Back to ColdSweat's Profile ColdSweat's Profile

Art: bad. Especially in the first volumes, the characters are more crudely sketched than drawn, there's very little detail.
Story: so and so. Too long and with way too many panels dedicated to people playing music and fascinated audiences.
Characters: mixed. The two main characters are well described, and a few secondary characters are good. I hated the group of opportunist students (especially the despicable, stingy Chinese pianist) sponging off the protagonist. Apart from these, there are so many secondary characters, that most aren't described in any depth.
Enjoyment: not bad at the start, but as the manga dragged way too long, felt relieved when it ended

This is ... a very long romantic comedy in the music world, and it's clearly told from a female perspective. Seen objectively, it's the story of a brilliant, hard-working, rich and handsome musician (Chiaki) falling for a worthless slob. Not only she happily sponges off of him and his family, but he also serves her in everything: he cleans, cooks and babysits her, since she is incapable of doing literally anything on her own. Really, she even slips bathing for days in a row, if left alone. Does she bring something to the table? Her quirky and instinctive personality is apparently enough to call her an angel, even though she actually does very, very little for her crush, and occasionally even disappears following her mood shifts. She is talented, but her talent needs to be patiently taken out, drop by drop, by her lover and teachers coddling her every step of the way. The author even implies that the slob is better than the beautiful girlfriends Chiaki had in the past. His mother states she doesn't remember their faces and encouraged him to treasure his bond with Nodame.
I hoped against hope he would wake up and dump her, but it obviously wasn't meant to be; after all this is a josei manga, so the idea is that even a bland girl with no qualities to speak of, deserves a rich (they're always rich, duh!) and handsome prince. Easy to see why women would like it, it puzzles me to see men liking it as well.

This reads like a Japanese take on Neil Gaiman-style occult, only with a somewhat lighter atmosphere. Magic here is not the mundane thing we see in battle manga, but rather a mysterious weave of power and destiny, that obeys its own rules and is much, much better left alone by mortals.
The MC is cursed with the ability to see ghosts, and unfortunately falls in the web of a mysterious and powerful witch, known as Yuko, in the business of wish granting. He becomes her indentured servant and sees his life turned upside down.

Art: 4/10. Really, it's pretty awful. The only subject I like is Yuko, ... and particularly her expression. She is successfully depicted as playful, languid and yet mysterious and foreboding, totally matching her character. Everything else is badly drawn and deformed.

Characters: 9/10. Again, Yuko runs the show. She is one of those characters that mortals should avoid at all costs, and is really VERY similar to any one of Gaiman's Eternals. She holds near-divine power, and yet is bound by timeless rules. She usually appears benevolent, but when you look at her actions, you realize that she is anything but, without actually being evil. She can do things for people, but all of those things have a price, and the wishes she grants, rarely improve the life of those making them. The extent of her powers is unknown, as it should be, as are her real motives.
The MC, on the other hand, is an upstanding young man who is unfortunately the eternal loser and butt of the joke. He is subject only to suffering and hardships, and yet he doesn't even seem to realize how miserable his condition is. I can't say I'm enjoying his "bullying" by the authors.

Story: 8/10. The manga reads like an anthology. Something happens, usually involving spirits, and the MC needs to solve the situation. Of course he has no special abilities, so he needs to rely on Yuko's help, digging himself ever deeper. Still, the stories, while not incredibly original, are very, very well written. Wards and rituals to fend off restless spirits, Words that bind oneself and others, cursed objects whose owners walk towards a disaster the reader is painfully aware of. These are classic occult tales, where magic and destiny work in obscure ways, and yet, in the end, Rules are always enforced.

Enjoyment: 8/10. Would probably be a 10 if the MC weren't treated like a comic relief sidekick. He's actually a very fine and capable young man, who finds himself an indentured servant to a being too powerful for humans to approach. Yuko seems friendly enough, but actually treats him as a toy, a slave and a disposable flunky. She's always chuckling at his naivete and working him to death. For example, a party for his birthday results in him working at home for the usual chores, carrying all the equipment to a park, working like crazy to set up the camp kitchen and cook everything, and waiting on his mistress while she enjoys the meal. He isn't allowed to eat himself, but he does get some leftovers. He'll soon lose even them, to save a child. Yuko also happily rents his services out to others, putting him in life-threatening situations without any hesitation or concern for his well-being; she only cares about her payment. I'm just finishing the second omnibus volume, but he's already risked dying several times, without Yuko caring in the slightest.
Every time he is called upon to solve a situation, he ends up more indebted to his owner, which will probably mean more decades of hard work, while reaping in return only humiliation and mocking, with his arch-rival usually taking the credit.
It's implied that Yuko has some projects for him, she's not just exploiting him but rather is transforming him, and that makes me even sadder. If she was depicted as an evil character, or at least an aloof, uncaring inhuman entity, like Gaiman's Morpheus, I'd be more willing to accept her abuse of Watanuki. I really dislike her representation as a positive character, and all the torment she piles on her servant as innocent fun. It's like implying Watanuki deserves to be bullied, since he is something of a nerd.

