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I don´t want to be mean with this review, but the manga certainly makes that hard.

Seishun Soukanzu is centered on Nanasaki Aoi, a third-year student who is new in his class, who found a girlfriend there, some friends, and a relatively normal life. Things changed when his girlfriend, Nikaido Haru, fell from the school´s roof in an incident labeled as suicide; Haru nearly didn´t make it but ended up in a coma afterward. Aoi later learned that his new classroom was not as good as it looked after hearing so many people shaming his girlfriend for wanting to commit suicide, and things got even worse ... when he found a concept map with several nicknames made by Haru which diagram the relationships between the students, from romance, annoyance, friend, and extortion. After watching the pictures of five Clowns on the map, he realized those five people were the ones who pushed Haru from the roof in an attempt to keep her shut; now, after making enemies with everyone in his class, Aoi is set to find the Clowns and get revenge for Haru.

End of Chapter 1.

Honestly, the first chapter was a complete and utter mess from beginning to end; for some reason the first pages repeated like three times, one in black and white and the other in color, and some interactions were weird. At some point, I thought the place where I read the manga had the chapters messed up with, but then I confirmed the chapter was released like that.

This manga reminded me a bit of Fukushuu Kyoushitsu, mainly because in both series the main characters are constantly beaten, belittled, and bullied by almost everyone who surrounds them. Yet, Fukushuu Kyoshitsu in fewer chapters was able to use most of its characters and felt a bit more realistic. Moreover, the way the MC constantly put himself in the bad guy's place reminded me of Hachiman from Oregairu.

After reaching the final chapter it was more than clear this manga was axed because several hints clearly indicated the story was going to be a bit longer. For instance, the MC's past was supposed to be developed more, especially because he always got nervous and anxious when somebody asked him how was his life in his previous school, or when his past was brought up overall.
The most disappointing aspect in the manga is regarding eh 5 clowns, since two of them don´t even appear; moreover, the mother of one of the clowns was introduced in a way she was going to have more relevancy, but after some panels, and interchaging phone number with one of the MC allies, she never appeared again.
In all honesty, the story tried way too hard to be deeper than what it really was, and the MC's deep and wise moments felt like coming from a kid's cartoon, especially when he compared issues someone doesn´t feel comfortable doing or talking about with eating vegetables.

On the good side, I can say the art is pretty and neat, and I enjoyed how it was easy to distinguish the characters, even the smallest ones who barely appear; moreover, I liked how it portrayed the easiness with which people change sides when they feel they will be exposed for who they are. Finally, the characterization of bullying and how the victim, in a society kike Japan, is mostly shamed and blamed was spot on.
There were some interesting plot twists, to be honest, including the friend-to-enemy and enemy-to-friend; which were actually shocking and unexpected. There were also some heartwarming instances that felt very realistic, such as the relationship MC had with his best friend after the latter came out of the closet.

Finally, as much as I enjoy revenge and dark stories, I cannot say Seishun Soukanzu is a good recommendation; it has plot holes, a huge lack of development for a lot of side characters, a too-rushed ending, and a way too unlikeable main character who wanted to be edgy and in the end solved everything with the power of friendship. I wish the authors were able to develop the story a bit more, especially since is common the final bosses are the most despicable ones, yet nothing can be done about that anymore.

I did not know much about the Cyberpunk genre. After reading Wikipedia I understand easily what that simple word meant; a futuristic world that is ruled by the common problems people are facing nowadays. For instance, poverty, inequality, and abuse from the upper class.

Cyberpunk Edgerunners is an anime based on a video game called Cyberpunk 2077. Apparently, the game did not receive good reviews based on a series of glitches and technical issues that bothered several of the gamers who played it. On the other hand, Edgerunners was a collaboration between the studio Trigger and Netflix, and nobody thought too much about it. Yet, it ... became one of the biggest surprises of 2022.

