia, and is quite well written in general. Neither one really compares to 3-Gatsu though, since they fall into a different sub-category of SoL.
Well, Death Note stays pretty fun until it hits that major wall a little past the halfway point. It was quite interesting to see Light getting more and more corrupted by power as the series progresses, and L's deductions were quite amazing too. Still, that'll all end fairly soon, and the manga will become another one of those 'this damn thing should've ended 40 chapters ago!' things. Well, it was fun while it lasted.
Another manga you could check out is Yuusha ga Shinda. I haven't had that good a laugh in a while.
Well, after running for 13 years without shutting down, it's pretty obvious that it would have a lot of content haha. Still, that sounds ridiculously grindy as hell, especially with those tiny drop rates.
I played Pokemon Go for a few months after it came out, before dropping it like anyone else. I actually picked it back up about a month ago, and they've actually improved the game quite a lot. Much less frequent crashes, raid bosses, PVP, four generations, etc. Sure, the battles aren't turn based, so it's still kinda simplistic, but it's still a huge improvement over what it used to be.
I've seen that one around, but I never really paid any attention to it since it's a doujin. I guess I could check it out. Have you read the Pokemon Adventures manga? I found that one pretty good, at least for the first two regions.
Well, since you're on a thriller binge, Re:Zero is still a great option haha. Yeah, Arc 4 takes a bit of time to take off, but once it does, it gets really gripping. There's also the fact that they explore Subaru, Emilia and Beatrice's pasts, and actually substantiate their characters. Honestly, I found Emilia to be a dull and empty character until I got to her arc in Act 4, which actually explained a lot about her. They even managed to give a convincing explanation for Subaru's weird, semi-warped personality. I thought that first trial was the best part of the arc when I just got there, but there were just so many moments after that which managed to outshine it. Just keep going, since the best parts are still waiting for you near the end of the arc.
Roswaal was a rather interesting character, if a little hard to like. Still, you can somewhat understand where he's coming from. Patrasche is the best girl in the series, no contest... Suck it, Rem. My favorite new character from the arc has got to be Garfiel, but he only really shines near the end of the arc and in the next one. Kinda wish we got more of Rem though.
Eh, Death Note is alright, but I'm pretty sure you know all the basic plot points already - spoilers for it are literally everywhere. I'd say you can read till the halfway point and then drop it with no regrets, since it just goes on a downward spiral from there.
3-Gatsu no Lion just got a (1 volume) update, and I haven't felt this warm and fuzzy inside for months. You really should get to that one when you finally get past your thriller phase.
Didnt expect to see my favorite boy Shirogane Takeru on anyone's else list in my entire life, most people that finish MLA fail to give it proper respects, it is due to him that MLA is what it is.
That's actually the first time I've heard of Pokemon Revolution, but now that I took a look at it, it looks like... Pokemon Emerald which just decided to keep going. I'm surprised that a game that released in 2006 is still online at this point. Still, 2000 hours is ridiculous - I've managed maybe a tenth of that on Platinum. Hell, the only Pokemon game I'm still playing is GO, and that's just to get my scrub ass to exercise more.
I myself have only watched a few episodes of xxxHolic, and never found it interesting enough to pick up the manga. My knowledge of Tsubasa mainly comes from my brother, who took the plunge and saved me the trouble. Apparently, it's absolute garbage... Go figure.
I agree with you about Chobits - it raised quite a few questions, but it didn't really bother exploring any of them. Lots of wasted potential, but with CLAMP style storytelling, I think we may be better off without it.
I don't mind tragedies myself. Generally, ending with with a tragic note gives the work a rather 'beautiful' spin to it, but it's been done wrong *cough*Evangelion*cough*Guilty Crown*cough* so often that I'm not really feeling it anymore. Then again, I generally find that series that start off with tragedy but don't go much further into it as if goes along, to be a lot better.
Whatever I remember of xxxHolic was basically just the mystery-of-the-week bit, and that wasn't interesting in the least bit. I guess it's better that's all I remember, after reading that review haha.