Overall: 8 so far.

This is meant to be a gentle, heartwarming romance between a shy girl with excessive perspiration and a brilliant coworker with a smelling fetish.
They meet, get involved with each other and gradually their relationship deepens. So, where's the problem?
Well, maybe it's a good read for girls, I wouldn't know, but from a guys point of view there are several issues.
Their relationship is too perfect. Come on, it's an eternal honeymoon, not even one tiny slice of selfishness anywhere!
He is really too kind and sweet and caring; every single waking moment he is only thinking of her, how to make her happy, how to surprise her. ... I can understand people might dream of a robot lover who is absolutely selfless, but this is really ridiculous.
The MC is the worst element in the story: she is this bland girl who simply can't grow up. She catches a very desirable bachelor, but her insecurity gets in the way all the time. It may be cute at the beginning, but after several months she still blushes for EVERYTHING, is incapable of expressing her feelings and behaves like a 13yo for what concerns physical love. She is lucky enough to have a sexy partner that desires her and only her, but her only concern is to avoid essentially anything but the blandest contact, to the point of being afraid of taking a bath together, let alone DOING something in the tub instead of the bed. Seriously, at one point she even blushes and frowns, as if he's a pervert just because he wants to see her in a swimsuit she has bought for a trip! Seriously??? Moreover, considering she is well aware of his scent fetish, does she learn to use it to seduce and tease him, for mutual satisfaction? Of course not: she just keeps requesting him to suppress or limit it, because it's so embarrassing - and of course, he obliges.
I don't think there's a man anywhere that would put up with such an insecure prude, except maybe some mama's boy who's just fine with holding hands. While some insecurity may be ok in a shy girl, even she should learn to move on her own two feet, eventually. Facing an eternal child will inevitably kill love in the end, so the impossible attraction this nice young man feels for this boring and childish woman is well beyond any suspension of disbelief I can muster.

For most of its run, this manga is simply perfect in its genre. It contains gags, daring plans, spicy content and a hint of romance, optimally mixed. The easily offended should know right away that there's an abundance of exposed female bosoms and scantily covered private parts, not to mention sexually suggestive content - which usually stops short of the act, though, in order to tease the reader more. In short, it's ecchi manga.
Let me start with the art, which I find exceedingly good. I love the artist's style and the care for details, and the only complain I have is the copypasting of too ... many panels, especially towards the end.
The initial storyline follows five boys in a previously all-girl high school. They are soon jailed after a clumsy, failed attempt at peeping on the girls having a bath, and the initial, harsh sentence soon develops into a challenge between the five "heroes" and the man-hating student council prez with her minions, who will stop at nothing to get them expelled. The story is really gripping and is comparable to a lighthearted Death Note, with the intellect of the ruthless president and the hound-like persistence of her deputies pitted against the not-really-Einstein-level heads of the boys. It may be done for the sake of fun, but it's thrilling nonetheless; most volumes end on a cliffhanger, and I could not help but binge reading the whole series. Sometimes it's the story, with a painstakingly executed plan risking to fail because of a minor, unpredictable occurrence. Sometimes it's the spicy moments, with a character on the verge of doing something NSFW or getting it done to him (and consider that the boys have never even kissed a girl, prior to entering the school). Sometimes it's the classic situation where being seen by the wrong person, while doing something innocently, by accident, or having it forced on oneself, will destroy a budding relationship or worse. In any case, I always felt the need to discover right away what was going to happen in the next volume.
While the boys are certainly not too bright or endowed with a very strong moral fiber, they do display some individual strengths and a team spirit that allows to carry on in the face of overwhelming odds. In addition to having a huge power advantage, as school leaders oppressing helpless prisoners, the girls are superior in every possible area, including physical prowess, but their own conceit and disdain for anything male is a weakness in itself, and might eventually lead to their downfall.
The cat and mouse play that results from these premises is intriguing, lasts for the first nine volumes and is spotlessly executed. It surely travels in silly territory, but it follows the rules of good storytelling at all times.
Unfortunately, the longer second story arc, that ends in volume 25, becomes something of a train wreck after roughly volume 18, with the fun factor dwindling and silliness for its own sake taking its place (ex: the PBR or the chairman's adventure). There is a "fight" that drags on for so impossibly long, that the rhythm is completely destroyed.
This does impact my evaluation of the manga as a whole, since it comprises a significant portion of the series.
The story is at any rate stronger than the characters, which rarely display personal growth, save for a few exceptions, and are usually kind of shallow to begin with. At least they are not limited to the most common stereotypes: there's a hopeless history novel nerd, true, there's a naïve, suave high school girl, true but there is also a handsome middle aged man who is crazy in love with B sides, a masochistic version of Andre the Giant, a timid punk/goth girl who goes through a very unlikely journey of self-discovery, and an innocent girl who might destroy the world if her hair is undone.
All in all, a crazy motley crew whose components usually intermingle in the optimal way.

