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- BirthdaySep 21, 1992
- LocationToronto, Ontario
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Aug 10, 2020
If you've somehow stumbled upon this overlooked manga, then thank whoever or whatever sent you this way. This is a great slice of life romance manga that is a cut above the vast wasteland of shounen and shojo romcoms/dramas. If that piques your interest then you should start reading Sekitou Elegy right out of the gate.
A heads up: there will be some minor spoilers as I get to unpacking what I think about this manga. Another heads up: while the manga has finished publishing, the translations have not and are currently at Chapter 74.
STORY (9) - The story along with the character development is
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truly the meat and potatoes (if you will) of any great manga. Fortunately, Sekitou Elegy excels in both presenting a realistic outlook on the lives of two young adults. One of the great things about this story is that there is a strong sense of continuity that I often see lacking in other slice of life stories; the ending of one chapter flows nicely into the next. Takashi is clearly trying to convey a cohesive story here and I think that cohesiveness does a good job of supporting the character development. All in all, the story doesn't have definitive arcs (maybe you could count the first one) and instead transitions through stages of the relationship between our two main characters. You'll see everything from miscommunication and arguments to awkward yet wholesome scenes.
ART (6) - Takashi's art is, to sum it up in one word, sufficient. You're most likely not going to be amazed at any of the panels or character depictions. Backgrounds in smaller panels will appear hastily drawn or there will simply be white space instead. Ok, well does the art improve throughout its publication? Kind of...I noticed an overall trend towards cleaner illustrations and finer detailing, but nothing significant. However, Takashi does a great job of drawing facial expressions that accurately convey the myriad of emotions that his characters go through. That is certainly his strength when it comes to his art.
CHARACTER (8) - The story is driven strongly through its character development which is a strength for Sekitou because of how genuine our two main characters are. Satoshi is depicted as a bumbling fool, but he can be brazen sometimes which leads to the furthering of his relationship with Chiiko. Over time, Satoshi begins to mature as the relationship progresses. He starts to question his place in the world (i.e Quarter-life crisis) as well as his future with Chiiko.
As for Chiiko herself, she begins to channel her brazen attitude productively choosing a career well suited for her. She also makes real strides in lowering her emotional walls. The progression is well-paced and more importantly, it comes across as a realistic depiction of what a relationship looks like. Why doesn't Sekitou get a perfect 10? Well, yes, the main characters are nicely fleshed out, but the side characters are one-dimensional resulting in the story heavily leaning on one plotline. At the very least there should have been more development on Satoshi's brother instead of for the sake of pushing the plot along.
ENJOYMENT (9) - I had a great time reading Sekitou (as much of it as there is currently out there). I'm sure that I speak for many out there when I say that it's hard to find a romance manga that truly feels relatable. This is about as realistic a depiction of a regular, healthy relationship in manga that I can think of.
OVERALL (8) - If you've made it this far then why aren't you reading Sekitou already? Unless you've cheated and scrolled down, and in that case, I'll reiterate: Sekitou is a great seinen slice of life manga that showcases a realistic portrayal of romance and relationship development between two young adults. Pick it up and thank Takashi later.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Jul 8, 2016
Yes, Anatolia Story (Red River) is a shoujo manga, but perhaps more importantly it provides an outlook along with commentary of the Hittite empire. If you're like me and have a slight interest in historical empires or simply history itself I'll go ahead and state that you should read this manga because I found that to be the primary focus of the content.
STORY (8) - Shinohara did a great job of mixing mostly accurate history and fantasy to create a historical shoujo story. The story starts off strong and pulls you in (ba dum tss) to the world of the Bronze Age featuring the Hittites.
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I was pleasantly surprised with how accurate the timeline was in addition to the King's bloodline. I had a limited scope of knowledge about the Hittites from World History class (waaay back in the day) so I learned a ton about the relationship between the Hittites and other empires on my own time because this manga was the catalyst. Now on to the bad parts about the story. It gets repetitive and frustrating with the same antagonists making appearance after appearance. Fortunately, you'll still want to keep turning the page to see what happens next hoping for a good resolution. It's a hard life for us readers, sigh.
ART (6) - There are your typical shoujo drawn scenes with big eyes, flowers, etc. I didn't judge it there, but rather on character detailing and environments such as the empire, palace, and battle grounds. Shinohara does a decent job here, but overall characters look "2D" and at times inconsistent (Ilbani's eyes and eyebrows for example), battle grounds and armies didn't leave me impressed either. Some characters look too similar such as Kail, Zananza, and Urhi. It's confusing and to be honest kind of lazy on Shinohara's part. The art gets the job done I guess and this is disregarding some of the lesser quality scans floating around.
