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May 24, 2019
If you’re looking for a serious take on people being judged by their names and people bonding over similar struggles, then look somewhere else. Of course, there is some of that here, but the manga focuses foremost on comedy and ridiculous situations.
Now, that’s actually a good thing, because the comedy is pretty funny. It’s a wacky, high-energy series which is entertaining exactly because it’s ridiculous and knows it. If you start expecting common sense, you lose. If you can think “what the heck are these people doing LOL” every other page and enjoy it, then this might be up your alley.
The characters are silly and
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amusing, and while they haven’t gotten really deep character development their antics and personalities are fun and contribute to the fun interaction in the series. I say they don’t have really developed characters because it’s not the main focus, but we still have a general sense of what makes them work and have their own (often weird) way that makes them colourful and fun, even if certain parts may seem stereotypic (and this is all done knowingly, so let’s just roll with it and laugh along with what’s given).
Pretty much everyone plays the role of the boke and our main character is the tsukkomi who still retains some sort of common sense - it works pretty well for comedy. It manages to give the expected comedy when required, but also some unexpected comedic situations that defy expectations. Overall, it’s really high-energy and fun as long as you don’t look too deeply into it. The main character as the most sane person (also easily likable personality wise, and secretly plenty weird himself) helps makes the other characters shine more in their ridiculousness, because it’s fun to watch a normal person being serious trying to make sense of the ridiculous situations he’s in, panicking on his own, losing his own common sense, and feeling stupid for it.
Definitely a series in which you’re in for the ride rather than the overall plot or anything like that.
You don’t watch grand blue for the diving - you watch it for the laughs (though sometimes you get some nice story). This manga is something like that, and though the little story stuff that comes out aren’t as amazing as other comedies, it’s mostly palatable (the story is actually not too bad albeit a bit cliche at times, but not annoying) and pretty fun overall. Not sure if the comedy here has as wide an appeal, but no harm trying it out. It really gets going after the initial chapter or two.
Adjust expectations, don’t look too much for the story, and expect some amount of ridiculous characters and situations for no reason. Then you’ll be set for an enjoyable time.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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May 23, 2019
I kind of have a hard time deciding if I enjoy this manga or not, even though it held my interest enough to continue reading and I plan to continue doing so, and I think it’s actually okay-ish.
It seems that the bond between the main characters is meant to be the draw of the manga, but I have rather mixed feelings about that. The main reason being that I can see that the characters care for one another and seem to have a strong bond, but I can’t really feel anything about it. It’s like I’m being told they have a strong bond, but it
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doesn’t really evoke much emotion from me nor do I truly understand how it even came to be that way, or fully get behind the reasoning for it, which kind of disconnects me from the impact of the happenings emotionally. Somewhat like seeing scenes of “my life belongs to you” etc and wondering what made the characters feel so strongly about things... because I don’t see it. Well, there are some parts here and there that make me appreciate their interactions and bonds more, but not nearly enough for me to be satisfied with their behavior.
The characters themselves are okay. The character development is a bit of a hit or miss for me, though. Noel reminded me of a capable butler character at first (like black butler’s Sebastian, except he really likes his master(father) here for reasons I can’t actually understand well), but luckily it seems that there’s more that meets the eye with him as well. The characters in general don’t really feel deep, but due to their different positions and roles in their story they evoke enough interest for me to want to know their actions. Not really in a I-enjoy-the-character-way, but more of I-want-to-see-how-they-affect-the-story-way though.
I’m probably most interested in seeing how the story plays out. Less because the story is engaging but more because I appreciate some of the plot points and possibilities, and hope to see what goes from there. The extreme class(?) divide, mafia setting, plotting behind the scenes, shadiness all around, and the whole strange illness setting is rather interesting. So far there’s only teasing and setting up for future events, so I can’t tell yet how things will wrap up, but I hope it will be able to tie up the plot points satisfactorily because these are some rather interesting things to cover. To be honest I’m not expecting much, but I’m still reading rather hopefully because there’s some good potential to be had from this, which alone is enough to have me interested in reading on (along with some action here and there)
The art is nice, probably the one thing I can confidently rate this manga positively on because I really dig the art style.. and is the reason why I picked it up in the first place.
