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Mar 12, 2025
When I read the synopsis, I thought this would be like every other emotional Shoujo romance drama, which I love to read from time to time. However, it ended up doing a complete 180 and surprising me in almost every way possible, to a point where it was hard for me to even turn to the next page. I can proudly say it had me on the edge of my seat almost the whole time, just not in a way most people would imagine when they hear that phrase.
The story although seemingly pretty generic coming-of-age at first, managed to give a good emotional rollercoaster. I
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liked the way the author used time skips so that we could see characters go from kids to true grown-up adults. When I say emotional rollercoaster I truly do mean it, from all positive and happy feelings to the most negative painful ones. From the beginning, the atmosphere had its melancholic vibe which is why I said it had me on the edge of the seat. Every time I turned the page I felt like something bad would happen no matter if the current scene was happy or sad. Someone in their review before me said how MAL didn't add a psychological tag to this manga and I can definitely see why's that lol. The last two chapters gave me mixed feelings tho, the conclusion in the final chapter although a nice life message wasn't really satisfying for my shipping ass, while the epilogue did justice for that it felt rather rushed and could be thought out better.
The most important aspect of this manga is the characters, the main four that is. Every one of them flawlessly represents their traits and fits their role in the story perfectly. I really enjoyed seeing them grow over the years, both their good and bad sides. Now I can't speak for female characters, but the two male MCs were pretty relatable. I saw my younger self in 12-year-old Daigo and my current self in teenage Fuji. Like with my complaints in the last two chapters for the story aspect, I have the same feelings for Daigo and Ann in those two chapters, they felt weird and not entirely true to their built-up personas.
Lastly, the artstyle was pretty nice. Although most of the time it was the generic old school shoujo style (which I adore don't hang me pls) it did have some amazing panels during some important scenes. Plus the double-page panels were absolutely stunning. There were a few instances where characters looked so similar that I couldn't tell them apart immediately but besides that, I really have no other complaints.
Overall I loved this manga, both the main story and bonus side stories which gave some side characters more depth and background. I can see why it holds such a high place in the shoujo world and it absolutely deserves it if not more. Now that the author is under my radar I'm planning on trying some of her other works in the future.
Rest in peace Ashihara Hinako.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Feb 27, 2025
I'm not a big fantasy world fan to be completely honest, so if I were to encounter manga like "Nicola no Oyururi Makai Kikou" I wouldn't even give it a minute of my time to consider trying it. The cover on MAL page doesn't seem appealing, and stories that can remind one of the babysitting slice of life aren't my cup of tea. However, it was recommended to me via MAL Secret Santa event so I decided to try it (and I'm really glad I did).
The plot isn't anything spectacular, it's a demon merchant Simon, and a human child Nicola traveling around the demon world,
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exploring new areas ranging from cities to dark forests all while meeting new characters every chapter. And yet despite that simple explanation and just 25 chapters of the story, the author truly managed to make the world feel alive, with every place they visited having its feel and story to tell. You'll feel like you are reading some of those old nostalgic fairy tales like "Little Red Riding Hood" or "The Three Little Pigs". It's pretty warm and cozy, perfect to read before bed to prepare you for good sleep.
Speaking of characters, every one of them has its unique characteristics and uses in the story without many of them being empty or generic. Dynamics between them, despite there not being many, are also pretty nicely done. Especially between Simon and Nicola (later on Bruno too).
Art is alright, on some occasions it can be kinda whacky, and on others pretty beautiful (landscapes especially). Nonetheless, I enjoyed it.
Overall I don't have many negative thoughts about it, it truly is a relaxing and cozy short read that I can recommend to almost everyone, especially if you're in a more stressful/exhausted period in life.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Jan 13, 2025
For people who watched the anime and want more of Pon no Michi's world, this manga is a must-read. Even though it is a "what if" spin-off, it still felt like I was watching bonus OVA content.
The story was pretty fun seeing characters grown up and yet still act like their teenage self while enjoying a good game of mahjong. Manga did feel more mahjong-oriented instead of CGDCT like anime did so as a fellow player I really enjoyed that part. Also, there's an ecchi aspect to the story that felt unexpected but I liked it. I feel like Mangaka could expand the story and
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write more but I doubt we will get to see any Pon no Michi story ever again, unfortunately.
Characters thankfully still have the charm that we see in anime (like Nashiko being a clumsy player for example) so I appreciate that part. Even the new character Touji managed to fit pretty well into the plot and main cast dynamics. I wish we got to see Emi but considering she felt neglected even in anime I'm not surprised at all.
Lastly, the art was pretty damn good, a bit above your average art so I really can't have any complaints about it. Characters look stunning and their facial expressions look so as well.
