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This is one of those calming cooking mangas that revolve around people just living life. If you're a fan of works like Shinya Shokudou with changing foci, then this is a good work for you to consider trying. Unlike Shinya Shokudou, Izakaya Bottakuri does invest a bit more in certain conflicts or issues and isn't afraid to dwell on them for more than one chapter. The pacing is laid-back and individual character problems are tackled in a sort of realistic but not overdone way. In some ways, it feels like a restoration of the status quo when an issue is solved, rather than anything big ... change.
The art for this manga is great. Anatomy is very well-done and characterization is especially distinguishing for elderly characters. The younger characters are a bit more generic, with many of the same facial shapes and eyes, with differences being hairstyle. Some expressions can look the same on characters, like if one person looks happy, you could literally copy paste it onto another head and it wouldn't look out of place.
A unique thing about this manga is the showcasing of various real-life liquors from Japan. Unfortunately, a lot of them seem to be out of production.
The main gripe I developed for this manga is the underlying romantic storyline. I won't get into details, but the characterization for the characters involved seemed to change and ramp up just for the sake of advancing the relationship all of a sudden. As a result, a character feels like they became someone else and also showed a more dislikeable side. This might just be preference, though.
Overall, the manga feels like a sommelier telling you a long story about what sake goes well with your meal courses. It's a relaxed tone save for some of those sudden speed bumps that try to sell you on certain forced conflict resolutions.

Solid shoujou harem manga, in all honesty. Story-wise, it's not too crazy despite trying to deal with the occasional risky subject that serves only as background to the main romance. On the romance, this is one of those romance stories that tries really hard to sell you on all the possible routes, like a visual novel. However, there is one very obvious contender from the very beginning, and no matter how much the author tried to pad it, it stuck with me so I was not very impressed with the build-up of the romantic rivalry at all.
Art is nice and pretty. Character face distinction ... is always nice, and the chibi art is cute. Focus is obviously on the people, so don't expect amazing background art or scenery. The same goes for action scenes. However, some of the poses for romance, as well as the close-ups on detail, are very well-done.
Worldbuilding is interesting, but the underlying conflicts feel half-done and abandoned towards the end or rushed. Any deep mysteries feel like they were handwaved a bit in explanation. The character development takes up most of the limelight, so the world is made to fit the character arcs. As a result, some things do sound very weirdly convenient and outlandish, even for this fiction. There are occasional developments in the circumstances, with introduction of new power shifts or possible shifts, but they ultimately don't really go anywhere. That said, the character development is well-done in showcasing progression of the romance... all save for maybe one route.
Overall, it's a cute read. Nothing super exciting or groundbreaking. If you like a story set in a somewhat darker premise, yet nearly completely blows it all away with humor and romance, this could definitely be for you.

This manga is a great gem of a find among the less-than-mainstream stories featuring your typical ideas of exorcism and evil spirits. There are sufficient twists to make the concept feel more fresh, challenging the usual notion of uptight shamanistic rituals that are typical of exorcists. The length of the story and the fact it did get axed but still has an incredibly satisfying ending is also a bit of a feat.

Breaking it down, let's discuss the story. The mangaka informs us that the serialization for the series was axed around the middle of the story, so that is a point to keep in ... mind. There are many plot threads spun from early on, and a surprising majority of them are concluded rather nicely and in a satisfying way. The story doesn't insist on itself; it's not too long nor drawn out, and is cleverly speckled with references and plenty of humor to keep the vibe fresh. This is an issue I run into with series that just want to drag things out way too long. There are mixes of single-chapter stories versus longer arcs, with much of the latter dealing directly with our main cast. The underlying story gets rushed towards the end, unfortunately, and the pacing falls apart there a bit. But it doesn't completely go off any rails with absurd leaps of logic and still manages to keep you absorbed until the last chapter.

The world building and ambience of the manga is very grounded in taking popular Japanese exorcism tropes and turning them on their side a bit. This includes popular urban legends and even classic yokai. While these are staples, this manga does do a good job making them a bit less repetitive than how they might usually be portrayed. So props for that.

Characterization and character building is honestly great. The main cast are well-fleshed out characters in the world that aren't so one-dimensional. There is an underlying psychological aspect to some of them that makes the reader invested in their stories and struggles. However, two of the main characters unfortunately do not get as much development or so much conclusion as the rest. This is possibly due to plans being scrapped due to being axed, which is unfortunate. Luckily, the titular Reina is an excellent character, both her personality, but also the surrounding unorthodox mechanics she introduces as an exorcist.

Art is freaking amazing! Designs for the main cast are simple but the beauty lies in various action scenes and comedic illustrations, as well as derivative art of existing lores. It's always fun to see how an author takes existing fiction to make it their own. The action scenes are very impactful and clean. Comedic timing with simple picture stills are also great.

