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It's been a while since I've been this pleasantly surprised and had some real LOL moments. Sensei really knows how to do gags.

*****SPOILER******
Also, though it has the tag "School" in it, you don't need to worry that this might be another cliched high school BL manga. Though the couple do kind of "fall in love" while they're students, most of the story takes place when they're adults. They're in aviation school and after the "drama", we get a loop to the future 8 years later. Though it is kind of an "office romance", I never felt like sensei dumbed it down or just went with ... the usual "Do you have that data for that particular meeting with X company tomorrow?" kind of situation; really felt like she did some genuine digging into how an airport/airliner works. I'm not too sure an actual airport/airliner works like that, but it was interesting to get a glimpse in that branch of work.
*******

The art was also pretty enjoyable. The funny/angry faces and whatnot, always put a smile on my face. They might've been a bit overused, but didn't detract too much from the story and just served as a reminder to not take the manga too serious and just enjoy it however you want.

Definitely a plus, the uke isn't girly and shy. This is so overused, but I'll write it anyway. He's just a guy who happened to fall for another guy. The seme is likeable as well; he's not the super seme type, and though he doesn't talk much, he's not the type to hide his feelings as well. I can see why the uke said he liked that side of him. The supporting cast, though they don't get too much panel time, was pretty good. They might not have been the most memorable, but they have distinct personalities (though archetypes) and contributed to the story in their own way, not distracting from the main couple.

There weren't too many steamy scenes, but the story didn't need too many of them either way. That's how much I enjoyed it. If the smexy scenes were cut out, this one could've passed as a shounen ai work and still be a fun read.

I didn't expect much from this one, but it turned out to be a really sweet and nice read. A good story, good art and likeable characters. What else are you waiting for? :p

This was my first venture into the sports anime genre, and DnA just sucked me into it like a black hole. I've never watched a single baseball game in my life and I've never showed any interest in the sport. I honestly thought that I wouldn't like this show, but if it's good enough to get approved for 52 episodes in its first season (and the fact that it was being produced by Madhouse), I thought I'd give it a try. I can honestly say that DnA has become one of my all-time favourite shows.

The story (10/10) is pretty straightforward: we follow Sawamura's journey as ... a pitcher as he grows and develops his skills in order to become the ace of Seidou's (famous) high school baseball team. But the show provides us more than just following Sawamura's journey; we basically get an overall glimpse of how high school baseball in Japan. The show definitely takes its time to progress, and we don't really see Sawamura beginning to grow until we're about 12 or so episodes in. But, in the episodes before that we see exactly why it took him a while and how hard he's worked up till then; we also get to see a pretty touching relationship develop between him and his future mentor.

Though I initially did get the feel that Sawamura is the absolute MC, as the story progressed and more characters were introduced, there was a slight focus shift where Sawamura was undoubtedly still the MC, but the other Seidou team members were also just as important.

One thing that the story always provides and excels at is: SUSPENSE. DnA knows hows to build up suspense leading up to the final scene in every episode, especially in the later episodes when they're in the Koshien qualifying matches.

The art (8/10) to be honest, didn't really sit well with me in the first episode (and only the first episode; I know, shame on me for judging a show based only one episode). But now, I don't even remember the reason I didn't like it. I re-watched episode 1 and I can only conclude that maybe it was because I wasn't expecting the show to be great and the relatively slow start of that episode that caused me not to like the art immediately. Overall, no complaints; the only reason it didn't get a higher score was because I've been spoilt with unique and or eye-popping art styles lately (Haikyuu! being the best) and can't help but compare them.

The baseball-playing scenes are very well-done especially some of the pitches which are animated showing clear movement of the ball (slow-mo shots of how the ball moves, or a clear arrow-like streak of light to see the course of the ball). Especially Sawamura's unique pitching form is well done. I never tire of seeing it. In later episodes, we also get to see how genius of a catcher Miyuki is with a few amazing saves.

Because comedy is a big part of this show, sometimes we'll see chibi forms pop out now and then, or sudden solid-colored background changes (with sfx and the like) when the mood switches suddenly from serious to funny.

Overall, the animation gives off a very shounen-like vibe: we get to see red-colored and blue-colored demon eyes for when they're fired up, players aura engulfing their bodies like a flame when they're pumped up, etc.

And now onto the TWO PARTS that truly make DnA the great show that it is, the show's soundtrack (and sound effects) and its impressive cast of characters.