CHARACTER (7) - Yuuri goes through multiple character development arcs. Great to see her become a respected leader which goes against the grain of a female lead generally being helpless. Kail's character is sufficiently fleshed out although I would have liked to see a backstory of him and his family. I would have also liked to get some insight on how he became the type of leader he was. Side characters get a respectable amount of attention, but Ramses steals the show overall as the second lead. The development for the antagonists I felt was too little too late, which in turn factored in to the anticlimactic ending (more on that later).
ENJOYMENT (7) - Main thing to point out here is that the historical aspect really carries the show as opposed to the increasingly silly antagonist background plot. The repetitive dilemmas and at times suspect art take the enjoyment down a couple of notches, but I still had a good time reading through the story.
OVERALL (7) - Would have liked to give it a 7.5 fwiw. Admittedly, I haven't read many shoujo manga, but I'm glad I read Red River. I feel that the unique historical environment helps it escape common shoujo tropes such as a story becoming progressively less interesting. The ending I felt was anticlimactic as a I stated above because I had a hard time empathizing with the antagonists. I felt as if there was something missing, I kept reading on and thinking, "There's gonna be a huge reveal soon, right??". But, the backstory on the antagonists was meh except for one small twist. Again, I would definitely recommend Red River to anyone who likes history and wants to learn for themselves about historical empires in the mediterranean. I normally wouldn't look for shoujo manga to read, but after reading this I'll have an open mind to them now!
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Nov 24, 2013
So you're probably thinking "a harem where the male protagonist has to avoid girls for his own sake?" Is such a thing even possible? Yes it is.
[TL DR at the bottom for you people who don't want to read my magnificent review in all it's glory] Before I go any further with this review I guess I should state that there is fanservice here, but you already knew that. That being said, it is not all about exposed cleavage and awkward situations for our MC. I'll shed some light in regards to the basis of the story here (feel free to skip ahead if
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you know it already). Unfortunately for Rintaro (MC) he was diagnosed with a rare condition that turns fatal if he gets aroused (i.e. girls are the bane of his existence). Fast forward to the first day of high school and he's applied to an all-boys school, which of course is not the case as it was an all-girls school that just recently turned co-ed. There he sees a showdown between two 'dragons' and shenanigans ensue.
Story - 6
I should say that I'm being conservative here because it's still way too early to get a clear idea as to where this manga is going (imo). A bit of background on the school has been revealed, which is nice and gives the impression of hidden potential within the plot line (one can only hope right?). I have a feeling that the story is approaching its first major arc (the minor arc was good) at this point and that should let us extrapolate going forward.
Art - 9
To be honest I would have given an 8.5, but I'm rather partial to the art in DR. I found it to be very clean, simple when there's not much going on and very detailed when the situation calls for it. All the crazy moves Rintaro pulls off are executed nicely and often displayed in full/half panels. My only gripe is that there can be too many panels with white space. It's not as if Watanabe can't improve further down the road.
Character -7
So far Rintaro really carries the story along well. One of the positives of this manga is the strong protagonist. Most readers will naturally gravitate towards him because of his stoic personality and funny moments. He's also different as he avoids girls where most MCs in a harem will do the opposite. Other than him, only two (maybe 3?) other characters have gotten significant development. Without revealing too much, the story seems to be focusing on character development at the moment so I may have scored this low depending on how well the first major arc goes.
Enjoyment - 8
There's never really a dull moment and it's not stupidly predictable as you might expect in other harems. It's not even your typical harem to be honest. Well, other than Rurina (she's such a cutie though!...ok I went on a tangent here) no one has a deep attraction to Rintaro just yet. Don't worry though, there will definitely be romance as there are signs of such already. Just depends on how our MC reacts. Good action scenes when you come across them; every chapter will make you laugh at some point and it's a relatively easy story to follow. I genuinely had a great time reading it and I'm sad that there's only a handful of chapters out, but I'm sure that it'll be well worth the wait.
