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Among stories that have left an impression so deep that I can say they've affected my perspective on something and that I constantly carry around with me there's an oddity, Misumisou. The reason for that is honestly really ordinary, it's short. That's it. But, it's surprising what can be achieved with only 22 chapters. But enough of beating around the bush. It would be funny if my review ended up longer than the manga itself is. Maybe it's actually a legitimate possibility considering that the notes I took 2.1k words worth of notes while rereading for this review.

This is a review that I've ... actually prepared for, unlike my other reviews, so I'll hope to make it more structural. Anyway, what I'm going to be breaking down is the characters, the themes, and why the story was written. Other than that I'm also talking a bit about the art, the motifs, and how this story has a lot of interpretability. Basically I'm attempting to dissect almost everything about this manga.

***BEWARE OF SPOILERS FROM HERE ON!***

I'll begin with the themes of the story, from which I can go onto characters that I can then comfortably tie back into the themes.

There are three main themes that you might've already seen listed in the summary of this review. They are: neglect, bottled emotions, fear of being stuck in a place where you don't feel like you belong.
These three concepts are the driving forces behind the bullies and consequently drive Haruka to her actions, and who, by the way, is of course also acquainted with these. But let's go over each one.

Neglect.

Perhaps the simplest one, and the one that's most recognizably displayed via its subcategory, being ignored. If you noticed the manga occasionally drawing characters as dark silhouettes, that's a part of this. A shadow can't be interacted with and the characters in the moments where they're portrayed as them seem as merciless walls to the onlooker.

The character who most clearly relates to this theme is Yoshie. It's shown that her parents neglected her, using her as a mere tool to ease their own self-destructive life-style of alcohol. That's all her character is about. She's frustrated, she feels powerless at the two silhouettes in the darkness demanding that she'd go and get something other than sparkling wine. But she isn't able to do anything about it, which makes her participate in bullying Haruka. It includes her in a group where she's among others instead of behind them, not alone.

Though this theme isn't that basic. It doesn't pertain to just the bullies and their parents. Actually characters like Haruka's grandpa, Kyouko, and you could even say, "everyone", has a share of guilty in allowing the situation to transpire. I'll get to talking about them when I start to dissect characters one by one. Yoshie is convenient to use here as she's a minor character that'd be weird to have a whole separate section for.

Bottled up emotions.

Exactly like the previous theme, this one is also a very prominent issue in the real world. It's difficult and scary to open up and it might feel easier to hide them, but sometimes the environment forces people to hold everything in with its hostility, that's largely what's happening in this story. Bottled emotions might appear to be quietly in the background though, practically invisible, but that lasts only until they're released in an explosion, and when that happens, that bang is heard louder than any amount of venting.

The example character for this is Ikegawa. Although his character wasn't fully "articulated" as it's an uncomfortable one. Basically, he was obsessed with Haruka, something technically kin to love, but warped by having been held in. Seeing he wasn't in the right headspace anyway, it turned into a jealous feeling of ownership and entitlement. He basically wanted to own Haruka. Maybe it could've been a more genuine feeling if the environment was better, with how it was, if he had tried to be sincere and had talked to Haruka, he would've become the enemy of the rest of the class. Honestly, I might be actually giving him too much credit with this analysis, but I feel that's the concept behind his character. It's a really deranged mindset that we see from him, but as to why it's like it is, this seems to be the explanation. But anyways, this brings me roughly to the next theme.

Feeling stuck.

The crux of this is the setting of the story, the small town of Ootsuma. A barren place with nothing interesting going on and where even the school is about to be closed, also seemingly having a big infestation of Hepatica Nobilis. But it serves as one of the core factors for why characters are so on edge.

Like characters iterate a lot, there's nothing to do for them. The only one with a reasonably hobby is Aiba. But people, especially kids and teenagers, require something to spend time on. It's not only bent up anger or whatever that can have huge repercussions. It can just as well be ambition or boredom.

Most of the characters don't appear to have dreams or hope. They simply spend time finding twisted pleasure in banding together against someone and feeling proud of being their school's last set of alumni. It's bleak. All potential talent and passion they might have has nowhere to go. This idea is actually quite similar to parents not allowing kids to have hobbies and forcing them to only study, which also ends with them breaking under the pressure.

On a side note, many of the bullies cite Haruka as the catalyst of their deeds, practically blaming her for their own actions. They say that her existence is what lead them on the wrong path. I'm a bit uncertain on how to tackle this theme. To say that an outside element is what tipped the scale is blatantly a self-justification, especially when you take into account that they bullied Rumi before. But this is something that I thought I should bring up.

Well, those are the main themes, but themes exist through characters who serve as vessels to explore them and make them compelling.

Haruka Nozaki.

As a main character, she's really interesting. Although we follow her journey, her actual character and personality is rather open. We have a general understanding of what she's like and what her values are, mainly the love and care for her family, but she's quiet and we don't see into her mind all too often. There are a lot of vague panels that are left up to interpretation. For example, a good question is: how exactly does Haruka feel about her revenge?

Getting into her relation with the themes though. She falls under bottling emotions. She tries to endure the bullying and hides it from her family to not worry them, especially her sister that was previously a victim of bullying in Tokyo. Her strength is admirable and she's actually able to largely pull through, partly thanks to Aiba actually offering genuine support too. But the bullying gets a chance to escalate and she ends up becoming a murderer, and the whole situation ruins lives of many people and literally no one wins.