The anime is set in Night city, a place where its citizens can either work at the company that runs the city, Arasaka, live in the streets as a lowlife, or become a delinquent. The plot follows the life of David Martinez, a young man who is ostracized at school for being poor despite having excellent marks. After a series of misfortunate events, he meets Lucy, a hacker, with whom David became an acquaintance and ends up becoming a mercenary in a gang. From then onwards, he forges his legacy in a city where you can trust no one.

Even though I am not an expert in the Cyberpunk style, I think this was an amazing representation of what the genre is supposed to be: a story that shows how advanced technology does not mean happy lives or even a good future. Edgerunners is a cruel story in which you learn from minute one that there is not going to be a happy ending; we get a bunch of people who are trying to live their lives, who may have dreams, who end up succumbing to their own decisions, and the ones who end up leaving in hardest and coldest ways possible.

I have a soft spot for stories where characters are trying to find hope in hopeless scenarios. It may sound gloomy, but there is something humanizing and heartwarming about humans doing even the impossible to achieve what they were deprived of from the very beginning, and the ones who reached the end of this Original Net Animation will get what I am saying.

To conclude, I like that this is stand-alone anime. I personally think that in its short tenure, Cyberpunk Edgerunners told a heart breaking-yet-beautiful story that will certainly give viewers something to think about.

There is a chance this life can be a little less mundane with you in it- a quote from Palm Springs (2020), must be the best way to describe the whole course of Hinatama.

The story follows the daily life of Amano Hinata who befriends the new students at his school, the new sensation called Kazama Ayato. In the eyes of his female peers, Ayato is a cool beauty from the city, but he is a clumsy boy who helps to look up after his three younger siblings. At first, Hinata does not seem to care that much about the Ayato and his family, but soon ... he, as well as most of the city, became close with the Kazama kids.

The main plot revolves around the blossoming friendship between the two main leads, but there are still some side plots that give more insight into the behavior of some characters. For instance, Hinata used to be above average as a kid, but soon he realized there were always going to be people funnier or more athletic, which is why he at first seems apathetic to the world that surrounds him. Another example is Hayato, Ayato´s brother, who at first acts like a spoiled-intolerant-ill-mannered brat, who in reality is shy and has a hard time finding new friends in his new environment.

I think the main issue with this manga is its short extension. With just 18 chapters the story ended abruptly and kind of in an anticlimactic way, just like the author wanted to finish it, or like it was axed. Which honestly sucks because this could have been an amazing anime.

I can admit the story can lead to some shippable moments between Hinata and Ayato, but to those who are worried about it, there is no BL. As I said before, this is just slice-of-life manga revolving around the lives of a group of kids in the countryside.

As simple as it can be, the magic behind Hinatama lies in how nurturing and wholesome a normal day can be. Just like Pam from The Office once said – There´s a lot of beauty in ordinary things, isn´t that kind of the point?

I did not have any expectations before going into Natsu yori Aoku. At first, I thought that it was going to be a typical BL in a school setting. But I am glad it wasn´t only that.

The story starts with Mizuki who is a popular student at school who suddenly realizes he doesn´t have any genuine friendships with the people who surround him. He meets the sickly Rei in the school infirmary an afternoon; it turns out that Rei is a classmate who is always absent due to medical reasons. The two of them start talking and a friendship bloom between the two of them, ... much to Mizuki´s joy.
The two of them start spending much of their free time together in the nurse's office. Mizuki is very conscious of Rei's beauty and tends to get shy around him until one day what appeared to be just an innocent accident ends up with the two of them kissing on the bed of the infirmary.

I must admit that I never thought this was going to escalate so quickly. I love the friendship-to-boyfriends stories the most, so I never complain when the main characters get together, but I was certainly surprised when things got intimate so soon. In other words, I was lowkey caught off guard after reading chapter 1. Yet, this is not a complaint at all, it is just a statement, and it became somehow obvious after seeing that the author also wrote Kuro Gal ni Natta kara Shinyuu to Yattemita.