Overall - 7
I really wanted to give an 8 here, but this manga needs to prove to me it has got more than what meets the eye. TL DR: Unclear about the overall story, there is potential here though. Art is clean and simple. The MC is very likeable, good development already for some supporting characters. A good manga to kick back and relax to.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Mar 22, 2013
I figured that I would give my $0.02 on Freezing after catching up to the latest chapter, especially since the plot has thickened in the last 10-20 chapters. The initial setting that the reader is introduced to is our male lead Kazuya Aoi, who enrolls at West Genetics (think of it as a fancy synonym for high school) where he meets our female lead,Satellizer el Bridget. Anyway, the story originates from other worldly beings called 'Novas' that appear on Earth every 3 or so years and go on a rampage of destruction. Female warriors termed 'Pandoras' are the weapons to defend mankind.
Story - 7
It's
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not original, but it's not something that's been done enough to assume how it will unfold. My main gripe with the story is how much Pandora - Pandora conflict there is (although I understand that some of this conflict is necessary, I find some of it isn't). It seems that this type of conflict has a larger emphasis than the Nova - Pandora/human conflict that should be the greater concern. I find it silly that so much of the story line had to do with Pandoras fighting Pandoras. Other than that, I did say the plot is thickening so hopefully Dal Young surprises readers with some plot twists.
Art - 9
Kwang Hyun Kim actually does the art for the Freezing manga and it is quite good. Many characters get introduced rather quickly in the beginning to deepen the plot, but the detailed artwork helps you keep track of who's who. Also, the fights are quite 'busy' with lots of detail that could make it hard to follow, but the drawing and detail really clear up most of the confusing parts. Facial expressions are easy to read and when Pandoras/Limiters approach their limits it is definitive by looking at the detail on their bodies.
Character - 9
As I previously stated, many characters are introduced throughout the manga. Accompanying this is the amount of development made to all these supporting characters and it really keeps things interesting with the amount of politics and Pandora relationships being made. Strong development is made with both male and female leads as well early in the manga so that their relationship doesn't feel rushed/forced overall.
Enjoyment - 8
I have to say that watching the way the characters interact is interesting and fun, but the plot is steady for the most part with little deviancy. The stage is set for some interesting plot twists so I hope that comes through. The fight scenes are quite nice, but at times I feel that there is too much dialogue (mostly about personal beliefs, ideals, etc). Still, I found myself enjoying the different aspects of Freezing because it's not one dimensional, there's many sides to the characters and there's still questions to be answered.
Overall - 8
If you enjoy sci-fi/action mangas then Freezing should be something to consider. I can say that there's a pinch of Mecha, a good serving of Romance, and a generous dash of psychological drama. I believe there's quite a bit of potential in Freezing and since it is Dal Young's best work, I'm looking forward to the conclusion whenever that may be. If you're even somewhat interested, I suggest you check it out! Let me know how you like Freezing :)
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Jun 22, 2012
I have been meaning to write a review for Mirai Nikki, but I just have not gotten around to writing it. You might ask, "Why?", which coincidentally happens to be the same question I asked (several times actually) while watching this anime. Now, that's not to take anything away from the anime, but you will find yourself saying "WTF did I just watch?" especially near the end lol.
Look, I know people will disagree with me, but I'm being honest when I say the anime isn't bad in fact its pretty decent except for a couple of areas.
Story - 7
Many people will score this low because
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of how it ended and the crazy roller-coaster of whatthefuckness that came along with it. However, I tried to analyze it based on the plot as a whole. The basis of the plot is very intriguing. You have the protagonist (I guess) who just happens to stumble upon the fact that he can tell what the future holds by reading his 'Future Diary'. What he finds out shortly after is that there are 11 others that have the same type of ability (more or less, it varies) and they must eliminate the others or be killed. That plot sounds really good and it is. I definitely enjoyed the first half or at least the first 15 episodes because of how well the story was developing. However, near the end of this storyline everything gets thrown together in a huge clusterfuck of "I just figured out the answer right now, I totally didn't pull it out of my ass lol" and "I'm going to do things I've never done before nor know about just to confuse you". It really throws everything off including the flow of the story...not in a good way.
Art - 7
Nothing too amazing, yet it wasn't bad. The action scenes were nice, most of the gore was censored so I don't know much about that. The thriller moments were executed nicely, you can see the facial expressions with ease.
Sound - 9
It's got a nice soundtrack including two really good opening pieces. One is by Faylan (named Dead End), which is really quite nice. It ties in with the art as well, just a great opening piece. It has great themes to fit each scene and they set the mood up each time. The voice actors or the Seiyuu are decent, the exception being the main character (lol), but I'll get around to that soon. Yuno's (Tomosa Murata) is great, I mean she's the best thing from this anime since she is the whole package. I'll explain more.