I don't know about that, since I got essentially the same vibe from Kimetsu no Yaiba. I didn't really hate any of those three, but I didn't find much of interest in them either. Then again, I felt the same about Hunter x Hunter, so that could just be me haha.
Well, 3-Gatsu no Lion is about as far as you can get from mind games and such, but it's certainly a lot darker than your average slice of life, especially when you start understanding what some of the characters are going through. It has its lighthearted moments, of course, but the darkness is very much there.
Now that I think about it, what happened to Re:Zero? Did you make any progress with it?
All Comments (90) Comments
While Kokou no Hito never really went *that* drastic at any point, I found the overall pessimistic vibe similar. Honestly, the only thing that kept me reading as long as I did was the artwork, which was brilliant. In fact, it probably had some of the best landscape artwork I've seen in manga (along with possibly Vagabond).
I'm currently at chapter 230 or so of Kumo, and I have to say that I like how long it took for Kumoko to grow to that extent. I mean... For example, in Tensei shitara Slime, his 'growth' was pretty much completely covered in about 5-10 chapters. Meanwhile, in this one, it took over 100 chapters for Kumoko to be stronger than mini-boss level. Then again, the charm of the story dropped significantly after the 'Ascension' part. Then again, after that, the story divulges into a series of side stories, which are interesting enough in their own right, but it doesn't really feel like the same series anymore. After the Ascension, Kumoko's escapades have become more and more like something straight out of Death March, just without the loli harem.
Tensei shitara Slime was something that I found kinda readable at the start, but it stagnated way too fast and I got bored out of my skull pretty quick. Didn't take long for me to drop that one. As for Tate no Yuusha... It could've been something great, but it just constantly squandered its potential. The WN was more manageable, but in the LN and consequently the anime, they try way too hard to make it seem like your typical dumb harem, just with some added edgyness. Then again, even in the WN and Manga, the edgyness gets quite annoying at times, especially when Naofumi mentions his grudge or gets a flashback about his grudge every few minutes or so.
Honestly, Kumo can't really be compared to Mushoku Tensei, since the latter was far better in most aspects (after Rudeus became less trashy, of course). Re:Zero is even better than Mushoku Tensei imo, so again, not really worth comparing.
I haven't really read Knights and Magic, but it doesn't really seem worth reading either.
Konjiki no Word Master was... Bad. I've read a decent amount of it, and the logic in that one simply doesn't flow most of the time. While the protagonist was unique and likable at first, he slowly became your typical harem protagonist. While it wasn't as fast as Slime, this one was another LN that I lost interest in and dropped over time.
Honestly, Konosuba and Danmachi would be some of the better LNs I've read, especially the latter. Konosuba is the sort of thing that continuously improves over time, even while it stays true to its roots. It never takes itself seriously, and pretty much none of the developments are of any real consequence on the long run. Still, it's the sort of thing that you have to read without expecting too much or being too serious about it, since it's a gag series at its core. I believe it's around volume 6 where it really picks up (some rather amazing events, which are still meaningless on the long run, of course). Either way, it's a novel that I'd recommend giving another chance to. It currently has 15 translated volumes, which is a pretty good amount of content. Even the updates are fairly frequent, even though it's translated by the volume rather than by the chapter.
As for Danmachi, I'd put it right up there with Rakuin no Monshou - it's one of the best fantasy LNs I've read (it's not isekai though). It's another one of those series that starts off like your typical 'harem in an RPG world' thing, but evolves into something completely different over time. The author even explained that - he wrote it that way in the beginning so that it would become popular/get some readership, and slowly started changing it into the story that he actually wanted to tell. If you like stories about slow growth of characters (rapid in that world, but slow in your subjective sense), then you'd love Danmachi. While I wouldn't place it at the same level as Re:Zero, I would still highly recommend that you pick it up. YenPress has 12 volumes out, and the translation is pretty good.