The SOUND (10/10) of this show is just... flawless (swoon). Madhouse somehow just knows how to perfectly fit the background music to whichever scene comes up which in turn really made me feel the intensity/emotion every scene: whoever came up with the score deserves an award (if he's not already gotten one).

And the sound effects give me the chills every time: the ball hitting the mitt with a resounding BAM! (or when Furuya throws it's more like thunder splitting open a tree), the sound of the metal bat hitting the ball (or when Raiichi hits it, more like canon fire) vs the sound of Haruichi's wooden bat hitting the ball, etc.

The voice actors did (and still do) an amazing job; their voices fit the characters perfectly. If you check out their impressive resumes, it's definitely no wonder.

As for the OPs and ED's:
Both OP's so far are by the same artist, and they're really good (and revved me right up); though I'm enjoying the 2nd OP more; I can't help but shout "Fight!" as well every time I hear it, putting me in Seidou-cheering mood.
The ED's have also been good, though not as good as the OP's. The 4th ED, which is sung collectively by 3 of the 4 main cast members, is a really nice tune.

The CHARACTERS (10/10) are all loveable and memorable. Though we have the main cast consisting of 4 people, the supporting cast is nothing to sneeze at.

Sawamura is the loud, cheerful, wears his heart on his sleeve kind of guy. So what kind of quirk does he have that makes him the MC? He's a southpaw (left-handed) pitcher and has a peculiar pitch (both of which make him a unique type of player). But, even though he's unique he isn't the type of MC that's super-talented right from the start, he doesn't suddenly "power up" in the middle of a game, is unstoppable and wins all the matches; on the contrary, he gets into Seidou and quickly realises it's not as easy as he thought to become the ace because there are other people there who are more skilled than him. He falters during important moments, and even if he doesn't get back up immediately, he does eventually pick himself up and learns to move on. In other words, he accepts that he has a lot of faults, and this is what makes him so likeable and seem more human. Though a bit of an idiot (well, a big idiot), he works hard, values friendship, supports the team and always puts 120% in everything that he does. And the best part for me, he's unpredictable. Just when you think he's turning the corner and well on his way to becoming the ace, he messes up a play or does something really silly. I'm always on edge with him.

Miyuki, the genius catcher, is personality-wise, almost the exact opposite of Sawamura, except for the cheerful part. He's as crafty and intelligent as they come and though on the outside he's always smiling, he has a bit of a dark side. He's like the evil genius.

Furuya is our MC's rival for the ace spot. At first glance, he looks like the cool and collected type of person, also; but after a while I found him to be an adorable idiot as well: not being able to catch a simple throw and his insta-snooze reaction amongst others.

Last but not least of our main cast quartet, is Haruichi. Character-design wise, he's the cutest one. And though he might be cute, he's one amazing baseball player: not only is he a batting prodigy, but an exceptional fielder as well. At the same time, he's so humble and shy. Cuteness overload!

And then we have the other Seidou members, who all play an important role in the show. All have distinctive and quirky personalties and you will grow attached to at least one after watching DnA.

As far as enjoyment (10/10) goes, I am thoroughly enjoying watching every second of DnA. Whenever I watch it, i can always expect a good dose of humour interlaced with the appropriate amount of emotional moments and also a killer cliff-hanger. I wait eagerly for Saturdays to roll around and every time I finish watching the latest episode, I want to jump out the window because it's going to take another week before I can watch the show again.

Overall (9.6/10) I would recommend anyone to start watching DnA immediately, even if you've never seen a baseball match before, even if you know absolutely nothing about the game (but after watching the show, I got so curious I even googled basic baseball rules, pitch types and the structure of Japanese high school baseball tournaments). And I envy you if you haven't watched it yet, because you'll be able to marathon the show, so you don't have to get as frustrated as me with those cliffhangers. :)

After seeing a score of 8.22 and skimping through reviews lauding Higashi no Eden for its intricate and unique plot, I decided to give it a try. I was also looking for more anime with a theme similar to Zankyou no Terror and one of the recommendations was HnE.

So, an anime with tags like "Drama, Romance, Comedy, Sci-Fi, Mystery" and a "whopping" score of 8.22 for only 11 episodes? I was so excited at the prospect of watching a real gem of an anime, and thought I couldn't possibly not like this series. I would surely be in for one hell of a ride!

