Back to Elecat's Profile Elecat's Profile

Updated review.

To keep it simple, it's based on a Manga that is a revenge story and Isekai. The aspect of the Manga that was questionable was the pacing of the revenge, it was dozens of chapters and and the MC had finished only his first "quest" (the Witch, Erika) only for it to be a dead end. Not even close to reuniting with his brat classmates, let alone the Goddess. Basically, it's slow, and given the limitations of Anime, it's going to be a very long time before anything resembling revenge is shown on screen. Also the romance (of sorts) with Seras takes forever to ... happen as well, the anime is going to show them in their early phase of being overly formal and cold with each other. Which is a shame as Seras had cute moments of being flustered and smitten later on when they get closer

So far the Anime itself has seemed to lack the unique art style of the Manga which I enjoyed. The look of the 2D is fairly generic and there is a lot of not-great 3D work that has a cheapness to it.

Having watched the latest episode (Eve Speed's introduction), I can say I feel the pacing of this season is a refreshingly quick pace. I was worried the slow pace of the manga would mean a season of barely anything happening, but things are moving quickly in the show. I like this, which tilts this barely in the Reccomended category.

It's important to note too that this series starts off at its weakest in my opinion, and gets better. Early episodes have only Touka and Seras, in their very formal and less-emotional relationship. It is something that improves when Eve joins and Seras/Touka have more chemistry and feelings.

The name of this manga wound up being quite strange. I came into this expecting something like Death Note, a protagonist commits a murder and the police/detectives slowly close in as he tries to cover it up. It could have been a very refreshing and thrilling story. Instead, the murder happens (The MC kills an abusive partner after travelling back in time for second chance at life) and stops being relevant. This all happens at the very start, and after its done it just... ends? The thrilling and morally dubious stakes hinted by the title just don't pan out.

Instead, for better or worse, we get ... the very cliche Manhwa power fantasy story about a martial artist and his single-minded goal of training to get stronger. Much of the plots are the MC using his knowledge of the future/past to set things right in his second life mixed in with mini training arcs. There is a bit of a harem that forms but as per Manwha cliché, the MC ignores their feelings and just takes advantage of them for plot elements.

Definitely some wasted potential here in the lack of murder plot. If "Martial artist obsessed with training so he can save the world, after dying and being sent back years to get a second chance" is something new and interesting to you, then read it. But this sounds like something you've read a lot before (Because its common), there might not be much new and interesting for you

This is an enjoyable take on Isekai where a sick, dying kid goes to another world not as himself or even a human, but as a spirit/demon entity or "Yokai". He uses his academic knowledge to amplify magic skills and teaches himself to become a mage. As a Yokai he "haunts" a forest, where the monsters come to consider him a king.

The MC is an anti-hero of sorts because from the start, Mage students enter the forest and the MC actually murders a few to steal their life essence. Our protagonist is cold-hearted at first and has no qualms killing. Eventually we meet the ... female lead, Iris, who the MC tutors so she can graduate from Mage school and become a Holy Knight. However her career requires her to slay demons and monsters, thus an inevitable collision course with the MC. We see the MC come to care about her and have a character arc, slowly losing his nihilism.

It's simple, fun but short.

It's refreshing to have unique Romance stories come out, especially ones involving fairly unique love interests and that take place outside the stereotypical High School setting. In this story, a delivery man meets a shut-in vtuber who has very bad social anxiety. Paired with her delicious tall frame it makes her seem scary at first to him, but they become friends and she uses him to practice her communication skills. As chapters go on we see her getting braver and venturing out into the world with him. Given this is a Romance, we don't have to worry about the relationship never taking off or love ... going unrequited.

The main draw obviously is the female lead. She's abnormally tall and strong combined with crippling agoraphobia and anxiety creating an interesting clash of her personality and appearance. She's absolutely a dream come true. Some might not vibe with the lack of realism, after all she behaves too perfect to be real, but I think it's fine to have idealistic waifus in these stories.