Talk about Re:Zero, it looks like Witch Cult's translations are going fairly well, and they're giving rather frequent releases now. I guess you can consider picking up Arc 5 now.
UGH, I know, same. VNs take up way too much time and as a teenager ignoring high school it was still easy to play multiple ones at the same time. As an adult with responsibilities, however, it is definitely harder to dedicate a lot of time to a VN. Thankfully WTC5 is slated to release in the summer, so if you've got summer break, that's the time to binge it! lol
I hope R07 won't drop the "mysterious murders on a remote location" setting, since it really signifies the concept of WTC's works. After watching the trailer, it looks like it's in a sci-fi setting though. This I totally don't mind; Higurashi and Umineko's settings were also very different and it worked out perfectly. SO hyped for the next entry!
It basically felt like the sort of thing that an edgelord would love... Shamo was another manga which gave me the exact same feeling - it was certainly good, had some real depth, and was extremely realistic - but I hated every moment of it. At every step of the way, I felt like reaching into the page and throttling the protagonist, so that his antics would stop and the manga would end... Eh, I guess I'm just cribbing at this point.
Well, my point is that I don't really understand what people see in series that are realistic to such a point that all the fun has been sucked out of it. There are plenty of shows such as 3-Gatsu no Lion or Space Brothers which are realistic, but at the same time, aren't draggy/so damn pessimistic all the time lol.
/rant
As for Berserk, I just kept hearing different versions of 'the Golden Age arc is the best piece of literature ever written, period.' pretty much all over the place. When I finally took the plunge, I realized that it was... Well, bad. Then I thought... If the Golden Age arc is supposed to be brilliant and it turned out to be like this... How bad would the rest of it be? That's the moment when I decided that I didn't want to suffer through any more of it haha.
When it comes to Falling in Love with the Villainess, I believe that it goes like:
The story generally goes pretty well -> Peaks at a really good moment with major repercussions -> Arc ends -> Next arc starts really slow -> Picks up and gets back to the previous level
That pretty much repeats over each arc. With the first arc, that peak was Vincent's death. After that, it certainly does slow down considerably at the Strategy Part (as the translator calls it). Still, it picks right back up after a couple of chapters. At least according to me, the Strategy Part (post Vincent's Death and pre End of Storyline) was even better than the Academy Part.
As for the release schedule, the translators have been releasing at a weekly or occasionally bi-weekly, which is fairly good for a WN. Besides, they've got almost 100 chapters out already, so you have a fair amount to binge before you catch up. At least in my opinion, it's definitely worth reading ahead.
I recently started reading Kumo Desu ka, Nani ka?, and I've been enjoying it for the most part (except that really slow start). I guess I just have a thing for series that are all about RPG-style character growth. The only issue I have is the side stories, the positioning of which seems to make no sense whatsoever. Have you read this one? I don't remember if we've discussed it before.
Honestly, you couldn't go wrong with any of those three, since they're all top notch novels. Sevens has a bit of a slow start, but it manages to build up in a big way as it goes along. On the other hand, Saihate no Paladin is something of the opposite, in the fact that it has a very strong start, but it slows down a little near the third volume or so. Then again, that story is just beginning, so I'm willing to give it the benefit of doubt. Sevens, on the other hand, is completed, and is ended quite well. As for Re:Zero... Well, I'm sure I don't need to say much on that topic.
Well, I do see where you're coming from, and there certainly is a sort of charisma about characters who are ready to sacrifice themselves for the greater good. Then again, I generally prefer characters who are hell bent on getting their revenge on those that beat them down. A quick example of that would be Rion from Falling in Love with the Villainess, at least at the start of the series. Sure, he became more of what you described as the series progressed and he gained more and more people to protect. Still, I find that there's something more enigmatic about an avenger, as compared a hero. Then again, as you mentioned, an avenger wouldn't be able to evoke the same kind of emotional reaction from the audience that a hero could, so I'm a little conflicted on the subject.