Dear Lord ... was I wrong... Though it was one hell of a ride, I rode straight into a big pile of disappointment and feelings of betrayal. No doubt the first episode looked promising; the story looked like it could develop in so many interesting ways, but then it almost felt like the show's shot callers did a complete 180 and decided to ruin HnE in the utmost cruelest way. I had to check multiple times if I was indeed watching the right anime. Was I losing my sanity? How could that many people think so highly of this show and I can't even bring myself to watch the 3rd episode? Was I missing something? For sure I'm missing something! I'll just keep watching; the story is bound to get better soon, that's why it got so many rave reviews. I forced myself to watch the other episodes, but when I reached episode 8, I could no longer bear it. I felt like if I watched any longer, no amount of watching reruns of my favourite animes could ever erase the memory of having watched HnE.

The story (3/10) could have been amazing. But after episode 1, the show kept adding so many other elements to the story, that in the end I was still not sure what the central theme was. There were also some real head scratching scenes which made me doubt if this show shouldn't add the genre "magic" to it. As for comedy? Besides Akira's public display of nudity in episode 1 (which would catch anyone off guard imo), I couldn't even muster a meek smile for the supposedly "funny" scenes.

*****SPOILERS
1. A complete stranger comes up to you and asks for your pants? Sure, just hand them over. The police asking people to see their wieners in order to identify them? Sure, just drop your pants.
2. So 10 missiles strike Japan and not one single victim was killed? Uh, sure... I guess that... could've, might've happened?
3. A magic phone that grants your every request? ... I think I might've missed the "Magic" tag for this show somewhere.
4. White zombie like creatures that come out of broken electronic equipment and start hugging the MC? I guess I might've missed the "horror" tag somewhere as well.
5. A character who gets off by kidnapping rapists/sex-offenders and then cutting off their Johnnies? And she's almost killed over 20.000 men? Oh, and she was chosen as one of the 12 people who were supposed to lead the nation in the right path? But then the male MC decides that he could save this psychopath by having sex with her? Uh... I think I lost it. *****

However, besides the story being a complete disaster, the animation and sound of HnE weren't bad. The animation and most of the soundtrack (6/10) in my opinion, were more suited to a romance/slice of life themed story than the Sci-Fi heavy themed HnE. I believe that the relationship between story and art is dynamic: if a story is great, even if the accompanying art is not up to par, the story will find a way to shine. And vice versa: if the art is great, even a mediocre story will get praise. But in HnE's case, the disconnection between the art and story was too obvious.
And the animation for the OP was well-done: it really gave me this "anarchy, democracy" kind of feel. Traitor!!!! Biggest misleading OP animation I've ever encountered...

The VA's delivered solid performances; none of them sounded off and voiced their characters well.

As for the characters (3/10), of the main duo, Akira is the more interesting one. Who wouldn't think that after he made such a grand entrance? I thought he'd turn out to be the "always smiling and charismatic but actually a real dark personality"-type of character; boy was I disappointed. In the end, he was all charm and nothing else: no fighting skills (damn you for baiting me with the Jason Bourne reference), no amazing analytical skills, nope, none, nada.
Saki, our main female lead, only has one selling point: cuteness. But being cute can never be the only trait of a character when she's supposed to be the heroine of the story. I kept hoping she would do something, anything to contribute to the story (as awful as it was) other than gawk and blush at Akira. If you like heroines like her, than be my guest and enjoy HnE.


Oh, I forgot. There was one thing I really enjoyed from HnE though, and that was Akira's dog. If it wasn't for the dog, the score for enjoyment (3/10) would have definitely gone down.

To put it bluntly, HnE in the beginning was like a mouth watering steak; then someone decided that all elements of the food pyramid need to be included in the dish and they added bread, lettuce, bananas, strawberries etc and served it up. In the end, it gave me a bout of diarrhoea I won't forget so easily. Well, at least I enjoyed the OP (and to a lesser extent the ED) while I was relieving myself.

** If you're like me and don't read mecha manga, I would suggest watching the anime first before starting on the manga. I have a hard time getting most of the fighting/action scenes in these kinds of manga, so seeing the animated versions of those scenes helped me a great deal in visualizing the action scenes in the manga. **

Humans no longer live on a planet, but in an intricate spaceship called Sidonia, constantly on the move in the galaxy. The biggest threat to Sidonia are the Gauna, alien life forms who seemingly want to destroy Sidonia and mankind. In order to fight and kill ... the Guana, Guardians have been developed: combat robots that are controlled by human pilots, who have been hailed the Knights of Sidonia. After surviving the most vicious Guana attack, a few decades pass by without a single encounter. Until a supposedly routine mission turns horribly wrong.

