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May 2, 2019
No reviews? For shame.
Subtle disaster is an intense, stress filled ride, in the best of ways.
"It may be a tragedy for them, but it's a comedy for us." Subtle disaster chapter 27.
It's about a writer who moves into a remote apartment for the cheap rent and quiet location. Instead, all he receives is constant, room shaking noise from the family on the floor above. Needless to say, escalation ensues.
I've seen few, if any stories like this one, where the entire premise is based upon the theme of escalation. The entire story is one minor situation that gets more and more twisted
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with each clash of stupid, self-absorbed humanity. It's a glorious thing to witness.
There's a somewhat large cast, each with their own share of development. Most, however, are left to the wayside. Personally, I didn't mind. The story wasn't really about who they are, but rather how their actions and personalities clash, as well as how they deal with stress/unfavorable situations.
The art is great, especially towards the end— where things are turned up to 100 and colors light up the page. I also like how movement is portrayed; some pages are just bursting with life. Yes sir, it's a very pretty story.
I enjoyed myself reading Subtle Disaster. I think it only took about a day? So yeah, a fairly quick, entertaining read.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Jan 10, 2019
Ryuuguuden is a VERY weird read. Does weird = bad? No.. but just be warned.
The weirdness of Ryuuguuden, otherwise known as Castle of the Dragon, comes from it's trippy, hallucinogenic, bizarre, and even somewhat scary premise. So it's about two boys who follow a girl onto a penis shaped train which dives into the ocean and arrives at a sea brothel. Yeah, it's something else. With all this said, you shouldn't let this premise fool into thinking it's going to be some ecchi or purely erotic rubbish.
The direction the story goes at multiple times is often highly creative and interesting, such that you'll
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often be left greatly surprised at certain conclusions. The changes in tone throughout the series are also quite unique and offers a refreshing blend that keeps things from being stale.
Often cartoonish, yet at times gritty and somewhat realistic, the art in Ryuuguuden is very impressive, especially given that the author of this series has only worked on a few other one-shots previously. It's unique and has a lot of personality to it, similar to other well-known artists that have their own style.
There are two main protagonists in the series, Anni and Bo. I didn't love them, but I don't think we're supposed to. They're each flawed and juvenile in their own way. They annoyed me at times, but the story wasn't ruined. There is also an antagonist. He's just a little insane, but it works. If only the story gave his thoughts a bit more attention.
All in all, this is really something else. If you have an open mind, you'll probably find something to enjoy here.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Dec 5, 2018
Congrats, you've found a hidden gem.
Our Eruption Festival is a coming of age story about two high school students that undergo a change as a result of a volcano eruption that turns their formerly average town into a thriving hot-spring resort. The premise of OEF is quite a simple one, of course you'd kind of expect this from a 16 chapter series. Regardless of it's simple premise and short length, there is quite a bit of depth in this story, particularly in regards to the themes of youth and change. I won't go too deep into the story, i'll just say that I really
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appreciated how simple yet fulfilling of a story OEF was.
I'm typically quite fond of the sketchy kind of art styles, and that's probably why I rated the art for this series so high. The art was very suitable for a series such as this, especially when it comes to character designs. Our Eruption Festival is a series soaked in realism and grittiness due to the coming of age themes, and the art is quite adept at representing such, despite the sketchy facade.
As for the characters in this, they're very well realized. Not to say I've seen people like them in real life, but I think that the kinds of personalities and motivations that they display are quite true to life. This is especially true when it comes to people, especially students, that are unsure about what they want to do with their lives. This theme in particular is present a fair bit throughout the story, the characters displaying these poignant themes surprisingly well. Of course, the series is quite short so the characters themselves aren't too developed in terms of the intricacies of their personalities and such, but for what we got I'm content.
Something else I haven't yet mentioned is that it's actually quite a funny read too, maybe not laugh out loud levels of funny, but it made grin quite a bit and elicited a few chuckles. Thankfully, this adds a decent amount of charm to a story that is for the most part serious, and is a another for the series as a whole.
This is simple yet thoroughly enjoyable read, similarly in story and themes to a few of Taiyou Matsumoto, most notably Ping Pong. In fact, I would go so far as to say that if you've read/watched Ping Pong and enjoyed it, you're almost guaranteed to enjoy this series as well.
I highly recommend this one.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Nov 15, 2018
I decided to check out another of Da Xia's series, after all, her series 'Song of the Long March' is one of my favorites. My expectations were quite high, and the for the most part, they were not betrayed.
Peony Pavilion is a short collection of one-shots steeped in the theme of romance. In each chapter we see famous chinese folk tales/poems illustrated and commented on, each of these stories are centered around romance and are quite beautiful. Given what i've said so far, it's easy to see that this is a series written by a fan of romance, for the fans of romance, thus you're
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unlikely to be interested if this isn't a genre you're passionate about. An interesting feature of this story is the text that is presented at the ending of each story, these bits text written by Da Xia provided perspective and some insight on each tale. While it might sound odd, I honestly enjoyed these bits of text as much as the story going on itself as in my eyes they provide perspective on Da Xia's personality, which is quite a rare yet welcome thing to see in this medium.