Vagabond was something that I enjoyed reading while I was going through it, but I put it on hold at some point and never really picked it up again. I'm still not sure of why that's the case.
As for Kokou no Hito, it's much simpler. That one felt like Oyasumi Punpun with mountain climbing. The general tone was dreary and depressing, the protagonist was a loner to a ridiculous extreme, and all the character interactions gave me a rather negative vibe. Sure, there was a kind of beauty in it, but I simply couldn't bring myself to *like* it. I lasted some 50-odd chapters before I finally gave up on that one.
Berserk was yet another such manga that I simply couldn't stand. With that one, I dropped it after I read the Golden Age arc ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
The funny thing is, I can even think of a slightly different application of what you mentioned. For example, that infamous scene in Arc 3 where Emilia decides to part ways with Subaru. In his mind, Emilia has done so many things for him and just so many commendable things in general that she becomes worthy of his respect... But in truth, at least in that particular timeline, Emilia had done none of those, and hence, she couldn't understand why Subaru was deifying her so much. I guess that would be the flip side of what you mentioned.
I actually read up Falling in Love with the Villainess one more time (mainly because I saw some updates and realized that I had forgotten most of it already), and it was only then that I realized that it actually had a few pacing problems. One quick example... I was pretty sure that Vincent's death was something close to halfway through the story.. And then I found that it was actually in chapter 32, which isn't even a third the way in. On revising, I found that the events seemed to shoot past, one after the other. Sure, it wasn't a detriment to my enjoyment, but I found it strange all the same. I guess there are some things that you'd only notice when rereading.
I finished the Umineko novel years ago, and after recently rewatching Higurashi I'm craving for more When They Cry. I also want to prepare for the upcoming WTC5, but rereading the novels will take too much time. Do you think the manga is a good replacement read?
The main reason why I like Mystery Dungeon is due to the fact that it actually has a story (unlike the regular games, which are usually even more devoid of a story than Skyrim). The fact that the other characters (despite them being pokemon) are likable, is another aspect that I quite enjoy. While the difficulty may be lower, I didn't really find that a determent as such. Besides, I never really did much of PVP, breeding, or IV farming in the original games either (Yeah, I was a regular scrub).
Pocket Monsters Special was actually my first taste of a slightly darker Pokemon story, although it was still fairly childish for the most part. I really should get to Festival of Champions.
Well, I guess you would've finished that prelude by now, and have realized that the main point of that mini-arc was elsewhere. Either way, the pace of Arc 5's release is excruciatingly slow, even though Discount Anon (from Zero translations) is back at it, just that he's with Witch Cult translations now.
Saihate no Paladin and Sevens are both brilliant, and are well worth reading/getting back to. I prefer Sevens by a small margin, mainly because it is actually completed, and ended well. Just make sure that you're reading the WN instead of the LN, since the changes in the LN are nothing great, to say the least.
Yeah, that's actually quite true - even if the main character in Isekai stories have gone through some sort of trauma, it's usually (immediately) after coming to that world, rather than before (I'm looking at you, Shield Hero). The way Subaru's character was handled and developed throughout that arc was quite good, and I also liked how they managed to actually give some substance to the 'main' heroine, who might as well have been a cardboard cutout till then. There's also the matter of Beatrice, which was handled quite well (or maybe I just like stubborn lolis).
Honestly, I found L's death to be the high point of the series. Within that one move, Light managed to kill L, get rid of Rem (the not-so-cute one), get himself full control of Misa and another free Death Note. A masterstroke really. After than, it simply took a nose-dive. Near and Mello were just shoddy replacements for L, and as you said, the new dynamic wasn't anywhere near as appealing. Besides, without L to keep him under check, Light just went haywire, and basically became your stereotypical villain. From there, it just plodded along till the inevitable conclusion, which was the only part of the latter half that I remotely enjoyed.