Though parts of the the plot might seem a bit formulaic at first (the Gauna attack Sidonia, the Knights fight back, some battles are won and some lost and then repeat), there were more than a few elements to it to keep me hooked. The build-up to all of the battles was gradual (and logical) and during every battle a new twist was added, this prevented them from getting repetitive and dull. How humans came to settle on Sidonia and how they've further evolved was also pretty interesting (man... in order to solve the food crisis humans have been genetically engineered and are now able to photosynthesise. Sounds so logical, but it I never would've thought that such a minor detail would even be covered... genius!). What surprised me as well were the parts where I got to see the Sidonian battle command centre in action: I expected there to be a ton of technical jargon that I wouldn't understand, but surprisingly, there wasn't!

I had rated the story a complete 10 after watching the anime. After beginning reading the manga however, I thought maybe a 9 would be more accurate. There wasn't a continuous flow to it; there were cases where in one chapter they're right in the midst of preparing for a battle and then in the next chapter we get to see what the pilots do on an off-day... It disrupted the flow of the story and I felt that maybe if the sequence of the events was adjusted just a little, it might've worked out better (In this regard, the anime definitely did a better job). After reading more volumes, I had to readjust the score for the story to an 8... The reason behind this was the art. I just couldn't get quite used to it, and no matter how brilliant a story is, if I can't take a liking to the art, the story will seem a lit less appealing to me.

As mentioned above, I didn't quite get used to the art (mainly because of my limited ability to understand action/mecha drawn manga properly). You won't see any chibi versions of the characters, so the drawing style gives a relatively serious feel, though there are a few comedic scenes. Though at first glance the design of the characters seem really similar, subtle adjustments made it just enough to still distinguish them. The coloured covers were absolutely gorgeous though!

The main character Tanikaze plays the part of hero/saviour. He turns out to be naive, sweet and honest (though a bit ditzy). His interactions with some of the characters bothered me just a bit; he's too forgiving and ultimately wants to be friends with his initial enemies. Dude was too nice.
The supporting cast has quite a few members in it: their personalities and stories behind them was decent, but none of them quite stood out enough. However, one character's role bothered me throughout the story: Hiyami. Maybe not so much her role, but more her character design: why was she drawn like a bear of all things... ? (still scratching my head about that one)

Knights of Sidonia was really a rare gem for me as far as mecha manga go. It has a great and enjoyable story (with enough plot twists to keep you surprised) and the art suits it. Though some parts of the story could've been out in a more chronological way, this is just a minor complaint. I marathon-read all the available chapters in one night and am looking forward to the next chapter.

Lastly, if I hadn't seen the anime first, I most likely would not have read the manga. The anime really helped me in getting a clear visual of a lot of the action scenes in the manga and also nudged me over the initial hurdle of the art style... Normally speaking, the animated version of a manga can't surpass the manga itself; at best it's at the same level as or just a hair above the level of the manga. If there's no change in the quality of the upcoming anime episodes, I think the Knights of Sidonia anime will be a lot better than the manga.

There's not much to tell in terms of story/plot; the synopsis tells it all.

The art was enjoyable, clean and uncomplicated. The two main characters might not have been the most memorable, but what still made PH enjoyable was the interaction between them; there were more than a few funny (and sweet) moments.

And the bonus for me is that the uke wasn't (overly) girly.

Doushitemo Furetakunai is only BL manga I have read thus far that seamlessly blends drama with yaoi, with just a light comedic touch (after I read a succession of panels that lead to me thinking "Aww, that's really sweet", this line suddenly shows up "Don't fart in your sleep" (lol) and strangely, it never seriously detracted from the whole "sensitive" mood that was set). Though DF only has 9 chapters, the story was told beautifully and nothing felt rushed. Not one panel in the manga felt excessive or out of place, they just flowed nicely into one another. The whole story might've well been based ... on true life or something, it had that kind of feel to it.

Though the art might not have been the flashiest one out there, it was still very well done and was perfect for the story. The two main characters weren't drawn like your typical bishies; on the contrary, they had a very "average" appearance and this actually fit nicely with the tone of the story.