Overall, it’s a manga that brings up some interesting plot points, but doesn’t really seem to be able to use them to tell an engaging story so far yet. It’s pretty, and has some action, but halfway in and it’s still hard to tell if it’ll be good or not. It’s one of those that may or may not be worth your time... so I suggest you wait for other reviews with more translated chapters out and see if it manages to tell a good story by the end of it. For now, it’s somewhat enjoyable to see how the plot plays out, but you might also easily find yourself losing interest and questioning if things are even heading in a proper direction. Regardless, this has some qualities that might appeal to you so no harm trying out a few chapters.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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May 23, 2019
Not something to read if you’re looking for a satisfying story with some sort of conclusion, but it’s a nice short read and because I enjoyed it, I think it deserves at least a 7 for not feeling like a waste of time. One of those stuffs where it’d be nice if it continued from being a one shot. It’s a little lacking as a complete story, naturally, but character interactions were not bad, and it’s overall a thoughtful piece with decent art (love the snowy setting that adds to the atmosphere). It’s short so no harm reading it.
I do wish it’d continue as it’s
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a decent premise but stops short of evolving into anything due to its length, but that’s what you get for a really short one shot.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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May 23, 2019
It’s a decent one short for it’s length. It doesn’t have much of a full story to tell, and seems like more of a beginning of a story. A little more would have been nice, and I feel it’s a story that would be nice to follow if a bit longer, but as a stand-alone it’s a little lacking despite being a nice short read.
If anything, I think the author is good at making characters and their interactions feel organic/natural (even though this one’s too short to have anything even happen satisfyingly, unfortunately), so it’ll be nice to look out for more related works (as
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I’ll go ahead and do now!)
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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May 23, 2019
I’ve only read the first chapter, but this manga really has a nice and thoughtful atmosphere to it, in a way that tugs at the heart in small ways, and makes one give a little smile in appreciation of the simple things. It’s not heavy-handed feels, but quiet and yet somewhat poignant in ways, which is perfect for a one-shot. I do have decent hopes for the other three untranslated chapters I haven’t read yet based on a bit of the author’s other work, but I may change my mind about this when I read more.
It’s short, so no harm just trying it out.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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May 17, 2019
Kokomo confiserie isn’t really outstanding in any one aspect, and is a little shaky when it comes to some of the happenings in the story being a little odd or without much depth. Character development isn’t always amazing (but Komomo’s is rather decent), but the characters themselves are memorable and likable, and the manga generally managed to hit a lot of the right notes for me. Though I can’t give it more than a 7, enjoyment-wise it’s an 8 for me.
What I really liked was Komomo’s character. She starts off really spoiled, annoying even, but within a few chapters she starts to learn about everything
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and becomes much more palatable. What I like is that she doesn’t just become a normal boring girl after losing her rich girl status, she remains a rather odd girl that has a bit of weird sensibilities, but manages to be endearing. Komomo has her innocence and is lacking in worldly knowledge, but she’s really a girl that manages to see the important things and can stand up for herself and others at all the right times, in a way consistent with her character and not just thrown in unnaturally. Her inner strength is something admirable, and her contentment and appreciation for her new current life was a joy to watch. The “rich spoiled girl” that is pure, strong, selfish and selfless at the same time was the main draw of the story for sure. Really a good girl.
I also rather like Natsu. I thought it’d quickly go down the revenge but slowly fall in love route, but I’m glad it didn’t and it evolved into something cute and precious to them both. Their relationship was rather nice to watch and much based on enjoying each other’s company rather than throwing in heart pounding moments, so it was a cute and sweet thing.