Yeah, both Helck and Yuusha ga Shinda started off as comedy manga, but later went in the battle manga direction. I guess that's a rather common thing for comedy manga (at least according to Bakuman). Still, it was done well, so I'm not really complaining. I guess I'll be finishing up Helck sometime soon (had to keep it on hold for a bit).
Well, I'm quite similar to you in that regard - I only acknowledge Pokemon upto gen IV... Anything after that just goes over my head haha. I've played Platinum, so I'm fairly familiar with gen IV... I don't even know about the mechanics and such from later generations. Still, I really did enjoy playing the Mystery Dungeon series. Anyway, Pokemon My Ass is basically a joke game, but it's a particularly well made/balanced one from the gameplay perspective. You could give it a try if you want a good laugh.
I guess I was always more for the cooler looking ones, such as Garchomp and Lucario (which were also pretty useful, so no real loss).
The only sad thing about Arc 5 is how the translations are stalled at chapter 50 or so (some 46-47 is done by chicken, and the rest can be found online). So, what do you think of it so far?
Well, I guess I get what you mean. I don't really like those myself, but there are some that always keep a happy mood, but are quite exceptional (like Space Brothers). Still, if that's the case, then you may as well avoid Yotsubato, which is exactly that. Komi-san is basically your typical school based SoL, so that may be out too. 3-Gatsu no Lion though... That's a whole different beast altogether.
Yeah, apparently the author was a huge fan of Bump of Chicken, and they liked the manga too. You might notice that this came out two years before the actual anime adaptation.
Honestly, Death Note should've just ended with L's death. After that, the entire thing just started unraveling. The cat and mouse game was no longer interesting, and the 'successors' were drab as hell. Light himself started to feel like a 2-bit villain, and every other character was basically just a tool for him to use. The latter half pretty much gave up on character depth/development and made it a rather boring take at the usual good vs evil battle. The shinigami were almost always something of a deus ex machina, so I never really cared much for them.
Aah, I didn't check your list before recommending that one. I started Helck a while back (mainly reading it in transit), and it was indeed quite fun. Sure, it's not at the level of Yuusha ga Shinda on many aspects, but it's still a good read all the same.
EDIT: I found a site which has a few more chapters of Re:Zero Arc 5. Here you go.
Talk about Pokemon games, have you played Pokemon My Ass? It's a rom hack which actually has some good gameplay value, but the main thing is the nasty humor that's all over the place in it. Fully functional Pokemon game, just... Nasty and funny at the same time.
Yeah, Otto was one character who developed quite well in Arc 4. Surprising how far he came from that guy who left Subaru for dead the first time around (or was that the second?). Eh... I'd say the saddest scenario would be Patrache dying outside the save zone. That'd be heartbreaking.
As far as I know, Roswaal's strange speech is nothing more than a verbal tic, which is something that every character has, to a degree (Emilia does something similar, but that's mainly because she's a loli).
I was actually pretty surprised when Betelguese turned up in Emilia's backstory, since I was fairly sure that character was pretty much out of the picture. As for Subaru, he essentially inherited the Authority of Greed, but as for whether that's a good thing or not is rather questionable. You'll come to understand that during the final sequence of this arc.
Yeah, Subaru has no real 'powers' to speak of, besides the obvious Return By Death. Whatever else he has is essentially just useful to stave off an enemy for a short while, as you mentioned (or perhaps make a getaway at best).
Wait... Did you finish up arc 4 then?
You can find the first few chapters of Arc 5 here, though I can't guarantee the quality. Take a look, and if it's unreadable, I can try and directly send you the good version (I always prefer to keep a copy downloaded, so Zero translations going down didn't really affect me).
Well, I'm not sure what you mean by a typical SoL, but if you're talking about the moe crap, then 3-Gatsu no Lion is not that. Basically deep characters and believable interactions. I had actually written a review for the anime, which got taken down for some arbitrary reason. I'll just add it here, in case you're interested:
Well, Komi-san is just a kinda cute and fluffy manga, which I wouldn't call anything brilliant. A quick and effortless read for sure, but there's next to no depth involved.