The two main characters were well-rounded: both had obvious flaws and these are what gave them a certain degree of relatability (their design played a major part in this as well). And of course, one thing I'll always appreciate: the uke wasn't overly girly. Though he had his blushing maiden moments, they were few and all had a specific purpose.

In summary, DF is one of the few manga's I've read where everything just fit like a glove... compelling storytelling mixed with just the right style of art.

The story was simple and straight forward and the development of the romance between the two main characters took place in a relatively logical and gradual way; so don't expect the main duo to jump in bed with each other right off the bat. At one point I even questioned why the tag "Yaoi" was added to this manga.

What stuck with me most was no doubt the art, very beautiful. I'm not sure what it is, but Takarai sensei's style gives off a very "tranquil" vibe, fitting in nicely with the shounen-ai genre. The scenes which had to portray the characters in a state of ... shock, embarrassment, etc. still kept in line with the normal drawing style: so no over the top facial reactions or sfx.

The main duo was solid, although more time was spent on the background of one. Even though more time was spent on the past of one of the main characters, the other main character could still hold his own. Mainly because he was portrayed as such an honest and charming guy.

I think I might've enjoyed the story more if I had found better scanlations for some of the chapters, but that's just a minor complaint. If you're relatively new to this genre or just feel like reading a cute romance manga (if you don't mind the lovebirds being both guys), you should give Hana no Mizo Shiro a try.

After I read the first volume, I thought the story was pretty solid and I liked the main character Yukio (partly because I'm biased to the name alone; Yuki is such a pretty name). But after I read a few chapters of the 2nd volume, I gradually lost interest and eventually dropped the manga. I did skip through the rest of the available chapters, just to see if maybe the story would become interesting again, but alas.

The main reason was because Yukio turned out to be different from what I expected. My initial impression was that he was the "good fighter, cocky, confident, tough" guy, ... but at the same time that was just the mask he put up because he was a pretty damaged soul. After reading some chapters of the 2nd volume, Yukio was indeed a pretty damaged soul, but there wasn't much true of the "good fighter" part. It turned me off. If there's action in a shounen-ai manga, I prefer manga where the main character(s) can actually kick ass when push comes to shove, instead of giving into fear.

Another reason was the complexity of the relationships between so many characters. Besides Yukio, I couldn't figure out who else belonged to the main cast. The main focus in the first volume was on Yukio, Tetsu (his best friend) and Hyodo (the mafia boss). But then the focus totally shifts to a character who was only fleetingly mentioned in the first or second chapter. :s So much so that they spent more then 5 or so chapters on him... I get that the author is implying that this guy is going to play an important role in the rest of the story, but I honestly think that spending so much time on one of the (supporting?) characters is a waste.

The thing I liked the most was the art. Since it's shounen ai, we have need to have the uke and the seme. I don't care much for art where the uke is drawn overly girlish, so I definitely liked how Yukio was drawn. The art was clean and sharp.

Overall, I did enjoy the 1st volume and thought the story had a lot of potential. But I felt that there was too much effort spent in connecting the various characters. It was almost like I was forced to act surprised or impressed with every relationship revelation.

After I had read all the available chapters of Skip Beat! and craved for some more shoujo manga, I found Honey Hunt.

The setting is the showbizz world, with an emphasis on the acting business. I find the plot pretty OK and logical. The villain is Yura's mom; I think this is the first time I came across a villain I genuinely despised... She has the whole world fooled into thinking she's the best parent on the planet and loves Yura, when in fact she doesn't care in the least. And on top of that, she sleeps with her daughter's best/only friend while knowing Yura ... has feelings for the guy... I don't blame Yura for saying "People like them should just burn in hell" and then wanting to become an actress after her mom went on tv again and acted like she was hurt by Yura's words. What a gawd awful woman...

First off, one of main reasons I like HH, the art. It has a very "sweet" feel to it (like Honey? Bwahaha. Too cheesy right...). I especially like how the guys are drawn, very handsome (:x). And I think some of the backgrounds use pictures instead of being hand drawn. First time I've seen it used this way and I liked it.