Above average series. It's simple enough, it's like X-men but with insect powers as their mutant powers. It benefits by being an ensemble cast of many characters. Characters are reasonably intelligent and have clear goals and motives, although the villains are a bit on the weaker end. The MC is not the generic Manwha stereotype of the stoic, shallow loner. He actually cares a lot about his friends, shows emotions and aside from maybe being too much of a celibate virgin towards the love interest he doesn't really have any of the glaring cliches of other Manwha protagonists. The action elements are fun enough given ... everyone having unique bug-related powers to use, so you get way more creativity than just shooting or punching. The art style is an acquired taste, like it or don't, but skill-wise it is above many other Webtoons I think.

The first time ever I felt I was going to give a manga a 10/10 from the very first chapter.

Yandere love interests have appeared many times in manga, but are always treated like dirt. Always the butt of jokes, coming in last, put in their place by the normies and end up sad and defeated, while the beta MC runs and flees from her sight at all times.

In Henai Heartbeats first chapter, our MC is told by an acquaintance that the girl who keeps following him and bumping into him is an obsessed stalker who doesn't take no for an answer. The actual Gigachad MC ... hears this and his first reaction is to find her and ask her to be his girlfriend, realizing she's the thrill he always wanted. As the story goes on, both change in interesting ways adding more depth.

The side characters are refreshing too. The normies this time are the ones who come in last and are humbled and outdone. The Mom character is one of the most chill parents in Manga, her reaction to her son having a gf is very positive and after they spend time alone in his room, she even banters with her son about not scoring yet. What a cool mom.

Anyways its cliche to call things a breath of fresh air, but this Manga is full of fun and totally destroys and subverts some of the most overdone and tired cliches of manga and turns it all around.

Mostly talking about Episode 10 (and 9) here, as its the payoff worth watching the show for. Prior to this 2-episode epic conflict arc, this is a very slow show about an immortal elf dealing with her feelings of regret and loss. She spends 8 episodes losing her old comrades and gaining new ones and going on small, seemingly random mini-adventures. It's largely uneventful.

Then episode 9 introduces a conflict with Demons besieging a city. This winds up with a beautiful and epic showdown and final scene of episode 10 that's done perfectly. Peak Anime honestly. Rewatched so many times I now know what "Jigeishiro"(sp) means, ... a Japanese term I hopefully will never say.

Also the show is one of those that actually does a good job of dealing with very, very old immortal characters. Sometimes these characters act too much like regular adults, but Frieren has lots of personal difficulties and mental distortions from being alive so long

It's below average compared to anything it is trying to mimic. It starts with a solid plot of a man trying to avenge his brother, and going to a world where there is a tower where one must rise through each Tower challenge after finishing a tutorial (Tower of God basically). Then late in the prologue and into the Tower parts the MC, who is a stiff wooden plank (wearing a mask so can't even show facial emotion), kinda wanders without setting clear goals for the reader. A few fights , mostly effortless "OP Protagonist" curbstomps, but otherwise low on action or direction.

But it is ... somewhat tiring to read the constant info-dumps about random systems, skills and magic. I would estimate 70% of the written dialogue after the prologue is just exposition about endless magic/fetch quest/skill/training systems. A love interest is quickly thrust on the MC but in cliche fashion he is oblivious to her romantic adoration and only talks to her about exposition. Few characters who stay long term.
Finally the art is subpar. Typical mid 2D art for character closeups, backgrounds that are 3D renders. There was an early scene with an underground flooded dungeon that had a background that made me think of Mario 64's castle dungeon area, complete with N64 textures lol
Also he becomes a necromancer in a way exactly the same as Solo Leveling but with more exposition

This is the power fantasy of someone who played the Zerg campaign in Starcraft and made it an Isekai. It even opens with a quote from Starcraft. University student becomes Isekai'd to an RTS game world where she's the queen of an insectoid swarm. In revenge for some bad things, she chooses to rain hell on the world. Some kinda interesting stuff about how the "Hive Mind Collective" of the Arachnae (her swarm) is affecting her mind, but not explored enough. Likewise seems to end abruptly with ambiguous ending. Imagine the introduction of a brand new challenge, new adversary and twist, big setback... then ... it ends, all in one last chapter