Simply put, the art in Peony Pavilion is gorgeous and among the best I've ever seen, at least in terms of overall beauty. I especially appreciate the art in this series because of the exceptional use of colors, it really helps to bring the stories presented to life. While i'm of the opinion that only those who are very much in to romance will enjoy this, I could definitely see those who are fans of beautiful art appreciating Peony Pavilion, at least on a surface level.
Being a collection of short stories, you're not given much time with each character, but what you're given is sufficient. However even so, i'm not of the belief that characters are of essential importance in a series like this. A big reason for this is that while characters have their own personality and the like, they're more or less fated to certain actions and as such show less development in favor of action. Not the greatest way of explaining this phenomenon, but it's the first time I've come across something like this.
This is a series drenched in romance and chinese culture, and as a fan of these things, there was a lot for me to enjoy.
If you like romance that doesn't require comedy, as most romance series in the medium do, this is a series that you'll have a good time with.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Nov 15, 2018
Wind Breaker is a damn passionate take on cycling and friendship.
The plot of Wind Breaker follows a highschooler and avid cyclist named Jay. Throughout the series Jay makes friends and encounters some crazy situations, all thanks to his passion for cycling. I don't want to spoil anything that actually goes down in the story, this is a general rundown of the starting premise for Wind Breaker. Something that should also be mentioned is that the series features a lot of humor. In fact, the hilarious humor of Wind Breaker allows the plot time to pace itself, resulting in a series that feels relevant and
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fresh consistently. I'll talk more about the kind of humor featured in the series later.
Art plays a surprisingly relevant role in Wind Breaker, especially in keeping the 'feel' of the series fresh and trendy. I'd argue that this is in large thanks due to the character designs. Characters in Wind Breaker simply look different from each other, serving to give them each a sense of individuality, whether in the form of hair style or clothing, it is certainly effective. With this said, characters don't just look different for the sake of looking different, their appearance gives an indication on who they are, breathing life into characters in a way that isn't over the top nor unnoticeable. The fashion in Wind Breaker is also generally appealing, quite a rare thing to see in this medium.
The characters.. are awesome! Seriously, the characters just about make this series what it is. Perhaps my favorite aspect about the characters are that they're so realistic, yet they're not a generic cut-out. Too often in the medium do we get a character that is ONLY a personality trait, I feel like this is especially true in sports series, thankfully this isn't the case in Wind Breaker. Equally awesome as the characters individually are the characters together, they've got the kind of relationship going on that is the envy of all high schoolers. Wind Breaker has a lot of different characters to like for different reasons, and I think that's one of it's crowning achievements.
Am I enjoying Wind Breaker? (At the time of writing this review it's ongoing) heck yeah I am, and i'm sure that you will to. This series is a bunch of fun, even at its most serious. Give it a try.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Nov 13, 2018
A bloody refreshing read.
It's a rather simple story about finding purpose in life. The premise follows a young lady living on a farm as she cultivates and harvests depending on the seasons. We see her reasons for living on the farm, as well as the daily ins and outs of farming itself, including my personal favorite moments— creating delicious meals out of her crops. Undoubtedly mundane things, sure, but damn is there beauty in life's simple moments.
Briefly on the art. If you've read any of Daisuke's other works, you're probably used to it. It's got this sketchy, yet detailed sort of aesthetic. It's
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really quite pretty. A little more sketchy than some of his other series, but pretty nonetheless.
Should you read this? Yes.. IF slice of life is a genre you can tolerate. If not, well, this might not be for you.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Dec 10, 2017
An undoubtedly simple yet endearing story.
It follows the daily life of a young man and his cat as they live together on a farm, going through all sorts of shenanigans and other cute moments. You'll find that there is a focus on relationships, especially between man and animal. It's endearing, if nothing else.
My favorite thing about the story, however, is the comedy. Though small in scale, our pair gets up to quite a few funny situations around the farm, often involving other animals and their interactions.
Make no mistake, this is a light read. It'll pass you by quickly, but hopefully you'll enjoy
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every moment of it.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Oct 5, 2017
I'm a pretty big Ravages of Time fan, so I've done what all fans of authors do, and checked out a previous series created by Chan Mou.
Unhuman is essentially a mini-series that gives a brief yet meaningful window of insight into a few characters from the Romance of The Three Kingdoms novel.
As a Ravages of Time fan, this feels like a one-shot/pilot to the series, however it spoils a couple major events. Due to such, despite it being created prior to The Ravages of Time, I believe this series is best to be read following TRoT, as nothing more than a different take on
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the events that occur in each of the series. If you're not familiar with Chinese history, nor the Romance of The Three Kingdoms novel, then I HIGHLY suggest that you check this out after TRoT, purely because of spoilers, heck, you likely wouldn't understand much of what's happening in this mini-series regardless if you're not familiar with Chinese history and check this out first, in contrast TRoT provides much needed context.
In regards to the technical aspects, I thought they were top notch, and just as good as TRoT, with the exception of the story, which definitely could have been made more accessible from some context.
Overall, this was a decent mini-series that fans of TRoT or China during that time period, will definitely appreciate.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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