Character - 8
So your main character is Yukiteru Amano. Pretty much a pussy, that's all there is to say about him without going too far. He has his moments, but he's supposedly 14 so what do you expect? Alright next, the feature presentation, Yuno. She's the driving force of the plot and Yuki's life (or whatever). She's also fucking crazy. Honestly, when I started watching this I didn't understand WHY she was so attached to Yuki (She's a yandere by the way, not the exact opposite of a tsundere. More like a fucking crazy person attached to the protagonist) but now I understand. Essentially, to put it simply without creating too many loose ends she finds Yuki as the only person in her life and therefore is obsessed with him. She depends on him and uses him as a crutch, basically he supports her as a person and she can love him which keeps her crazy side at bay (but boy is she crazy). Other than that, you have your secondary characters, which have good development through mini arcs. My favourite (like many others) would be Minene. She's a cute badass, hehe.
Enjoyment - 7
Pretty good, but the end left a sour taste in my mouth. The ending was anticlimactic and although you may anticipate a wrap to all the events that doesn't happen. Other than the end, it was quite good. Lots of twists and turns throughout the storyline and it didn't get repetitive either like other plots similar to this one. All in all, a very good first half, but the conclusion weighed heavy on my overall enjoyment.
Overall - 7
I'm going to have to weigh the Story a little heavily than the rest and that's why it gets a 7 for me, but it really is a 7.5. I see people rating it 5 or 4 or whatever, personally I don't think it deserves a score such as that, but who am I to judge anyway. I can understand it because the ending is definitely frustrating, but it had the potential to be very good. If the main character was less of a bitch and more of a dude then it would have made it more enjoyable for sure. Nonetheless, I'm giving credit where credit is due, if you're into psychological/mental thrillers and don't mind some action avec gore then this might be your cup of tea. Just a warning: Whatever you think Yuno is, she's much worse, I've had several moments where I didn't think she would do that and then she did. That bitch cray.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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May 17, 2010
Okay Claymore is one of the best if not the best in terms of balancing action and plot development. The story takes place in a country where monsters called 'Youma' feed on humans and that is where the introduction to the main character Clare is made. There is an organization that recruits and trains young female warriors (half-human, half-youma) in order to fend off the population of Youma, however they do this service for a fee. Clare is one of the so-called 'Claymores' (nicknamed by the villagers because of the weapon they carry) and simply enough she carries out orders from the organization. However like
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I said, Claymore is an excellent example of a manga that excels in plot development, so the storyline splits into different perspectives as sub-plots begin to emerge.
Story: 10/10
The story is definitely the highlight of this series and in my opinion it just gets better and better. The first couple of chapters introduce you to the scenario and then details of the organization are revealed as well as new characters. You can never really anticipate the events in the next chapter, its really a captivating story. I'm not saying its far fetched even though it is shounen, but the logic behind the plot itself is amazing.
Art: 10/10
Nohiro Yagi is an amazing artist as well as a writer. He portrays the Youma as one would imagine them to be, but he does not spare the details. Each one is different and the creativity speaks for itself. The Claymores themselves are female warriors and they fit a certain description, so they all have similarities. The amount of artwork put into each chapter makes it really easy to follow the events so its not only captivating but also helpful.
Character: 8/10
This is the only section where Claymore does not get a 10/10 from me. The characters themselves are introduced, but not much about them is known, save a few like Clare and those close to her. For the most part, character development is lacking to some degree and I would like to see more personality from some of the Claymores. Some would argue that they are partially human, but they do have a human conscious and share the same emotions. Even though this is something that could be improved upon, its just a small kink in the overall aspect of the manga.
Overall: 10/10
As you read the manga, you will find that the character development shadows the story and art so that they are closely related. Everything in this series is perfectly intertwined and its definitely one of a kind. I might be biased because Claymore is the best manga I've ever read, but I assure you that it will not disappoint. It never gets repetitive and each chapter leaves you waiting for the next. Even though the chapters are monthly, its so worth the wait because there's nothing like it out there. I would recommend this for anyone who likes to follow a deep plot accompanied by some intense action..oh yeah and female warriors (did I mention that?) :)
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Aug 20, 2008
At the beginning of watching Busou Renkin, it seemed like a typical anime where someone gets a power and entitles themselves to protect everyone. Busou Renkin was a bit more 'relaxed' which made it more enjoying to watch for sure. Although I wasn't really ecstatic about the ending, overall I have to say its an anime to watch if you like sci-fi, romance and supernatural stuff all in one =D
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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