She's also tied to the motif and the title of the series, Hepatica Nobilis. The flower that endures snow and blooms in full beauty in spring.

Sidetracking a bit, the flower has multiple roles. It symbolizes Haruka and exactly like Haruka, the flower isn't able to endure snow forever and a bit over the halfway point of the story, the flowers are all covered by a thick blanket of snow. In a more interesting way, it actually becomes a symbol to Haruka in the story too since it's connected with feelings of love to her. Seeing the flower seems to give her strength multiple times.

Mitsuru Aiba.

Yeah, chapter 15 was a shock to read on a first time. On a reread I spotted all types of sketchy signs surrounding him, like how he keeps a copy of the Haruka/Shouka photo. But on a first read, he truly seemed like a ray of hope, which he kind of is for Haruka, although there are sinister and deranged notions of love under it, he does manage to help Haruka remain sane at first.

I feel his character is hard to pinpoint. He grew into the person he is by being abandoned by his mother after he tried to protect her. From that point on he appears to have a mindset that she needed to be controlled and abused, he thinks she didn't know what was good for her. To be honest, her mom is on levels of fucked up that are hard to comprehend too, and I've got little clue about defining her without any more context. But that mindset extends to Aiba's own target of obsession, Haruka. And to "protect" her and garner her attention he's willing to to awful lengths. At one point it becomes so delusional he goes out of his way to separate Haruka so she wouldn't have anyone but him left. And he makes an absolutely disgusting comment about being the only one to not abandon her even if her sister dies, implying her sister would be "abandoning" her.

He probably falls under all themes. Since his parents can't be called that he was hence neglected. Before he attacked his dad he had bottled all of his fear and anger up. And he also felt stuck because he couldn't understand people and to him it seemed like everyone around was deserting him. He couldn't understand anyone.

Anyway, there are tons of interesting panels and details in this manga, but in regards to Aiba, there are two that I want to bring up.

The first is his excuse for taking the picture of Haruka's dad and Shouko in the fire, which he tries to explain as him admiring the father's heroic act. I think this reason might contain a bit of truth, the contrast of his father and Haruka's father could've evoked something like that.

The second thing is the final page of chapter 14 where Aiba steps on a Hepatica Nobilis but looks completely unfazed despite having compared the flower to Haruka. I believe the implication is that he's oblivious to his own actions and that he really doesn't see how he hurts people.

Taeko Oguro.

The third theme is most prominent in Oguro. She has a dream, unlike people around her (from what we see at least). But it can't be fulfilled in Ootsuma. She literally does feel stuck and she pleads to be allowed to chase her wish, but isn't permitted. This once again results in someone bottling up their emotions; ambition and even hatred for the place that holds her down. She starts too view everyone around her as abnormal for being content on the surface, even prideful of their alumni status. She even openly denies her dream. The outcome is that she uses everyone to feel in control and leads everyone against Haruka.

Her relationship with Haruka is probably the most notable thing about her character. She was immediately interested in Haruka as she came from Tokyo, but she quickly becomes disappointed because Haruka doesn't really want to go back unless her family does. She becomes spiteful as she, someone who'd give everything to go there, can't, but the one who could isn't even interested. In her eyes it must be a great injustice, which, well, could be argued. Besides all of that though, she's jealous of Haruka's attention which only inflates her spite.

As a side note, one interesting detail is how she prefers to hurt Rumi's hands. For her hands are important because she'd need them for her dream job. Also, her way of inflicting self-harm is biting her hands.

Rumi Sayama & Kyouko Minami.

I'm bundling them together because they're similar and I'm trying to condense this review.

Both are depictions of someone who is completely cornered, basically a wild animal that can only turn around and attack the hunter. As for Rumi, she's also got the thing with obsession and disillusionment going on.

The circumstances of these characters are tragic. When it's shown how casually Rumi is bullied despite being one of the Ootsuma people and her perpetual state of hear, it's terrifying to think what she's been through. Her design often looks monstrous and she was indeed molded into one. She's been broken through sheer abuse by her classmates. Totally cornered between Oguro and Haruka. She's at a stage where she thinks it's better if she dies liberated than to continue being abused. And the layer of her admiration for Oguro just muddies this into something so indescribably disgusting.

Kyouko is in a quite a similar position, but perhaps even more tragic. She tried to redo her school life and get a new start, for it to end up exactly the same, being bullied by her own students. Even an adult isn't invincible, the scars she's gotten are nigh irreparable. She falls into the two latter themes.

Grandpa.

Usually a grandfather character in a story is a relatively straightforward character. That rings true for Misumisou too. At least on the surface. He's simply a character who supports Haruka. But, there is something more to him, the fact that he is quite likely aware of Haruka's actions.

Firstly, assuming he actually does believe Haruka and thinks she's attending school, if that's the case, I'm still worried because he shouldn't let her. Haruka absolutely shouldn't be going to school in her situation. But I don't think this is it. There's a scene where he is looking through Haruka's clothes and in a very cryptic panel we see him find what appear to be bloodstains on her jacket. It's hard to believe he's oblivious to what it could indicate.
Also, at one point Haruka questions him about why he hasn't asked anything, and grandpa also very enigmatically states that Haruka can tell him when she's ready to do so.
Although the final chapter would suggest that he actually didn't knew anything, it might be that his mind isn't clear at that point and that his sentiments aren't to be taken as facts. Well, he does see an illusion of Haruka after all.
But if the possibility that he knew what Haruka was doing is true, that's a disconcerting prospect. It's true neglect. Also it would actually parallel one of the parents who was glad about their child being a perpetrator instead of a victim because it'd mean there "wouldn't be anything to worry about".