The side characters were for the most part not annoying either(maybe one), and even if they were it quickly passes as the story doesn’t drag on with the matter, which is a relief. New story plots unfortunately just come and go and gets solved rather quickly without that much impact, some a little odd and hasty while others not too impressively at best. But because it’s not too draggy, and the characters are enjoyable despite the story leaving a little to be desired, I can easily forgive most of the story (which is not that bad, just typical and not that memorable), and enjoy the ride. Enjoyment wise, it was pretty fun without any overly annoying bits.
The romance isn’t that prominent if you’re someone who needs lots of lovey interactions or heart pounding moments. But if you’re sick of manga relying on kabedons or whatever forceful sexual tension stuff without any real feelings behind it, and instead prefer something more fluffy, cute and innocent, where you can truly see the characters treat each other as precious beings in their lives, then this is pretty nice.
Overall, if you liked the characters in special a/seiyuu ka! (author’s previous work) but felt the story took too long to get anywhere in those works due to too many distractions, I think you’ll enjoy this for similarly endearing characters and a much shorter run time. It’s not amazing and the plot and ending could have been done better, but it’s an enjoyable, stress-free read nonetheless. (For what it’s worth, I think Komomo ends up being my most liked character in these three works personality wise)
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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May 14, 2019
Koroshi Ai is less on the romance, and more on the plot/action/mystery.
It starts off with the main characters on opposing sides, but the enemy theme isn’t that prevalent after that, though the main characters do not easily consider themselves as comrades or on the same side either. The way trust and suspicion works in this manga is something that makes sense to me as a reader.
Now, about the premise. Guy who happens to be a murderer and totally suspicious stalks girl after finding her interesting... maybe. It doesn’t seem like it’s all the silly and simple though. If you’re hoping for a love at first
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sight thing with kind of brainless reasoning as to why the protagonists suddenly grow attached to one another - then too bad for you. But if you like that the characters actually seem to have proper motives and go about doings thing consistent with their characters - then this is definitely great. Whether things will develop properly along the love axis remains to be seen, but I for one am glad that the actions of the characters so far aren’t just attributed to something random like “oh I fell in love so”.
The characters have not been fully fleshed out so much yet because their motives have not been fully revealed nor the circumstances surrounding them. But they are interesting, can fight well, and we get a rather good sense of their personalities so far. I’m enjoying the gradual reveal of things as I slowly get a better understanding of why they do things they do.
Especially Ryang-ha, who is introduced as this rather OP guy with suspicious background and who can be a cold blooded murderer - manga does not shy away from depicting blood/injuries/death. Who is this guy and what’s his relation with everything and our other MC? I am very interested to see. I also very much appreciate his strength because it doesn’t feel underserved, and he’s also appropriately not immortal or omnipotent. Like obviously, since he’s the MC he isn’t going to die, but despite us readers being sure he’s extremely competent we are still able to feel that he’s in a difficult situation when he is in one.
Chateau is also decent, and seems to have interesting circumstances surrounding her. She’s badass in her own way but possibly overshadowed by everyone else - she lives in this world where everyone can fight competently anyway. But I like her this way - she does what she can well, but she also knows her limits and tries to consider her situation as well. Her interactions with Ryang-ha and the other cast is rather amusing due to her personality, and she’s not a delicate little rose either, both in mentality and combat prowess.
The action scenes are aplenty with gun fights and other close combat, and the art is pretty as well. Plot wise things are still shaping up but should be able to easily garner one’s interest. The setting is pretty fun and not your usual lame fighting stories since these people are definitely capable of killing and will do so without hesitation. They’re not little law-abiding citizens. Overall, a pretty decent story so far.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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May 14, 2019
It’s a story that wasn’t really what I expected, in a very good way.
The MAL description does make it sound like it could be a trashy yandere romance, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. In the first place, contrary to my expectations, it didn’t go down the obsessed yandere route like in Happy Sugar Life. It also doesn’t go down a typical romance route where two people forced into some situation develop feelings for each other somehow and everyone is all smiles and we accept the situation happily (think those shoujo where some forced marriage ends up well despite the initial abuse and
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somehow everyone is okay with it)
It’s not even romance, despite the romance tag on one of the sites I found it on. It’s a portrayal of a complicated relationship based on strange dependence and differing motives.