However, I am glad I read this manga until the end. The main characters even though spent most of the manga having sex, have one of the purest and most wholesome relationships I have read for a while. The two of them express their thoughts without omitting details and being as honest as possible right on the spot, which, in my opinion, contributed to them having a healthy relationship for the rest of the manga.

The formal relationship they established became wholesome right until the end. The second to last chapter had one of the purest and most mature interactions, in which Mizuki states his wishes to be with Rei, and Rei declares his final resolution for the future. Plus, there is no toxicity aside from some jokes, which I think is one of the strongest points in the story.

My only complaint lies in the fact that it was never explicitly stated what was the disease Rei suffers from. Nevertheless, that does not tarnish the beautiful story of Natsu yori Aoku.

To conclude, I would recommend this story to avid readers of the genre who can understand the evolution of the characters and not only focus on the sexual part of the story, and maybe to some beginners who are not judgmental and can see beyond some graphic yet censored panels. In final words, you will not regret reading this manga.

Out of the blue, I decided to read this manga, mainly because I like the theme of bullying and its repercussions. And I have to say that this must be one of the most complex works I have read, which I will explain furtherly.

Kimi ga Bokura wo Akuma to Yonda Koro, or Back When You Called Us Devils, follows the life of the lead character Yusuke; he appears to be a normal high schooler who spends time with his friends at school, is shy when walking home with his girlfriend, and has a part-time job to earn some money. It would appear at first like ... the description of a typical shoujo manga if it wasn´t for the fact that Yusuke suffers from amnesia; in other words, he cannot remember most of his life.
Yusuke tends to watch the back of one of his colleagues, Shu, who has a horrible burn mark that nearly covers his whole back. One night after work, Yusuke and Shu go to a bending machine to drink some coffee, and Shu tells him about how during middle school he was relentlessly bullied by his classmates. The lead of the pack promised him to stop picking on him and to let him join the group if he can stand being burned by boiling water. Suddenly, Shu threw his can at Yusuke and starts beating the crap out of him and proceeds to reveal that it was Yusuke who burned his back, and was also the person who torture, and extortionate for money, causing the suicide of and rape his classmates.

End of chapter 1.

The story then unfolds into two parts; part 1 is about Yusuke facing his past actions while recovering his memories, looking for the body of a person he supposedly kills, and looking for the one girl he raped that caught his attention. Part 2 is about Yusuke in his adulthood after meeting a family of three siblings living by themselves.
To be honest, I hated the MC from the moment it was revealed how horrible he was. From opening a hole in his best friend's hand to orchestrate gang rapes to every girl in his classroom, to just mention a few, was enough for me to already consider him scum, or a devil as he was referred to most throughout the story. However, everything changed after the time skip where this manga raised one question that keeps appearing until the end of the story:

Do people deserve a chance to change?

I am a firm believer that humans can change regardless of their past actions. Nevertheless, I was deeply conflicted throughout the story since the MC was a middle schooler destroying people’s life just for fun; and his only reason for stopping his actions was because in high school it was going to be hard to hide his road of destruction. To emphasize, calling this character a bully is too nice of a word, and even a demon is not enough.
The complexity of the story lies in the fact that is up to the reader to decide if the MC redemption arc fulfills its role of redeeming something that was utterly broken. Understandably, several individuals cannot ever forgive Yusuke´s actions, and it certainly doesn’t help there are characters forcing forgiveness and even saying that he suffered enough in his adulthood. Yet, watching a former labeled demon trying to save people´s lives to try to earn the world's forgiveness can certainly generate a reaction from the ones watching every attempt he makes.

Finally, Kimi ga Bokura wo Akuma to Yonda Koro is a mystery and psychological work that can definitely generate a reaction from everyone who reads it, whereas being love, hate, empathy, or frustration. Even though I had a hard time deciding on the score based on my first impression after reading the first part, that completely changed after reaching the end.

One final thought, this manga is a journey that does not disappoint, that's for sure.

I will gladly be the first reviewer here since this is one of my favorite manga.