Okay, these are all of the main characters. I don't think I need to bring the minor ones up. Maybe the breakdown isn't as complete and thorough as I imagined, but this covers it about anyway. The review is getting lengthy and I still have other subjects to go over.

The story's intent.

Short stories are fascinating. When a story is so short, assuming it's not because of being axed or anything, it indicates that it's written for a more defined purpose, maybe even for a goal. The author has something they want to say or share or put out in the open, whatever. And so, with this in mind, what might be the purpose of Misumisou?

Well, the answer is quite obvious, isn't it? In a broad sense, it's a message about what neglect leads to. But I feel it's a very particularly crafted story and it isn't just trying to explore a concept. I feel it's actually trying to gut punch the reader to wake up about the topic and make them feel strong feelings towards it. Trying to hammer in how ugly the consequences can be. The grotesque manner of depicting the bullying is like it is for that purpose, I think that it is, at least.

The atmosphere and the interpretability.

One of the standout aspects of Misumisou for me is the art, particularly the style. It's both unique and fitting. Cutesy round characters that have whiplashing contrast with the carnage and horror. And the backdrops are slim and beautiful, although bleak of course. I really like the atmosphere, it's lonely and isolate, but also fresh because of the touch of winter and cold. But the ever-increasing amount of snow feels like a representation of things escalating. At the start of the manga, it's all quiet, only light snowfalls, but as the revenge story begins, it drastically intensifies.

But as for what I appreciate the most, it's the ambiguity. So many panels leave a lot of room to interpretation. Despite having read the story a couple of times and taken notes of it as well as having discussed it, there are still many moments where I don't understand the full depth behind an expression or a line of dialogue.

The conclusion.

I think Misumisou is a fantastic manga. The issues it showcases are very prevalent in the real world. I've talked about this manga with a couple of people whom I've convinced to read it, and one of them in particular feels that the story focuses too much on the gore and doesn't really explore its themes. Well, I can see where they're coming from, but I do believe that the order of priorities is very much intentional. It's a wake up call, not a study. And I think that's fine, I actually think it offers a lot in that regard, because when I think of this manga, I feel uncanny as I realize that this story doesn't feel that unreal. That's certainly a thought.

Well, this review is long. I think Misumisou deserves a lot of effort because it's so obscure and I'd like for there to be at least something about it on the internet, at least in English anyway, I'm not sure how the situation is in Japanese. Also, it's a short enough story that a full breakdown is plausible. Also, my first serious review was of this, but that was a terrible attempt and it was practically just praise without any analysis or substance to speak of.

I haven't even recommended the manga yet. But then again, it's not really about that. I'm attempting to counter the more negative opinions which I've seen circling around. Although if you haven't read Misumisou, then most importantly, how did you even scroll all the way down here? But do go and read Misumisou, lol

Code Geass can be a controversial series. The plot-holes, the slender character designs, the tactics that don't actually mean anything, the way it treats its characters as geniuses — these are all big turnoffs for some. I can see why, but despite all of them, I think that Code Geass is an incredible series, although carried by the main character and his relationships with other characters. I recommend to give Code Geass a go, but if the flaws I listed might be deal-breakers for you, then go in with the mindset that it's quite a flawed series in some of its aspects.

***BEWARE OF SPOILERS FROM ... HERE ON!***

Well, to start I have to state that this review is somewhat addressed to specific people with whom I've talked about Code Geass, most of whom don't really like it. This review isn't trying to convince anyone of anything per say, but I'm trying to explain what exactly I find so great and to share feelings on things. But anyways, I'll start with the heart of the show.

The characters. Without a question, they're the best aspect of this show. I find it difficult to see any other option for it, to be honest. Now, I can't cover all of the sides to this, but I'll talk about some of my feelings on a few things.

So, first of all, Lelouch. The main character and the one who absolutely carries the story. He's a character very much full of personality, and he feels a lot like a person. To describe him though, he's self-centered, passionate, ambitious, callous to those who have, in his mind, wronged him, self-righteous about his views, drawn to grandeur and spectacle, easily tunnel-visioned, stuck on his own perspective, and one aspect that culminates in the most interesting moments for his character, he hides and bottles up emotions. This isn't close to everything you can say about his character, but I'll just leave it at that.

While many of those traits are rather unlikable concepts and Lelouch is a flawed individual, they're why he's so compelling and his struggle of remaining ethical in a fight for a good cause is muddied and made more complex by those traits. I mean Lelouch's motivation. He isn't fighting just for justice, his only driving force isn't a sense of right and wrong, but it's also a personal quest for revenge against his father as well as him trying to live life in a way he finds fulfilling. The multi-faceted nature is the reason for why it's so interesting.

To elaborate on that last one that I mentioned. At the start of the show Lelouch had no outlet for his spite that had been brewing for literal years, and he had a lot of talent that couldn't be put anywhere. Since he didn't have power, he was stuck. It was pain for him because despite convincing himself that there's a path to achieve his desires, he also realized inside that it was a hollow promise and he wasn't going to truly act as he wasn't ready to throw his life away. Nunnally was also a huge factor in that, because he couldn't abandon her. So he was stuck with a life that felt idle and purposeless to him. And that's why he exploded so hard when he finally acquired power. It was all of his bent up ambition, regret, and fear.