This manga feels like it starts out with the premise of a love story, but then evolves into a manga about miso soup with romance to try and keep you reading. The intense amount of miso and overall culinary knowledge is excellent, to say the least. However, the drawn out character interactions end up feeling stale and unfulfilled by the end. It feels almost like the mangaka didn't know how to conclude a romance story after all this build up.

On the story, you have a lot of miso soup that works as a mechanic. It is a bonding device for all the story, being a ... super versatile thing that Japanese people identify with. Alongside the laborious journey to learn everything about this virtual food group, you have sprinkles of romance and whispers of progress among middle schoolers. And the main romance, as you may guess, centers around miso soup. In some ways, the use of soup to tell a story between people growing closer is a great idea. The problem becomes painfully obvious at the ending, however, when the story abruptly ends with no real resolution or satisfying development. It's so quick you might wonder if it got axed after teasing you along for all this time. In the end, the soup only works as progress, but it cannot fully bind people in a conclusive way. And the story dances around that issue for a long time, throwing pebbles of "growing closer" for you to follow. Yet, at the end, it's an underbaked gingerbread house.

Character-wise, this story has an expanding cast that have their own little stories and mini-arc of chapters. The main pair serves as the primary palette to aid the side ones, and it doesn't feel fully realized. The characters in and of themselves are fine. They have a good range of different personalities and facial expressions. You have quirky adults and awkward preteens getting way early into romance. The side characters do sometimes steal the show from the main ones, just because one can get boring reading the same pair for thirty chapters and seeing just blushing and soup.

Art is very good, with great anatomy and clean lines on clothes and wrinkles. Character designs are distinct and the chibi art is especially diabetes-inducing.

Overall, the 7 I give is a bit generous but I have to give props to all the culinary knowledge stuffed in this manga and the great art. I'm not even 100% sure it's all accurate, but I enjoyed the history and gastronomic lessons a lot, sometimes even more than the actual story that was going on.

This is a food-centric manga with slightly more impactful conflict than something like Aikagi-kun, but far less than Shokugeki no Soma. It revolves around memories of painful memories that mix with a tenuous present and uncertain future. If you like tragic backstories without being too force-fed, this is a good choice, as it is more subtle and paced out than humongous flashback chunks. The slice-of-life feel here is very relatable and showcases a resilient protagonist that is just dealing with issues. For the ones who read for the food aspect, it's nothing mind-blowing or super innovative in terms of recipes. I believe this is supposed ... to be home cooking, at the end of the day, and how food can heal the soul. If you like that kind of a ride, with some murky waters, then this is a great read for you.

This manga is set up with a cyclical structure, where the same main conflict repeats itself every chapter. However, this sort of fades out in later chapters and becomes more relaxed and open-world, which is an interesting progression. As a gag manga, you have a repertoire set of core jokes. This is probably too repetitive for some tastes, but it's what accompanies the main joke that is a bit more enticing and worth the read.
So, starting with the art, it's pretty good! There are action scenes that are well executed with easy-to-follow movement. The lineart is strong, and the characters have distinct designs and an ... interesting wardrobe as the story progresses. Nonhuman art here is pretty cartoony, but the artist has no issue with more serious images now and then. There is also a lot of food art, and it is beautifully textured like one might expect in a food manga. Some pictures that are more busy-looking hide a lot of easter eggs, since this is a comedy. You might find some interesting background characters and references that are worth a giggle or two.
The comedy level is variable, since some chapters are just plain calming rather than gut-busting. However, I do think that speaks to how wholesome this series is, and that can be a drawing point as well. There's a good mix of things like boke and tsukkomi jokes, and also family time, friendship, all that stuff that makes you feel warm and fuzzy. The central conflict is just a vague backdrop, really, for all these other relationships.
The characters themselves express their personalities as the "tortures" go on, taking on different roles in various attempts to glean information. Most of them are the quirky type, with some mellower ones that round everything out into a wholesome cast that just gets into shenanigans. If you like characters interacting in various situations, like slice-of-life moments, then you might like this part. The setting of this story also allows for a wide cast of nonhuman characters with various degrees of demihumanity, so there's a bit of something for everyone.

This is one of those "feel-good" stories that don't carry a lot of drama. The manga sells itself as one revolving around food, and this is true, even with the backdrop of a budding relationship. The characters are mellow and have their quirks, but nothing very overt or outrageous that some might like in a slice-of-life. It feels like a more soothing manga for an older audience, taking things slow in the world. If you don't like stories that don't have much of any conflict, this probably won't sit well with you.
The art is serviceable. One big, valid gripe would be that the males almost ... all seem to be based off the same template of hair an face, with small tweaks and accessories. The food isn't actually super textured like some food mangas might be that are hyper-realistic. It's mostly rather simple and still a little cartoony, usually with lines and maybe a texture or two.
There are unfortunate moments where the dialogue feels forced as a means of advancing the relationship. This comes sometimes in the form of thoughts that pop out of a situation that isn't totally related, or asking questions out of the blue with little real reason given the context. It's not super egregious, though, and the overall writing is pretty good. You have a lot of banter that sounds natural, and that's a good thing.
Overall, this is a manga for people who want a break from the drama-filled love stories, and it comes with food on the side!