Two people with their own complicated circumstances end up in their current situation, deciding to play their role of kidnapper and kidnapee for various reasons. It’s a relationship based on benefits, not out of love, so we can, for now, avoid the issue of whether we can stomach kidnapping for love reasons.
Either way, the manga makes it clear that the whole kidnapping situation is unacceptable in society. At the same time it also manages to show how for Sachi, it is much preferable to whatever life she could have had. It’s hard to decide what I want to happen in this story because what is good for the characters are objectively considered a bad thing. Whatever the reasons behind it, kidnapping was not the right choice - but what if it was the best choice? Dilemma ensues.
The characters are the main draw for me. Both main characters are smart and aware of their situation, not being brainwashed, tricked, or clueless about how complicated or wrong the situation is. This allows them to have interesting interactions where they can discuss, compromise and weigh cost-benefits with each other. One important thing is that the interests of the two are not necessarily aligned - it’s not a “protect our safe haven, us against the world” situation. While the-world-is-the-enemy seems to be somewhat true given the circumstances, the “us” part doesn’t hold so true due to their misaligned interests and the fact that their priority isn’t always something like being together always/maintaining status quo. They also change over time and are likely to continue to do so - it will be interesting to see how they end up affecting each other.
The story starts off a little slow and even slice-of-lifey, but it gets better. It’s a manga that starts out with just two people in a wrong situation that seem to be making the most out of their lives for the moment. But as expected, things really get complicated after the initial chapters, and it gets more interesting as more is revealed later and the facade starts to crack. The characters are really interesting, and while we’re privy to a lot of their inner thoughts we’re probably just barely scratching the surface of it at the same time... the characters themselves probably don’t understand all that well what they’re truly thinking or want.
How are things going to end? How should it end? Is a good end even possible, because such a thing can’t be easily available to criminals, also I’m not sure the current situation is a good one... And in the first place, the definition of a good end for these people seem to be twisted in more ways than one... Either way, it’s really interesting to see things play out, and my enjoyment value is high for this series due to the interesting characters. The art is also great when conveying expressions (very nice empty/crazed/scary/etc looks).
Entertainment wise, story wise and character wise, it’s definition a read worth your time. If you like complicated and you like drama, then plus points for you too. Likely one of the more memorable ones amongst the common stories nowadays.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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May 10, 2019
Ore Yome is a series that is probably easy to enjoy as long as you choose to ignore its glaring flaws, which is mainly the actual story. It gives you enough coupley moments that progresses rather quickly and smoothly
It starts off as an arranged marriage in this day and age - which is trope-y, but I actually enjoy these when done well. Two people are put into a situation where they're forced to interact with one another and end up liking one another - I can get behind that whatever the shady unexplained reason for the marriage in the first place. What matters more is
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how it goes from there.
But that's where the problem lies. The story is kind of weak if you look at what actually happens. Most of these stories have some sort of obstacles in the path of the main couple, and they'll get past it together and strengthen their relationship while giving us cute lovey-dovey moments. That's okay... if done at least semi-well!
When reading this I almost feel like the author has a magic hat and every few chapters she pulls a new trope out to use for the next small story arc. This problem's solved... let's find something new.. oh, I'll bring in love rival 2.0 next! Okay that's done, let's throw in some family issues next, then something else!
It's not like these mini challenges can't be interesting - they're staples of the genre after all. But they just kinda lack depth in general, just thrown in to get a little drama going and then gets fixed quickly. The good thing is that it gets solved rather quickly so there's not as much needless drama as it needs to be - and then we get lots of couple moments during and after - but the bad thing is that the way it gets solved is kinda meh in general. There's also not much long-lasting effects when it comes to these things, it's like certain characters or situations are introduced to start up some trouble - then they get pushed aside and irrelevant to the story! If you can turn off your brain and just be like oh okay whatever, let's just enjoy it and don't think so much, then it's pretty fun to just enjoy the couple moments and cheesy lines as a result of their struggles. It helps that the situation doesn't get overly annoying because you know it doesn't last long and won't pose that much of a trouble, so at least it's one good thing. I actually think I'll prefer if the story doesn't go down the serious route from here on out, it'll probably be annoying because I don't trust it to settle it satisfyingly. It's one of those where you wish everything will just be kept simple and just focus on the couple parts which is its main draw.