The heart of the show is the struggle of Lelouch — coping with hurting people, trying to overcome enemies, hiding yourself from everyone, failing to expect ramifications, destroying the pillars you're standing on, it's a really gripping journey. And seeing Lelouch's mental state decay throughout the show is tragic, but it's what makes the show.

The question of whether does an individual have a right to trample over others if it's for a legitimate hope of creating a better world is overwhelming. Change, especially a revolution, is practically bound to cause suffering to someone and people get caught up in it even if they're unrelated. It's not a single person's responsibility to support a cause, but if someone does decide to, then what, is that right? I can't answer this question with certainty. I have my thoughts and beliefs, but I won't get into them, because this isn't that sort of a question. And the ending also reflects the ambiguity of this. The tone isn't weighed entirely to one side, it's up in the air.

Another character who embodies this theme is Suzaku. He's on the opposite side from Lelouch, and his struggle and ideology is just as compelling. I think he's admirable. But the question of whether it's right to let a rotten world be if it preserves the safety of more people is just as difficult of a question, but I don't really want to talk about that, actually I want to elaborate on his character and address a critique that it's inconsistent.

The point is that Suzaku doesn't make sense because at first he's about means before ends, and later on he switches.

Well, firstly, Suzaku wasn't always like that. Before the events of the show he was like Lelouch, actually. He killed his father to avoid the war escalating even further. The end justified the mean, until he realized that it hadn't brought him happiness. He felt guilt and regret, wanted to die, and started looking for opportunities to redeem himself, often putting himself in great danger. He also found a new ideology, changing the system from the inside, and being careful to not cause any collateral damage. But why he changes is because of his character journey. He fails to achieve change by his means. He constantly loses to Lelouch and fails to avoid damage caused by Lelouch, so to put an end to Lelouch he needs to become just as petty as him. And the tragic thing is that even that doesn't work out for him, even though he fired the FLEIA, he didn't manage to kill Lelouch.

But for a moment, think about if Lelouch and Euphemia had managed to start working together... How much tragedy could've been avoided... and how much more wholesome the ending would've been... Note, I'll return to this topic in a bit.

But that theme isn't everything there's to love about Code Geass. Besides all that, an equally gripping part is Lelouch's personal struggle to keep his Zero identity secret and to protect his friends and sister. But he fails, and that's another struggle for him. Even the people that are his family, Nunnally, Euphemia, and Suzaku, they all either lose faith in him or die because of his faults. It's what leads to his mental decay and gives consequences to the plot of the show. Him accidentally killing Shirley's father and the mini-arc resulting from that is a great example.

But the culmination... at the end of S2 when the Black Knights turn against him, that's a feeling of despair. How can you not feel bad for Lelouch? How can you not feel bad for Kallen? For Suzaku? It's so frustrating, so hopeless, so gripping. He has nothing left. All of his exploits have led him nowhere. Only his friends have lost faith in him, his sister is dead (as far as he knows), his accomplice and the pillar of support has lost her memory, he was defeated by his greatest enemy, and even his fake brother died in order to keep him alive. At the face of all that, it's when Lelouch finally gives up in a way and becomes willing to sacrifice himself and his own happiness, anything to just push his goal since he thinks there's no turning back.

Well, that's a lot to take in, probably. So, time to shift topics a bit.

I've talked about Lelouch and Suzaku, but they aren't the only great characters. Kallen, Euphemia, Nunnally, and C.C. are also characters whom I love and that have their own character journeys and development. Even Lloyd and Shirley, actually. Not to mention their dynamics with each other. But I'll move onto another idea that I wanna talk about.

The theme of masks. There's this interesting commonality between characters that they hide parts of themselves to protect themselves but also their close ones. Like Lelouch, Suzaku, Kallen, etc. All of them have something to hide in public. This theme is left ambiguous too. Whether it's a white lie or not. While the story ends with Lelouch wearing the mask of a villain, there are also many occasions where characters are hurt by the mask as much as the truth. It can also be tied into the prior concept; is it right to drag others along into your fight?

Well, there's a lot more to say, frankly, this is the tip of the iceberg, but it's already a huge wall of text, so I'll move onto addressing the flaws of the show in more detail.

In particular the Euphemia massacre. In of itself, in a vacuum, it's the most impactful scene in the series, at least in my opinion, and I think it's one of the most emotional scenes across the board. It's strengthened by how great Lelouch's and Euphemia's dynamic is too. Euphemia is the only person to truly defeat Lelouch's ideology as she managed to actually make Zero redundant and unnecessary. But what I wanna talk about is how the scene happens.

The infamous words of, "I could even make you kill all of the Japanese".

Well, it does kind of fit Lelouch's character as a concept. He likes to boast, and he didn't know his Geass had reached the stage where it's uncontrollable. But it's still shoddily put together and absolves Lelouch of blame in the eyes of the audience. It gets even worse if you consider that the Geass issue doesn't become a part of the show and is patch worked with simply putting on a contact lens.