The story follows the everyday lives of two stepbrothers: the oldest one, Youichi, a strong fighter with a complex about his short height, and Chikage, a clumsy sixth grader who can pass as an adult for his tall height, and their new relationship as brothers.
The two of them ended up as family after Youchi´s dad and Chikage´s mom married and live alone since their parents must work abroad most of the time due to their jobs. So, these stepbrothers spend their time-sharing housework, learning about each other, and bonding ... over their new roles as an older brother and younger brother.

There is no complexity in this story, is just the life of two kids who are building a relationship as newfound brothers, who are growing closer day by day.

The art is beautiful, sweet, and funny; my personal favorite is the chibi Youchi moments that are cute and hilarious, and mostly used when he is dumbfounded or angry. It can be deceiving at times though, but for those who are worried, this is not a BL story about stepbrothers falling in love. So, again, don´t fret about it.

Personally, I loved that they don´t consider themselves as stepbrothers, but rather just brothers, something that is exemplified the best by the following quote from Lena Adams from The Fosters – DNA doesn't make a family. Love does. – Which easily summarizes the plot from Sakazuki-san Chi no Gikyoudai.

So, if you are looking for a heartwarming, wholesome, and healthy story about a family's daily life, then this manga is one of the greatest choices you can make. You will not regret it.

I binge-read this a while ago, and I did not know what I was getting into.

Takopii no Genzai, or Takopi´s Original Sin, follows the story of a squid-like creature who arrives on planet earth. He meets Kuze Shizuka, a girl who is relentlessly bullied by her classmate Kirarazaka Marina over different issues, which I am going to omit to leave this review spoiler-free.
Takopi is an alien who does not gran sadness is, so he is unaware at first of what is wrong, or what causes, the issues between the two girls previously mentioned. But he is determined to spread happiness throughout the world and ... to solve the problems in Shizuka´s life to make her happy.

Overall, the plot revolves around a chain of reactions and how the actions of different characters can affect the lives of the people surrounding them, while also having a being who does not know what is happening nor what to say, or how to face them without using a positive mindset and hope.

I found it brilliant the way family problems were displayed throughout the story, and how they can affect the mentality and safety of kids if they don´t have someone they can rely on. I would dare to say that this manga shows how good actions and intentions are not enough to change a person's life.
The author did an amazing job with Takopii no Genzai; moreover, there is no wonder why it became a hit in Japan and was even awarded.

To conclude, this psychological short story about bullying, depression, innocence, a first-class plot twist, and a heart-wrenching yet beautiful ending, is a story well deserving of its recognition that can be read in a single day and can hurt for a lifetime.

So far, I have been able to read 22 out of the 28 chapters since I cannot find the rest of them translated. I do not know how the story ends, nor do I know what happens in the rest of the chapters, but I´ll start this review by saying that this manga is a hidden gem.

The synopsis is simple, Samon meets Koito during his final year of middle school. The latter was once a popular student who became an outcast in his class due to a misunderstanding, while the former is a lonely girl with a huge heart who gave her diary to Samon ... during his graduation.
Samon, who deeply loathed himself at that point, finds out how much Koito admired him during middle school and held him in high regard, something that profoundly touches the male lead.
During his second year of high school, Samons finds out that Koito enrolled in his same school, in which they meet again, and she declares she is her biggest fan, much to his confusion.
End of chapter 1.

I really love the characters in this story. We have the girl with self-esteem issues that don´t involve her physical looks, but rather the outcome of past relationships that still haunts her at the moment of socializing, somehow like the female lead of Suki-tte ii na yo.

Then, we have the male lead who hates himself and gets surprised when someone sees the good in him, something that I think is not quite common, and I truly like that concept.

The main antagonist is a special case. While he is a manipulative, selfish jerk who manipulates the female lead, it is still possible to see some development after his debut that shows an inner loathe, a very well hidden heart, and regret in his way of living. His actions, however, are difficult to ignore, so is up to the reader to judge him.

The art is appealing and honest. The artist knows how to draw the emotion out of the characters and gives the reader a fulfillment or striking feeling several times throughout the story.