The story progresses as expected: she starts off all nervous, then after some encouraging words by love interest number 1, Q-ta, she slowly finds her niche and becomes a better actress and gets better roles. There aren't too many unexpected plot twists (or should I say almost none?), but the dialogue is pretty good (read logical), I think that's what kept me interested. There aren't many funny lines, so don't expect too many awkward comedic scenes. The part that didn't sit quite right with me was why they needed to add a 3rd guy to Yura's love interests; he was perfectly fine in his role as her guardian/manager and I think that it wasn't needed to add him as a love rival. And also the twist that the other two love interests are twin brothers.

As for the characters, to be honest, I don't really prefer the overly stereotypical shoujo heroine: damsel in distress, blushes at every little thing and overly cute( I know, I know; if I don't like these I should probably stop reading shoujo huh... :p). And Yura is exactly one of these. It's not that I dislike her, but I just can't bring myself to care for her (yet). Next we have Q-ta, the primary love interest and Mr. Nice Guy. He's the singer of the the band Ash.H and he's just too dreamy... A little too perfect imo. His only flaw is that he openly admits that he worships Yura's dad (ultra famous musician) and wants to do anything possible in order to get close to his idol, including proposing to Yura. He eventually starts liking Yura as well. Love interest #2 is Q-ta's twin brother, Haruka, the meanie. He's one fourth of the boy band "Knights". He doesn't like Yura in the beginning, but then slowly falls in love with her. I think partially because he sees how his brother is also into Yura... Love interest #3 is Yura's manager. Again, I just can't bring myself to see him as a love interest; somehow he feels like someone who is 30-35 years old and just doesn't give off the boyfriend vibe.

Granted Honey Hunt might not be the most original shoujo manga out there, but it is nicely drawn and the dialogue throughout the story is pretty good. Would recommend it if you have some free time and want something sweet to read. :))

I started reading Komatta Toki ni wa Hoshi ni Kike after I read another work by the same mangaka, Super Lovers. I originally thought there were going to be some explicit guy on guy action (I thought the manga was classified as Yaoi/Shounen-Ai), but the story doesn't need that at all. In the end they have developed an undeniably special relationship, but I was never sure what kind exactly: a "I'd take a bullet for you" bff relationship, the brotherly kind of relationship or the lovers kind. And in the end, I was still content with not knowing.

The macho main guy is Hosaka Kiyomine, the ... handsome heartthrob who has: money, looks, fighting skills, a horrible personality (only on the surface, but actually has a heart of gold) and an extreme sister complex.I like that we don't constantly have to see how cool or indifferent he is, and there plenty of moments where he actually laughs with his friends, and not only when he's with the other main character.
The other half of the main duo is Fujishima Takara, the baby-faced guy who has eyes like a dear, a small (and SUPER CUTE) face, soft and light brown hair, a petite figure and a slender waist where you can easily put one arm around (seriously, this is how he was described at one time). But he can also open a can of whoop ass better like Kiyomine can and is as naive and caring as they come. I really felt for the dude: mom dies, dad leaves him behind for work, grandparents shower him with love and then they die as well. Kawaiso ne. But, he looks like he's always cheerful (except in the first 2 or 3 volumes) and he makes a lot of great friends.
The supporting cast also packs some punch, most notably Kiyomine's cousin, Reiichi Kashiwagi and Takara's dad, Fujishima Kou. Reiichi especially... I mean, how perfect (or lucky) can one guy be?!

There weren't too many "love" scenes (the duo actually never share a passionate kiss and confess their love to one another or something like that) and surprisingly worked for the development of the story, even when it's classified as shounen-ai/Yaoi.

The first time I started reading, I didn't like the art that much, especially how Kiyomine was drawn. He's supposed the heartthrob of all heartthrobs, but I just couldn't get vibe from him. But when I got to volume 7 or so, I kind of got what all the fuss was all about. Especially after seeing the Y.S.Y Models photo. ;)

However, the thing I fell in love with was how detailed the backgrounds always were. Especially the last 5 or so volumes where there were a bunch of scenes with animals (they were in Africa visiting a reserve (or was it 2 reserves?)). When I reread the manga, I then started to get annoyed at the over use of black backgrounds (with sparkles, etc.) for the simplest of sentences; they kind of disrupted the flow of the story.

I think I've already re-read some of the chapters a few times, and I still giggle at some of the scenes. Komatta Toki ni wa Hoshi ni Kike is definitely one of the manga's I'll keep enjoying for a period of time. The sad part is that I still haven't read volume 25 though... can't seem to find it anywhere.