It's the highlight of Code Geass's writing problem. The logic is abandoned for the sake of drama. And although I'd like to be able to confidently say it's always a necessary sacrifice, it really isn't, it's convenience. Whether you can accept this flaw is basically the question of whether you can truly appreciate Code Geass. It's fine if you can't, but there's still a lot to love in Code Geass.

Well, this review glosses over a lot, especially the issues in presentation and some of the minor characters switching sides on a whim, but well, I think I got some of it down. Hopefully.

Anthropomorphism has been a part of cultures in various forms since the prehistoric age. When it comes to stories, it's often been used as a tool by writers to disassociate their messages from humanity so they become analogies, instead of direct teachings or statements. In case of Beastars, the same does ring true too. It allows for a very simple and understandable conflict within the society in the story and keeps it from being openly political. Besides that, the tone also remains reasonably *light* as a result.
But what I really like is how the author's genuine passion for the animal kingdom is visible. Well, I ... mean, she wears a chicken mask in real life, so...
But there's a huge amount of details that aren't necessary from the wider perspective of the whole story, details that just pertain to the species of animals (humans are animals too, I know, by the way) and make the manga feel full of life. But I'm grateful to Paru for including them, without them I could see the story feeling too blunt. The charm of the manga lies in there. But so, to conclude this opening segment, I feel the anthropomorphism is less of a technique and more of a style when it comes to Beastars.

Now, before delving into the actual narrative and the story, I should say that I highly recommend reading (or maybe watching since the anime is great) Beastars if you're into character dramas or psychological stories. Although the quality doesn't remain consistently great and drops off a lot in the final big arc of the story, it's probably worth it to just check it out.

***BEWARE OF SPOILERS FROM HERE ON!***

For me, the highlight of Beastars is definitely the character-writing, hence the list of characters whom I relish is pretty long: Legoshi, Louis, Haru, Juno, Bill, Sebun, Aoba, Gosha... and even the very minor characters such as Ako and Airdo. While they're fleshed out and/or contribute to the thematic core, a common aspect between them is that they're unhappy with their species.

Legoshi feels unjustly big and strong next to herbivores and loathes himself for being a wolf. He doesn't see any value in himself — a creature that's biologically *meant* to prey on others.

Louis craves confidence and puts on a facade to climb above others and get a feeling of control so he could escape his instinctual fear of predators and his fragility as a deer.

Haru wishes that people would treat her as an equal, but is patronized and everyone acts as if she needs protection. She sees herself as someone who'll be inevitably eaten and forgotten, but she continues to cling onto life for the moments that she cherishes.

Bill is proud of being a tiger but is frustrated by the responsibility that comes with his immense strength. He tries to shine in the spotlight but finds that just raw power doesn't cut it.

Gosha can never relax because he needs to always mind himself so he wouldn't hurt anyone with his venom by accident.

Beastars explores self-esteem and dissatisfaction with oneself. The problems the characters face are amplified though. By the harsh expectations and taboos of society. It's really engaging to see them struggle but mature and discover that they're not to blame individually. The entire society in Beastars is rotten at its core and the collective issue they all share is what needs to be solved. The society functions on willfully ignoring the fundamental flaws in its design, mainly, the black market. At least that's how I see the story tackling this topic.

Black Market.

Just the pure existence of it already puts onto a display that they aren't living in an utopia. Despite all of the effort that's been put into creating meals that can keep the carnivores healthy, the yearning for meat hasn't disappeared. Of course, that's not actually the fault of the society. What is however, is that despite it being an open secret, it continues to operate. No one dares to bring it up in the daylight and no one wants to risk getting into that taboo. While any individual isn't in the wrong for that, because a single person can't be expected to be capable of doing anything about an issue of such magnitude, the collective is morally corrupt for not addressing it. Some animals even say it's necessary evil to reason with it — that there's no way around it. Even if it was true, the attempts should still be done and the system of black market should at least be *ensured* to function on meat that comes from hospitals etc.

What is interesting is how we've shown everyone's acceptance of it. Aoba for example, he's a bird with a good heart, yet when he visits the black market with Legoshi and Bill he doesn't really pick a side at first. He's resigned to the fact that it exists and that he'll end up using it. If it wasn't for Legoshi, would he have done it and eaten meat there? Would he have committed to it?
And it's not just carnivores who're accepting of it, even herbivores are in the know, but don't seem to be taking any action. All of them are just playing the fool and hoping that they won't end up there. Also, even more interesting are those who've went there and found a way of making money buy selling parts of themselves.

It's just so awfully fucked up, but that's why it's such an impactful way of building a theme.

In truth, no one benefits from the black market. The herbivores who avoid it don't because random predation incidents still take place outside of it. Herbivores who sell themselves are basically doing the equivalent of taking a loan but even worse.
And even carnivores, they just become addicted and Gohin showed us what that might end up in: carnivores eating themselves in their lust for meat or inflicting self-harm because of the guilt. There are no victors in that story.

One more thing to say about it, the ones who use it aren't evil, they've ironically fallen prey to their own desires. They're not in the right by any means, but they aren't absolute ruthless monsters.

In conclusion to this segment, it's a brilliant way of showcasing how hollow the utopia they have truly is.

Also, I really appreciated the impact on the overall story that the confrontation between Legoshi and Riz had. It wasn't just covered up so Legoshi could continue his school life, instead he was suspended and the setting of the story switched to basically life after school. It's nice for such consequences to exist in a story, while that sadly is the only really good example, it's still something I wanna bring up.