A severe fault that I can't overlook, is the fact that the evil shadow student council is actually seen in a sympathetic light. They are actually EVIL, as in South American dictatorship-prison-evil. They abuse the boys physically and emotionally, in ways so extreme that I often had to stop reading to cool down a bit, while fantasizing about feeling their bones breaking under my fists (not bloody likely, seeing as they can perform superhuman feats of strength). The violence is so beyond the pale, that any real person would simply die from their attacks, with blood spattered everywhere, organ-destroying kicks and punches, and heads broken on the floor, not to mention "gentler" treatment like abundant, arbitrary whipping.
They also study the boys as if they were ants, in order to find their weaknesses and then mercilessly exploit these to break their souls. A scene where a grinning Meiko slowly breaks the most prized possession of one of the boys in front of him, in order to provoke him into attacking her, really hurt me more than the random physical violence. It's the object of beauty he publicly debased himself for in a gruelling way, destroying any chance at happiness he may find in the school, and she takes pleasure in taking it all away, fully realizing its significance.
I KNOW it's played for laughs, as exemplified by things like the repeated breaking of the glasses of one character, which are then miraculously mended four panels later, but that's an even more problematic take on the very real and extreme cruelty behind the council's actions. The author knows this all too well, since when girls are on the receiving end of "justice", they get 1/100 of the physical treatment the boys suffer, as similar violence on girls would instantly sink the manga (which tells a lot about the current state of affairs). The only appropriate punishment for the council's extreme crimes would be imprisonment for life, instead the torturers are never even criticized. They never display a hint of human decency or regret for their actions, and all of this is ok because they appear to be, with the exception of Hana, man-hating lesbians. Yes, the boys were guilty of attempting to peep in the first place, but punishment should always fit the crime.

And yet, most of the manga is still very very funny and more tense than most action titles. I heartily recommend it to anyone who is into gags and is not turned off by ecchi "sexism".

WARNING: MINOR SPOILERS FOLLOW

I could accept the violence if the shadow council was somehow condemned for their actions, or if at least they eventually realized the error of their ways, but that's not the case. On the contrary, they are glorified as if they were heroes, and the boys are treated like the party at fault. Ms. Perfect Mari keeps addressing the boys as "worthless trash" until the end, as if she and her minions are any better. The "superhero" Meiko never stops treating men as disposable garbage either, as exemplified by her complete disdain for Andre's health, or even survival, during their later training. Hana, one of the most intriguing characters, F**** BREAKS THE ARM OF ONE OF THE BOYS (in one of the rare instances where deadly damage does not instantly disappear, Dick Dastardly-style) and would even proceed to deal further abuse while he's broken, on the ground. The only reason she doesn't deal serious *permanent* damage or worse, is that she's stopped by Mari - and certainly not for Kiyoshi's sake, who could well die for all they care, but only to prevent legal trouble for Hana.
How would everyone feel, if the genders were reversed? Would anyone sympathize with a boy who broke the arm of his girl interest? Since the girl is by far the stronger of the two, the comparison is perfectly sound.

"Men are trash" is already a refrain that is way too common nowadays, IMO, and violence against them is played for laughs too often, in all media. There's really no need to glorify it in a manga aimed at a primarily male audience.

This is a juvenile-oriented read, and I didn't expect to enjoy it so thoroughly, and yet it managed to surprise me.
It made me think of Jules Verne's "Two Years' Vacation", which today's young'uns probably never heard of, then I found out that the producers were thinking exactly of that old book.
The plot is apparently simple: several young students find themselves stranded in space and need to learn to work together, to overcome the many challenges that roaming between worlds poses. It's a juvenile manga, so certain things are simplified; for example, a particularly bright character manages to jury-rig a food detector, that can determine whether ... ANY substance is edible and pleasant to the palate. Not bloody likely, is it? On the other hand, when you look at most mainstream productions like Star Wars, you find similar simplifications, so it's not a game breaker to me.
The story becomes increasingly tense, because there is a mystery to unravel, behind the students' disappearance. As it turns out, it's darker than the rest of the manga, which is pretty lighthearted.

So, if you want to rewind a few years and enjoy a story of optimism and friendship that would have likely captivated you as a kid, this is an interesting read, even for a grownup.

