Back to Chinkyu's Profile Chinkyu's Profile

Honestly? I'm aroace myself, and I can't really recommend this manga. Mild spoilers ahead.

I found the first two volumes more or less alright, because I initially liked the thought of their relationship. The premise sounded promising, and the first few chapters were admittedly interesting. But then it went downhill and especially the third volume really disappointed me. The female main character became increasingly more bland as the focus clearly moved onto the male lead and especially his childhood friend - and first crush - Sousuke and his relationship troubles. I kind of feel like the author ran out of ideas for more ace-centered chapters, which ... isn't even surprising me that much - after all, what is there to tell about a relationship when there's no love and not even real chemistry between the characters? Still, it was disappointing. Maybe to get back at least a little to the supposed main subject they then threw in some aphobia from the main character's friends and family, although only in a few panels before it never got mentioned before. Then the focus went back to Sousuke.

So, well. Maybe the way the story is told might be revolutionary for Japan, but from a Western perspective I didn't really find it all that great. It definitely wasn't worth the read as an ace person, and I'm not even sure I would recommend it to an ally, because the blandness of the female aspec MC could possibly make them think that all aces are as bland as she is.

And oh well. Maybe there'll be better represantation in manga form in the future, and this series paved the way for it. I'd love that, actually.

Captain Tsubasa is a soccer-themed manga by Yoichi Takahashi.

Story:
The story focuses on the 11-year-old boy Tsubasa Ohzora. His dream is to be a football star and he wants to win the World Cup with Japan. The story was very entertaining, I often read 5 or more volumes in a row^^

Characters:
The characters are young school boys who love to play soccer. There are Tsubasa´s friends, like Genzo Wakabayashi, Taro Misaki and Jun Misugi. But he has also many rivals, like Kojiro Hyuga. The team´s trainer is the former member of the Brazil national team Roberto Hongo, who had to end his career due to an eye ... injury. I liked almost every character.

Art:
The manga is over twenty years old, but nevertheless the style is very nice. Of course CT is no match to newer manga.

My opinion:
I like sports manga. And I´m also a huge soccer fan, so I had to read Captain Tsubasa. In my opinion CT is the best available soccer manga. A must-read for soccer fans and other people that are interested in sports.

Ikkitousen: Dragon Destiny is the sequel of Ikkitousen and continues the story around Sonsaku Hakufu and the battle between the three schools.

Story:
The story is based on the novel "Romance of the three kingdoms". It continues where the first season ended. Of course, there are lots of fights, pantys and breasts^^ But it´s not only fanservice. I liked the story. There may be better animes, but I really enjoyed Dragon Destiny.

Characters:
The characters are mostly girls. Hot girls. I think there´s a girl for every guys taste xD The (a bit stupid^^) leader of Nanyo Sonsaku Hakufu, the cool Seito fighter Kan-u Unchou, the bookworm Ryuubi Gentoku... ... There are only a few guys, like Shuuyu Koukin (Hakufu´s cousin) and Motouko Sousou.

Art/Animation:
I like the art style. The breasts are not really well animated, but I´m a girl - I don´t care xD The characters are good animated. The backgrounds aren´t really something special, but also good.

My opinion:
If you like ecchi animes and/or are interested in the story of the three kingdoms, then this show is for you. If you hate lots of pantyshots and half-naked girls, don´t watch any of the Ikkitousen seasons.

Marmalade Boy is a shoujo romance-comedy manga by Wataru Yoshizumi.

Story:
Two couples decide to get divorced and swap partners with another couple, then marry again. Sounds hilarious? Yeah, it is hilarious, but also very funny. Not only the adults, but also their children, Miki and Yuu, fall in love with each other. There are lots of the typical shoujo stuff, but also comedical and sad moments. I liked the story and the humor^^

Characters:
The main characters are Miki and her new stepbrother Yuu. They didn´t like each other when they first met, but later fell in love. There are lots of supporting characters, like Meiko (Miki´s friend), ... Ginta (Miki had a crush on him), Namura (a teacher at Miki´s school and Meiko´s lover). I think the cast is very nice. The characters are all very likable.

Art:
I like the mangaka´s art style. The sad scenes are well-drawn, but also the funny scenes^^ In my opinion, her style looks sometimes a bit like Rumiko Takahashi´s. Especially Yuu reminds my of Ranma 1/2.

My opinion:
At the first look, Marmalade Boy seems to be a typical shoujo story. But it´s more than this. I loved the mix of serious and funny scenes. I would recommend this manga to every shoujo fan. But fans of other genres should give it a try, too^^