Overall, this is a great example of fantasy manga that takes world building and various questions seriously; namely, monster design, world ecology, and consistency. This story takes place in a world that mirrors something like what you would encounter playing Dungeons and Dragons. The way it is written, with rich descriptions of the world and its various creatures, their interactions, and anatomical considerations, take it to the next level, hearkening to the mindfulness of design from older editions of DnD like ADnD2e and 3.Xe. You have meticulous planning of how certain environments work in tandem with their creatures, and how these are divided into different ... environmental spheres throughout the story really takes you on an in-depth journey. The backdrop of food as an excuse to explore the world is also a wonderful and fresh angle in the fantasy genre, particularly because the recipes sound much more accurate or believable than those others that might try to mimic this.
The art is, succinctly put, superb. The author's style has very strong lineart. Some of the shading use of lines rather than texture remind me of European woodblock prints, vaguely. The background art and design of environments is always detailed enough and yet you can still see points of focus easily. Designs of creatures are also not too crazy, with homages to the original inspirations in mythos without re-inventing the wheel. However, you do see some cuter designs of some creatures, and this is welcome as well.
What makes my scoring less than perfect is primarily to do with personal taste. I don't really like much of the main cast save for the halfling. That being said, the characterizations and writing are very strong, giving overt personalities to characters, even if they were only introduced halfway through the story.
One other thing I didn't like, personally, is the power level that the story operates at. One of the things about endgame DnD is that magic will make things like death a mere setback than anything truly staying. This happens a bit with their use of necromancy magic in the story, sometimes for gag purposes. However, this is not to fault the story itself. In fact, the story does deal with themes about life and death in a very poignant and well-rounded way.
For budding worldbuilders, I think this is a better read than something more bizarre like Made in Abyss. The monsters are familiar and the characters provide great comedy relief in the midst of a rather insidious plot that occurs both outside and within.

I picked this work up to read based only on the appealing art, which was not a disappointment. That is its biggest selling point. The action scenes and progression of gunfights, even the fisticuffs, are wonderfully drawn. Despite some crowded panels, the art has a clean feel to it so you can clearly see the progression and flow of action.
Unfortunately, the story is ultimately a disappointment. I will try not to spoil as much as possible, but it may trickle through. The beginning of the story has a slow build, almost with an enemy-of-the-chapter kind of feel. This progresses into some revelations quickly and then ... suddenly immediately begins steamrolling through plot points, much of which are not developed nor properly explored and explained. The mechanism behind the main character's unique power is thrown into a half-baked backstory with a strange characterization, none of the other personalities are fully elaborated on enough (except maybe Penguin), and the big reveal of what the master plan was supposed to be ultimately amounts to nothing more than jokes at the end.
What's worse is the utter amount of loose ends created so close to an abrupt ending that have no end to ever be addressed. We have the fixer's situation, the fact that the big bad company is still alive, and the master plan that doesn't seem to be very urgent in any way. It was all very rushed and poorly planned, in the end.

SINoALICE the manga deviates heavily from the actual mobile game story so you don't need to play it to understand the story. Either way, it is a confusing story, because this is Yokoverse. The same gist and premise of a deathmatch, battle-royale is there, but the relationships and world are vastly different. True to the original material, however, it remains a bloody and ill-fated good time for all characters involved.
The pacing is pretty erratic at first and can be difficult to keep up with, but it begins a pretty typical buildup to conflict later in the story. Characters are given overt but also very subtle ... chances to showcase what is not shown in their thought bubbles. Aoki and Himiko team up to make small visual Easter eggs that are scattered through the pages for fans to find. The art is a bit interesting due to the combination of almost no shading on characters save for stark shadow, jagged lines, and CG imagery for many backgrounds. There is focus on the variety the artist can pull off in terms of character expression despite some of them appearing rather same-same. The additional special effects for abilities are interesting, and the conceptualization of these are also well-thought out in terms of how they relate to the original game characters and their designs.
The physical copy of the manga also includes a bonus text-only story at the end, which is usually more character-building. It honestly can feel like a bit of a cop-out until you remember this is Yoko Taro we're talking about. It emulates the same reading requirement from his games.
I recommend this for anyone looking for gore and mature themes intertwined with witty commentary and a liking for battle royale stories. However, online scantalations are almost impossible to find past chapter 5, and the chapters can be lengthy to translate, so you will need a decent amount of patience to wait for official translations and just buy the book.