Oh My Goddess! Has been my favorite manga for a while. It's a sweet and super funny collection that evolved so much from the initial chapters, both in terms of art and character development, that it's almost unrecognizable after a few volumes.
The kind and shy main character finds himself living with a beautiful (and KIND in a godly way) goddess, who never ever harbors a negative thought. They start developing feelings for each other, and they shy guy will eventually come a long way, proving to be a great mechanic, bike rider, faithful lover and, all in all, an acceptable match for the otherworldly Belldandy.
It's ... not a harem manga in any way, since there are zero other characters romantically involved with the MC, other than Belldandy. Her sisters will eventually start to care for him, but more like a little brother that is the perfect target for their pranks, than anything else. The story evolves very slowly. It's not far in the series that Belldandy will confess she loves Keiichi, and the situation kinda stabilizes at that, until an abrupt change towards the end.
That's not a huge issue, since this is not a story-driven manga. To me, it works best when it's a pure gag manga. There are two sadly underutilized characters that I simply love (the two golden-hearted, brotherly-love-forever dummy hulks, Tamiya and Otaki) but there's a great number of supporting characters and episodes that shine with unadulterated fun. One involves a recovered WWII fighter plane, with Keiichi "volunteered" by T&O as the pilot, another one involves the Mother Of All Rubber Band Wars, but really, there's a lot, and that's where the manga shines.
Unfortunately, there's also a lot of episodes that move into battle manga territory, and since I hate the genre (come on, every effing time it's obvious from the start that the Good Guys will eventually win, thanks to some stratagem, after an initial setback) I can't help but find them boooring. Also, the "perfect love" angle is sadly overdone, with Keiichi moving from the standard lackluster nerd to perfect gentleman, most helpful hero and fearless superchampion, in everything motorbike-related. Belldandy too, towards the end, becomes an overachiever, essentially the best goddess in every single area, which diminishes the character.
When the manga works, it makes me roll with laughter. Also, if Belldandy really existed, with her infinite grace unmatched by any other divinity, I'd honestly be a believer. She'd never flood the world or turn someone's wife into salt, right? The art is clean and magnificent. Every panel is a painting, there is infinite care in every little detail, I consider it one of the best-looking manga I have ever read.

All in all, it's a very nice manga that deserves reading. The problem is that about 50% of the material is subpar and, given the high cost of the entire series, it becomes hard to recommend indiscriminately.

There are comics that mostly anyone could like, and there are others you can resonate with or not, depending on your outlook on life, and in this case, there's usually no middle ground between "love it" and "hate it". Oyasumi Punpun is definitely one of the latter, and for sure it didn't resonate with me at all.
Without wanting to criticize those who consider it the ultimate masterpiece, I can't help but feel that reading this manga feels a lot like having the mangaka in front of you, farting in your face with every panel.
So, there's a story (kind of) involving the growth of the titular ... Punpun. He starts off as a particularly stupid kid, born in a dysfunctional family, who grows into an obnoxious, stupid boy, and probably further, but I've had enough at this point. Since he's a worthless human being, he always picks the lazy, stupid or perverted choice. What a surprise: this regularly ends up pushing him down further. Am I supposed to sympathize with someone who is chronically unable to dig himself out of the slightest predicament? Fart.
95% of the characters are insufferable and cringeworthy. In Punpun's family, everyone is a waste of oxygen, each in their own way. The abusive father, the deranged mother, the worthless, squalid uncle. Every time they do or say something, it irks me. Fart. The idiot kid with the perennial grin and the disgusting column of mucus running out of his nose. Fart. The crazy transient with his demented cult following and the fake-intellectual discourse. Fart.
As to what they *do*, being mostly absurdly idiotic people, it boils down to doing absurdly idiotic things that make little sense, if any - but the author probably wants you to consider him deep. Fart.
What's constant is the unpleasantness of it all, which transfers to the art, as well. Punpun & family are drawn as silly birds with no expression. Fart. It's obviously intended to be artsy; maybe you'll feel that such poor drawings leave your mind free to imagine the real expressions on the characters, but if that's the case, then I have to wonder why the author did not write a book instead. Fart. The copypasted, annoying image of "god" the young Punpun kind of believes in. Fart. A lawyer always represented with a spastic, contorted face. Fart.

And so on, and so on. As much as I'm drawn to pessimistic, dark comics, I can't help but feel that Osayumi Punpun simply goes overboard with artificial negativity. It tells the story of people who'd be better off dead, uses all tricks in the book to make you uncomfortable, but provides little substance.
A realistic view of the world? Please! Rather, a completely false view of the world, filtered through terminal depression. It's just nihilism that loves to paint everything in fecal brown, trying to debase everyone and take them down to the level of the heavily flawed observer. If you really feel your life is not unlike Punpun's, sorry, but chances are the problem is you, and not the rest of the world.

All in all, why read a manga like this? Mostly everything else you can try, is way better.