Also, the little story of Ako and Airdo is a really gripping little addition. They founded their relationship on acting progressive and standing out, but subsequently it wasn't pleasing for either and ended in a tragedy. In line with the story in its entirety, there's no one truly at fault individually. Both of them were thoughtless. Ako pushed herself on Ako who lost himself for a slightest second and bit her. There's no hero nor is there a villain. But the response from everyone around them is to immediately assume the worst, which is understandable, but the good response would be to keep an open mind and try to look at the truth. We don't know what happened to Airdo, but with how stern the laws in Beastars are, his life was probably ever changed. It's neglecting to fix the problem.

But the story isn't without a fair share of issues. Most of them are in the latter half of the story. After Melon shows up, the story shifts from a slow and somewhat aimless character drama to have a more concrete plot. In theory, that'd be great, and in my second favourite series, Kaguya-sama, it happens and pays off. But here, everything kinda crumbles and falls apart. The pacing jumps haphazardly around, many characters (Haru in particular) lack screen-time to make the conclusions for their characters work, a lot of fights but no stakes to speak of, plot-points entirely forgotten, etc.

Worst is that the brilliantly set up conflict between herbivores and carnivores is resolved with basically just a speech from Louis who makes it up on the fly. The intricate buildup of the black market and the dark side of society ends up amounting to almost nothing as it just stops being a problem after Louis has a few words on it and brings it into the daylight. Also, almost as bad is how unsatisfying and out of the blue the climax of Legoshi's and Haru's relationship is, being stacked on top of the entire Melon arc where Haru had practically zero screentime.

So, to conclude the review, Beastars is spectacular at start. It devolves into a mess but it's still a meaningful story. I don't think that it's awful at any point. But I really would've wished for a more nuanced ending. But personally, I'm interested in Paru's writing should she start an another manga. Though I do hope that she's been sharpened by this experience

The most surface-level notion to have about Monster is that it's distinct. From art-style to the location where the story takes place, it's unlike most series. Diving deeper than even that, the series approaches telling a story in a unique way as well. Usually the focus is cast on creating a compelling narrative or set of characters and themes are left between the lines. Monster does the opposite, using characters and the narrative to further its messages and ideas. Neither approach is inherently bad, but Monster's is certainly riskier. Due to it's immense acclaim, it appears to be a success, but while I agree with ... many of the general sentiments people have on it, I don't think that it's flawless in any sense and I gotta say... it's a bit... o-over—!

***BEWARE OF SPOILERS FROM HERE ON!***

Themes.

Well, in line with what I already stated, the first segment of this review focuses on the themes. So, they're center of the story, but what does that genuinely mean? What are they? Now, as the topic is almost as subjective as it gets, I should likely mention that it's my interpretation. Since they're so integral and highlighted though, I don't think that I'm that far off, they're the premise after all...

The first major theme is a question the show poses throughout and asks almost directly at the very last scene.

Did Johan become a monster because it was his nature or was it the outcome of his experience?

Many characters ponder on Johan's motivations. What is his goal? What is he trying to accomplish?
I'd say that what we're lead to believe at the start is that he was simply born as a monster as we learn he was one already before Kinderheim. Johan does awful things, he seems to possess no remorse or conscience and has seemingly always been that way.
The OST and presentation only affirm it.
But the Czech arc caves into his backstory and although the conclusion isn't just a one-or-the-other sort of an answer, we see the catalyst, a single decision by his mother. Johan asking what was the truth behind it is a confirmation, at least in my mind, and the implication is that if the decision was the opposite, everything would've played out entirely different. So, the point appears to be that one minute millisecond decision can snowball and engulf the world.

The idea is interesting and can be thought-provoking, but when I look past the concept, the set up of it isn't compelling or logical. The effects of the decision aren't proportional at all. Now, maybe I'm misconstruing something, but exactly how did it impact Johan in the way it seems to have? I can't really call it a sacrifice of logic for the sake of themes, because there are simple ways of asking this question as eloquently and also retaining a level of sensibility.
Also, the arc that explores this is roughly thirty episodes and for its length, it achieves very little. I just don't think that it's satisfyingly executed. Granted, there's a lot of side development for Grimmer and Lunge (both of whom are great characters with their own set of themes - childhood trauma, purpose in life), as well as side themes with Bonaparta. I won't really give more thoughts on it though, I feel I'd need a rewatch to have confident opinions.

The second theme is the conflict Tenma faces as a doctor and a person. This is integrated into his journey and culminates in the moments where he finds himself in front of a choice: either to kill a person in order to save lives but to go against his principles and whom he is as an individual or to save a life and allow a monster to have a chance of stealing others's.

Monster is an episodic series and the episodic episodes that take a detour from the plot and show the world are my favourites. They do it well and are grounded in a sense of reality. Anyway, Tenma sees people who try to help others and save them and people who have suffered because of violence or who have used violence and caused suffering, now regretting their past, etc. Some of them are emotionally resonant. Truthfully, I don't have a big issue with Tenma remaining true to himself as a doctor and not pulling the trigger. While I might disagree with him, it's a part of his character and is established well.