Other than the rather weak story, it's actually quite okay. It's a manga that knows what kind of stuff people like (probably), and just finds ways (aka random short plotlines) to give it to the readers. There are no short of actual couple-moments, so you'll get lots of sweet confessions, some lewd moments, lots of cheesy stuff to fulfill your shoujo needs. The characters are okay - not deep characters, but okay in personality (shoujo story wise). If you like your characters a little forceful in their romantic advances (compared to vanilla blushing all day long), and you squeal when they show their possessive sides - then good for you, you'll get enough of this to be satisfied. Now if you're looking for an actual serious portrayal of a good relationship then you may not like it that much.
The main guy looks a bit like a shota and I'm reading it for the guilty pleasure of witnessing that, pretty much. I can turn off some of my brain for cute boys... YMMV in terms of how much you like the characters, though. Anyway, you'll get the gist of how the manga works quite early on in the story since it's kinda rinse and repeat after a while, so it probably won't hurt to read a little and see if it's your kind of stuff or not.
"Ehh? This part of the story is kind of stupid?? Oh, but we get kisses and cute stuff? Okay, sign me up!" As long as you're someone who'll say this, I guess it's okay. Just don't be critical, adjust expectations, ignore the weak parts and enjoy the fun.
TLDR;
Story and characters are more than a little silly and shallow, but if you're sick of drawn-out drama and the zero/slow romantic progression of many mangas out there - you might like this. Just remember to turn off your brain a little and it's actually quite enjoyable.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Mar 10, 2019
Graineliers is a relatively promising manga, with a rather interesting concept of seeds and plant growing. 47 chapters in and I don't really know where the story will go from here - but the concept interests me enough and I think it has the potential to go in various interesting directions from here.
The art is as I expected, nice. I do like the character designs too, but the similarity of hair can sometimes get confusing to me if I don't pay attention and the colours are similar. However, as I said I really do like the general art and designs and I think it is
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a plus point for the manga.
I first got interested when I saw the art and that it had a decent amount of chapters. Unfortunately, many of the chapters are really short, even shorter than what I'll expect from a weekly serialized manga. And oddly, it doesn't even end on cliffhangers or anything, but the chapters just end abruptly and continue as if there were no break in between for the next chapter. I do not think the chapters got split into half or anything, so it is really weird. It might pose a problem when reading a new chapter after a while, so there might be a need to check the last few pages of the previous chapter. The short chapters also mean the story hasn't progressed that fast despite expectations, but otherwise the pacing is more or less good based on the number of pages.
The characters are decently interesting. Not exactly that they are colourful personality wise, but they are people whose stories one would find rather interesting to follow. Most of all, I enjoy a story with good friends and want to see how the plot will affect the fate of these two. Individually though, they are not particularly impressive, but as a whole I think they have the potential to develop greatly based on the actions they take over the course of the story.
Much of the story still leaves me in the "I don't know what to expect yet" phase. It's pretty nice and enjoyable to follow along and be as clueless as the characters themselves, and has the potential to have a nice plot, but for these things it's also hard to judge until all the major points are revealed. It has decent reading enjoyment though, and I'm interested in knowing what's going to happen to the characters next. That's a plus.
Overall, it's something that has a nice idea that feels different from the usual flashy powers or very dark stuff. It's a bit early to tell, but it could turn out well in the future. For now, it's sufficiently intriguing and the art is pretty to look at, so it's not a bad read at all, enjoyment wise. However you might also want to come back a bit in the future and check other reviews to see if the story is getting along well or not.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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