Yotsubato is basically the same as above, but it's a cut or two above. It's the sort of thing that awakens a feeling of nostalgia, and is quite well written in general. Neither one really compares to 3-Gatsu though, since they fall into a different sub-category of SoL.
Well, Death Note stays pretty fun until it hits that major wall a little past the halfway point. It was quite interesting to see Light getting more and more corrupted by power as the series progresses, and L's deductions were quite amazing too. Still, that'll all end fairly soon, and the manga will become another one of those 'this damn thing should've ended 40 chapters ago!' things. Well, it was fun while it lasted.
Another manga you could check out is Yuusha ga Shinda. I haven't had that good a laugh in a while.
I played Pokemon Go for a few months after it came out, before dropping it like anyone else. I actually picked it back up about a month ago, and they've actually improved the game quite a lot. Much less frequent crashes, raid bosses, PVP, four generations, etc. Sure, the battles aren't turn based, so it's still kinda simplistic, but it's still a huge improvement over what it used to be.
I've seen that one around, but I never really paid any attention to it since it's a doujin. I guess I could check it out. Have you read the Pokemon Adventures manga? I found that one pretty good, at least for the first two regions.
Well, since you're on a thriller binge, Re:Zero is still a great option haha. Yeah, Arc 4 takes a bit of time to take off, but once it does, it gets really gripping. There's also the fact that they explore Subaru, Emilia and Beatrice's pasts, and actually substantiate their characters. Honestly, I found Emilia to be a dull and empty character until I got to her arc in Act 4, which actually explained a lot about her. They even managed to give a convincing explanation for Subaru's weird, semi-warped personality. I thought that first trial was the best part of the arc when I just got there, but there were just so many moments after that which managed to outshine it. Just keep going, since the best parts are still waiting for you near the end of the arc.
Roswaal was a rather interesting character, if a little hard to like. Still, you can somewhat understand where he's coming from. Patrasche is the best girl in the series, no contest... Suck it, Rem. My favorite new character from the arc has got to be Garfiel, but he only really shines near the end of the arc and in the next one. Kinda wish we got more of Rem though.
Eh, Death Note is alright, but I'm pretty sure you know all the basic plot points already - spoilers for it are literally everywhere. I'd say you can read till the halfway point and then drop it with no regrets, since it just goes on a downward spiral from there.
3-Gatsu no Lion just got a (1 volume) update, and I haven't felt this warm and fuzzy inside for months. You really should get to that one when you finally get past your thriller phase.
I myself have only watched a few episodes of xxxHolic, and never found it interesting enough to pick up the manga. My knowledge of Tsubasa mainly comes from my brother, who took the plunge and saved me the trouble. Apparently, it's absolute garbage... Go figure.
I agree with you about Chobits - it raised quite a few questions, but it didn't really bother exploring any of them. Lots of wasted potential, but with CLAMP style storytelling, I think we may be better off without it.
I don't mind tragedies myself. Generally, ending with with a tragic note gives the work a rather 'beautiful' spin to it, but it's been done wrong *cough*Evangelion*cough*Guilty Crown*cough* so often that I'm not really feeling it anymore. Then again, I generally find that series that start off with tragedy but don't go much further into it as if goes along, to be a lot better.
Whatever I remember of xxxHolic was basically just the mystery-of-the-week bit, and that wasn't interesting in the least bit. I guess it's better that's all I remember, after reading that review haha.
I don't know about that, since I got essentially the same vibe from Kimetsu no Yaiba. I didn't really hate any of those three, but I didn't find much of interest in them either. Then again, I felt the same about Hunter x Hunter, so that could just be me haha.
Well, 3-Gatsu no Lion is about as far as you can get from mind games and such, but it's certainly a lot darker than your average slice of life, especially when you start understanding what some of the characters are going through. It has its lighthearted moments, of course, but the darkness is very much there.
Now that I think about it, what happened to Re:Zero? Did you make any progress with it?