Overall for Pon no Michi fans I recommend it, I'm sure you will love it!
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Jan 11, 2025
Musubime Nemuri wa Shite Kurenaku mo Nai managed to surprise me at first with its premise of a boy and girl sharing one dream, with the boy being in control of it. However, the more I read, the more it became awful and repetitive.
Plot-wise, it started strong. It had that interesting concept of dream sharing, which isn't really common in the manga world, so I had high hopes. That was until I realized every chapter is the same as the previous one, just with a different kind of fetish. I'm 100% sure the author would have had a better time writing it as a hentai
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rather than a simple ecchi manga. A few good and comical scenes made me laugh, but that's as far as the story goes. Overall, it had potential but it completely wasted it.
The characters aren't any better. You have the average pervy boy going through puberty and a girl who obviously has a crush on him but is too much of a tsundere to admit it. There really isn't much for me to say about them, except that the MC was probably modeled after the author himself and his own fetishes and kinks.
Lastly, the art was awful. The characters looked more like middle schoolers than high schoolers, so slapping G-cups on the main girl just looked hella weird.
I couldn't find any information on why it was discontinued, but I'm almost certain it's never coming back—and probably for the better. While most discontinued manga would stay with you and make you wonder what happens later in the story, this one really doesn't do that at all. Overall, I don't recommend it. I wished it fulfilled more of the potential it had at the beginning, but it is what it is. If you wish to kill some time with a short story, there are far better titles out there than this one.
Reviewer’s Rating: 3
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Jan 7, 2025
Considering its length, you obviously can't expect much, not to mention it's also the author's debut manga. Despite that, it was good enough to kill 10 minutes of boredom and free time. It's my second time reading Sakai Mayu's work, and I really love her characters, even though they're your average shoujo tropes you can find in any other similar manga.
I can't recommend it for the same reason as Nine Puzzle: the story is too niche, and I'm sure 95% of the manga community would find it boring. But for my fellow shoujo fanatics, it's enjoyable enough to be worth our time.
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
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Jan 6, 2025
For such a short story, it really was an enjoyable one—not only plot-wise, with billiards and a bit of romance, but also character-wise. In just a few chapters, the author managed to get me attached to the main pair and the shop owner, and I enjoyed every second of their interactions, despite them being your usual shoujo characters (an airhead girl with no romantic experience and a mysterious boy with some sort of family or social issues).
The romance was definitely underwhelming, but it was just enough to feel a bit satisfied with it by the end. What had more focus was billiards, which, as a
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fan of the game, I thoroughly enjoyed.
The ending, as other reviewers said, was very rushed and underwhelming. Heck, I didn't even know it had ended until I realized every chapter afterward was an individual, unrelated one-shot. I definitely believe the story could have been a few more volumes longer, but instead, I had to make my own headcanon of what happened after the end.
Going back to those unrelated one-shots, there were three of them, and despite having no connection to the main plot (I really don't know why they were included with the manga and not as actual standalone one-shot stories), they were pretty fun to read. Each was 50 pages max, so obviously, they couldn't tell much, but they still managed to make my reading experience satisfying.
Overall, I liked the manga and will definitely keep it in my memory. However, due to its length and usual shoujo plot format, I don't believe it's for everyone, which is why I chose "mixed feelings" instead of "recommended." However, for all of you shoujo fans, this one is definitely a nice, quick read.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Jan 5, 2025
"Tonari no Seki no Yatsu ga Souiu Me de Mitekuru" definitely falls into the unique manga category simply because the main heroine is the pervert and not the actual male protagonist. Despite its weird name, it's a pretty wholesome story without many ecchi scenes, aside from its humor, which is very different from other high school romance mangas. It can be really random and unexpected, resulting in a nice laugh.
The characters besides the main two are nothing special but still manage to add to the comedy of the story, like the teacher trying to get them together or the students from another class constantly teasing
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the MC for embarrassing stuff he does for Eguchi-san.
Overall, it's a bit more unique, a short and fun read to kill time and cure boredom.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Mar 16, 2022
Most of people look at this as just weird ecchi/hentai manga which it is but unlike other ecchi mangas this one have pretty good backstory backing it up. If you're more of serious family friendly person do not read this manga. This manga is for people that doesn't really care about ecchi stuff and really do enjoy weird stories. This is probably one of my favorite underground titles I read as story like this can't be found anywhere else but it is really enjoyable. After 100 chapters it's hard to not connect to this characters. They aren't really special and at same time aren't bad
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but after spending time with them during reading you can really enjoy them. Art for random manga like this is amazing as artist really put much effort into it. If you need something unique that you won't see anywhere else just to enjoy a good story mixed with ecchi scenes this is defenetly best pick for you
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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