While I can understand why the score on the page for this manga is low, all related to the introduction of the main antagonist, Boku no Orion, or You are my brightest star, is a wholesome experience that can engage the reader.

I will be waiting for the final chapters to be translated to update this review, but so far, this is a 10 for me.

For this review, I´ll try to give the least amount of spoilers possible, even though it is a fairly old anime.
The plot of Ginga e Kickoff!! follows an elementary school student, Shou, who is trying to revive his football team after it disbanded due to problems related to the team´s former coach.
With the help of Erika, the Furuya triplets, Reika, and later Aoto and Tagi, Shou is able to create a new team with one goal in mind; being the greatest team in the galaxy.

I have to be honest and say that, even though I watched this without any expectation, I came to the conclusion ... that this anime is heavily underappreciated.

First, one of the points that I realized during the final episodes is that the main character always says -WE are going to be the best team- instead of the constant -I AM going to be the best-, something that really called my attention since it is a common trait in lead sports anime characters.

Second, the main character is by far one of the weakest members of the team in terms of ability, but he is still one of the team's pillars, especially when it comes to strategizing.

Third, the girls in the team are always improving and showing what they are made of. The first one´s speed rivals several of the boys. And the second one, while being the weakest link at first, ultimately became a remarkable member of the team, mainly because of her stamina.

Fourth, while seeming annoying and judgemental at first, the triplets are without a doubt the most charismatic characters in the anime. Initially, it appears that the three are just thugs who think lowly of the rest. But they certainly have a soft spot for their teammates, which is more visible during the middle part, and are also the ones who help the MC when he needs support.

My only complaint rest on the soundtrack, mainly in the opening, which could have been stronger. The endings, on the other hand, are a little better.

In conclusion, this anime is a hidden game that deserves a chance. And, while not needing a second season, I would like to see at least a little continuation, just to see these characters again.

Before I start, I want to set an example: the people who watched The Big Bang Theory may remember that episode in which Raj dates a deaf girl, portrayed by Katie Leclerc, who ended up being a gold-digger. There is a particular dialogue that says:
Leonard: You think she´s taking advantage of him?
Penny: Oh, of course not. She wouldn’t do something like that. She´s deaf.
Leonard: Deaf women can´t be gold diggers?
Penny: Handicapped people are nice, Leonard. Everyone knows that.
The particular dialogue aforementioned represents a recurring stereotype that the weakling, or the minority, of the bunch, holds the purest and nicest feelings. That idea is completely smashed ... in this manga.

Sunu Sumu Muriku no Koibito narrates the story of four childhood best friends throughout their teenage lives but centers more on the relationship between Naoki and Nono. Naoki is your typical teenager who enjoys hanging out with different girls, while Nono is a sickly boy who has “The heart of a girl” in him, or in other words, he is transgender.

After a lot of struggle, Nono is finally able to accept who she is and is encouraged to live as a girl by her family and friends. The story took a dark twist after a while, but I will abstain to mention it in order to avoid spoilers.

I usually enjoy LGBTQ+ stories due to how real and sweet they tend to be. But, whit that being said, I have to express that the character of Nono was such a horrible person that is amazing how so many people can find this story compelling. She is selfish, manipulative, judgmental, and a liar who tried to ruin several of Naoki´s relationships.

What triggers me the most is how everyone is always defending her behavior and actions even when she is the person at fault. To name an example, she staged a suicide when her mom, who is extremely supportive and caring of her necessities, did not agree with her having a gender reassignment surgery due to how risky could have been. I am well aware that trans people need a lot of courage to be true to themselves and to go out to the world to be who they are, but when Nono nonchalantly said it was a fake suicide, almost with a smile, I lost empathy for her.

I want to end this review by apologizing to everyone who may feel offended by it; that was not my intention at all. It´s just I don´t know if the author purposely wrote such an unlikeable story to show the other side of the coin, or if he was just ignorant about delicate topics such as sexuality , suicide and gender dysphoria.