But, oh wait. Anna is also on a similar quest to him. How does that one end? She too avoids falling into the grip of violence? But... why two arcs that share the exact same result, I mean, literally, in the same scene. This is an example of themes being a detriment, because to me it seems that the message is: violence should be avoided. Well, yes. But I don't get it, a parallel between two of the main characters opting for different routes would hold a lot of potential and could develop this idea. Maybe he's precious about his characters and can't allow them to be too morally ambiguous? I'm honestly not sure even.
Anyway, Urasawa doesn't imply that a monster can't be subdued, but violence should be avoided, well, that's agreeable, but he doesn't really offer any solution to the problem that a monster is in the freedom. The show ends with the monster being missing, potentially still causing harm. The theme of violence not being a solution is taken to a point that it's detached from sense.
In the previous paragraph I mentioned the side-stories being realistic and I do think that, but when it comes to the main plot of Tenma, Anna and Johan, that same thing doesn't apply, frankly.

The scene where both Tenma and Anna have Johan at gun point but fail to shoot him, it's frankly asinine in my opinion. It's just ridiculous to have two characters who're so ideological that they can't act reasonably in that situation. There's a serial-killer in direct action in front of them and yet they're trying to convince each other not to shoot. It's just... it's not believable. They could restrain him at least, or they could've even taken the responsibility of shooting Johan, instead of shouting to the other that they wouldn't.

And perhaps the biggest gripe... Johan. He is this looming figure shrouded in mystery and terror, the aura is done well, the sound-design playing a key role in that. But still, his actual manipulations, we don't really see them and the small amount that we do, like him making Richard commit suicide, those aren't well written. Rudely poking at someone's failures and making them feel about themselves won't make the them just commit suicide in front of the person. A more likely response would be getting angry. That might be a difference in how I and Urasawa see the world though.

Well, I've been quite negative in this review. Since Monster is so acclaimed, I do think it's better to bring these thoughts up, because I haven't really seen many people talk about them. But I love Monster, the characters and the eerie chill is there, it's lying outside of the main trio.
Lunge, Eva Grimmer, Richard, Rudy, Martin and Reichwein, they're all excellent in their roles and are really well established and presented. I'm not bashing Monster, because it's without a doubt a very good series, but well, it's not a 10/10 masterpiece, in my honest opinion, and well, that's why I wrote this review

Please read Kaguya-sama, even if you aren't into comedy or romance, just try to give it a go. Since Kaguya-sama is genuinely one of the most earnestly subversive and impressive stories, one that I absolutely didn't expect. And its evolution has surpassed any series that I know. But if you do happen to find yourself uninterested in the sketch-based storytelling at the start, just know it will be a different story by when you catch up. Well, that's basically what I want to say before delving into the spoilers, though, don't read them if you haven't read the story and are already confident about starting ... it.

***BEWARE OF SPOILERS FROM HERE ON!***

Having finished the first season, it seemed I had grown really fond of the show. So I thought at least, but it turned out that it hadn't left a lasting impression as it quickly faded and left the series in my memory as a mere landmark.

Then the second season rolled around and I was immediately hooked once again. But, it was different, not just my experience, the way the story flowed. Well, it was clearly of the same series, but it truly felt new.

Not only did the episodes share a common cast of characters and ideas, but the events of each episode explicitly influenced the following ones. While this was present in S1 for some episodes, it wasn't nearly as prevalent or even noticeable. And as the episodes unfolded... I saw the student council winning the election and gaining a member, Ishigami joining the cheering club and beginning to find confidence, Kaguya facing her emotions and almost addressing them... Practically all the characters had new angles in which their characters were shown or explored, as a result the narrative became continuous, the show felt a lot more significant. It was all part of a bigger narrative, a story... a spectacular story.
And so I was finally compelled to read the manga which I had poked but failed to getting around reading.

Well, I read the manga... But in truth, I didn't notice reading it because I forgot. It wasn't even all I forgot. I forgot it was a comedy, well, yeah? I even forgot it's a story. The experience of seeing characters I had grown to care for struggle in the period of great change in their lives was so immersive and real that it eclipsed everything. It was probably a long time that I was locked in front of my laptop screen. But to be honest, it was a great read and I didn't even feel bad after finishing it. And well, now I can really say... Kaguya-sama is special.

"This story has been serious for quite some time now." - Aka Akasaka.

How can a story simultaneously dabble in the realm of comedy and in themes of self-doubt, self-loathing, regret, guilt, depression, maturing, affection, so seamlessly...? Well, I don't know, it's a question, lol. But seriously, as a writer I really don't have a gratifying answer to that question. At least I can throw some ideas on the table though.

The main concept I have for this is that there are no borders for this story. The comedy isn't just mixed in among the development. I'm not sure if I can say that it's a part of it, but the punchlines come from the characters, not the author, and sticks to the personalities the characters have. Also, it's often that they lead to actual consequences in the narrative and shift it around, they aren't in a bubble that doesn't hold weight over the story itself.

But this idea goes further than just that. This story doesn't have bubbles around characters either. It doesn't sugar coat, really, it doesn't. The characters, including the main ones, have bad aspects of their personality, like Kaguya herself for example. She can be spiteful, has a short temper, and does actually sometimes hurt characters around her. In many stories these wouldn't be truly shown in fear of making the character less likable. Everything she blames herself for and struggles with is actually a part of her character, there's no forced drama.

Oh, and the character dynamics too. Characters form a lot of new relationships within the story, and the relationships change. Some change a lot, like Kaguya and Miyuki, some change a bit, like Miko and Miyuki. But I wouldn't have ever expected Hayasaka and Miyuki to become friends and have such substantial development between them, for example. The character relationship charts are probably an elaborate joke about how simplistically defined character dynamics often are, to be honest.

But even beyond all that. Well... Almost every story has a border which it doesn't cross. You can usually sense it and when you think of something on the other side of that, it feels obvious that it won't be a part of the story. If it's crossed then there's a clear feeling that something is wrong and that the scene or moment or character doesn't fit into the established confines of the work. It's perfectly fine for that border to exist and it isn't a flaw to have a line that isn't crossed. Actually, quite the opposite, it's great for a story to have a specific identity and focus.

But storytelling doesn't have absolute truths or rules, they're guidelines, and basically every concept can conceivably be used well in some context. And one series that constantly goes against the common-sense of story-writing is Kaguya-sama.

Kaguya-sama is quite unique in not limiting itself to one specific immersion, it's ready to shift the perception of characters and the narrative whenever it wants. And never in Kaguya does it feel that something is "omitted". That some ramification is ignored for the sake of convenience or that characters turn a blind eye to something.

Although, there's a question around this. For example, something out of Berserk, clearly many of those things aren't things that can happen in Kaguya-sama, right? Well, yes, but it's because the story doesn't need to, not because it restricts itself.

But something that I think makes for a great example is that the very premise of the series, which at first is the absolute core that can't be resolved before the end, is resolved before the end. Far before the end. And the story is still going, and likely for quite a while... let that sink in.

The most integral moment of Kaguya-sama wasn't the climax of the story, Kaguya-sama didn't hold itself back and stick to the premise, instead it went far beyond to explore its themes a lot deeper.

I'm talking vaguely, about concepts, but this aspect of the story shines through so hard when you read it. And well, to conclude the line of thought, basically, everything is accepted in Kaguya-sama — silly things, serious things — it's all one, and pretty much anything can happen. I hope this idea is somewhat discernible from this of a text-wall, that this was what I'm talking about, that is.

And that's the foundation of Kaguya-sama's greatness in my opinion. But well, that isn't all there's to talk about. So many specific pieces of characterization, so many specific moments, so many ideas, this story is filled with food for thought and has made me reflect on myself. But this review is pretty lengthy and I've laid down what I think is the core for all that is built on top, so I'll refrain (restrict this review) from getting into any specific plot-points or character moments (the meaningful stuff).

Kaguya-sama is simply whole.

Also, Hayasaka best girl.

Before delving into spoilers, I should say that Attack on Titan is a lot more nuanced than it appears on the surface. The story starts of very simple. But over time, as elements are introduced and the world as well as the cast of characters expands, it becomes a very intricate, thrilling and gripping.

***BEWARE OF SPOILERS FROM HERE ON!***

Attack on Titan is a series that has defined a part of me — through discussing it almost every single day for months and months... through anxiously waiting for a new chapter to drop so it'd stir the topics up a bit or finally give answers to ... the mystery-boxes.
Writing this review is terrifying because of how special and important this series is for me, in terms of my investment in the characters and the narrative, as well as the friends made by conversing over it.
And although Attack on Titan's latest arc, which also is the final arc, has been problematic in the way it's told the story, namely — how it has jumped from one plot-point to another, instead of slowly unrolling all of them in a one continuous flow — despite that...
I can't not say: Attack on Titan is brilliant.
And it's been so since the beginning.
At first the story purposefully draws people into having a certain mindset. But that's later revealed to be a small and narrow outlook which was shared with the characters, and that was essential to make the readers empathize with the situation the characters were in to such a degree, that it'd seal any other possible way of looking at the situation off. So when the characters were challenged in their understanding of the world, so were the readers.
At first it's just droplets of information continuing to pose questions about what is really going on in the story. But they're easy to ignore or interpret in a way that melts them into the preconception.
Then the characters start to encounter a lot more overt signs that everything isn't as it seems and find contradictions between what was their common-knowledge and what they actually see in the world.
And that results in a culmination which totally shifts the entire narrative to a completely new page and perspective. The premise of the story evolves side by side with the characters when they learn more about their surroundings and themselves. The lingering questions and clues all begin to make sense.

When you find out what Attack on Titan is truly about, at first, it may seem alienating due to the contrast it has with the story up to that point. But in truth, alien would be one of the least likely words I'd use to describe it.
What Attack on Titan shows in its last two arcs is so eerily real and close to the "real-world". The situation the characters find themselves in is something that could happen and has happened to people.
It's believable and impactful. And because every character has their own story, viewpoint and understandable mindset, it's nigh impossible to confidently call anyone right. But it also feels wrong to call them the opposite as well.
It's the ultimately morally grey story. There's no certain culprit who could be blamed for the situation in which the characters find themselves in. It's the outcome of many decisions which were taken by characters to try and have a place for themselves in the world. Who is in the wrong? Who is the villain? Who is the monster of the story? There isn't a clear answer to any such question. It's all up to the readers to decide what they see as the best path in the circumstances. It might be angering, it might make anyone feel powerlessness or sorrow... and achieving that was the intent of Isayama.
Attack on Titan is a masterpiece, it's a story that I definitely wouldn't call simple entertainment, although, it's fine to think of it as such, since it's just really entertaining too. But, if you haven't read it, please do, or not. I mean, it's just... fantastic, at least in my opinion, y'know