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Astra Lost in Space – Spoiler Free – Recommended

TLDR
Story – 9,5/10 – 9,5 x 0.275 = 2,6125
Art – 8/10 – 8 x 0.2 = 1,6
Characters – 10/10 – 10 x 0.225 = 2,25
Enjoyment – 9/10 – 9 x 0.3 = 2,7
Total: 9,1625 -> 9

Story – 9,5/10
... Astra Lost in Space is an adventure and a very successful one.
Astra Lost in Space is a manga made by Kenta Shinohara, the creator of SKET Dance. It deals with an expedition of students to another planet gone wrong, now depending on their abilities as a team and as individuals to survive the challenges that await them and return home.
First and foremost, Astra Lost in Space’s story is very engaging and entertaining from beginning to end, although incomparably more so in the later stages of the manga. It is also shrouded in several mysteries. Verily, this manga thrives on plot twists, as we slowly uncover more of the mysteries surrounding their forces expedition through space. Moreover, it is also somewhat suspenseful, being quite good at that as well.
The pacing of the story is great, although everything accelerates and escalates mostly in the last volume, where things truly take a turn. This manga ought to be judged not from its beginning but its end, as in the beginning things may take a while to get their final configuration (as is natural).
The ending is foreseeable and makes perfect sense, being in line with what precedes it.
This manga, from a certain point onwards (volumes 4-5), is an absolute page-turner.

Art – 8/10
The art style in Astra Lost in Space is great but not stellar (pun intended). It is highly functional in its approach, where panels play a role in telling the story, but there are no artistic notes or awe-inspiring panels. The fluency and cadence of the panels are also great, making the story very easy to follow. The character design is also rich, making everyone easily recognisable.

Characters – 10/10
The characters of Astra Lost in Space are simply great. Their return home and the adventures that they face are a great opportunity to develop the characters, and that is precisely what happens.
Although the protagonist – Kanata – is a strong character, the rest of the cast is also firm in their personalities. All characters have backgrounds, and they are thoroughly explored in the manga. Moreover, their backgrounds are woven into the main plot as the mysteries surrounding the trip slowly unravel. Character development and story progress in Astra Lost in Space are one and the same, and they do a great job of this. Intertwining the individual character arcs and the main story, the reader always has multiple perspectives to look at this manga: where one may focus on one or the other.
In the beginning, some characters may appear as annoying, but rest assured: that soon disappears.
More than the individual characters, what’s more important in this manga is the collective spirit that they create: their team. There is a big emphasis on this, and quite rightfully so, as it plays a major role in the story.

Enjoyment – 9/10
The enjoyment of Astra Lost in Space can only be very high. Although the beginning is a bit slow, it really gets better towards the end of the story. Nevertheless, it is a great and somewhat quick (it is slightly dense in dialogue) read, being an authentic page-turner in the last two volumes (especially the last one).

Claudine – Spoiler Free – Recommended

TLDR
Story – 7/10 – 7 x 0.275 = 1,925
Art – 5/10 – 5 x 0.2 = 1
Characters – 4/10 – 4 x 0.225 = 0,9
Enjoyment – 6,5/10 – 6,5 x 0.3 = 1,95
Total: 5,775 -> 6

Story – 7/10
... Claudine is a trans manga classic published in 1978 by Riyoko Ikeda, the mangaka who made The Rose of Versailles. This manga has the privilege of being one of the first representations of an openly trans character in a manga.
Claudine was assigned female at birth but felt like a boy from a very early age, although most characters, and even herself, use female pronouns with her.
Most of the story is narrated through her therapist.
This very short story quickly descends into a string of romances in which the main character – Claudine – happens to live. There isn’t much else to this story other than this: there is no plot other than the romances that she lives through.
The relationship with her father could also have been explored more, and the pacing in the beginning has some problems with it.
However, Claudine has to live constantly with an unknown pain: it is even stated that it was a mistake that God gave her the body of a woman but the heart of a man. She has to live with the pain of falling in love with other women while being a female assigned at birth, and she has to live with a female identity while feeling like a boy. It is known in the trans literature this effect: suffering from something that the person quite doesn’t know yet, but still suffers greatly because of it – i.e., gender dysphoria. This is definitely the story's saving grace, as the rest is uninteresting.
In short, Claudine is a trans manga version of The Sorrows of Young Werther in some aspects, where there was clearly some inspiration taken from it.

Art – 5/10
The art style in Claudine is a bit outdated, making for a rather unconventional visual setting. However, page composition is interesting and definitely out of the box – especially taking into account that it is a manga from the 70s. There are some problems with character design, but it is nevertheless functional in the end, and that is what's important in the end.

Characters – 4/10
There aren’t many characters in Claudine. Other than the main protagonist – Claudine –, the rest of the cast isn’t developed. Moreover, the first romances of Claudine are definitely not explained in terms of character depth. But again, not much is possible in a 100-page long manga.

Enjoyment – 6,5/10
One reads Claudine for being a trans manga classic but not much else. Its story is uninteresting, and there are problems with the pace in the beginning. Nevertheless, it is a quick read with the trans element as its saving grace. For this reason, and because it is a classic that one reads very quickly, contributing to our otaku culture, it deserves a recommendation, although not enthusiastically.

My Journey to Her – Spoiler Free – Recommended

TLDR
Story – 8/10 – 8 x 0.275 = 2,2
Art – 7/10 – 7 x 0.2 = 1,4
Characters – 5/10 – 5 x 0.225 = 1,125
Enjoyment – 8/10 – 8 x 0.3 = 2,4
Total: 7,125 -> 7

Story – 8/10
... My Journey to Her is an autobiographical manga made by Yuuna Hirasawa, a trans woman. This is her account of her transition, both the hormonal and the surgical, from being a male assigned at birth to her true gender: female – thus MtF (Male to Female).
This manga is highly pedagogic in its purpose, both for the LGBTQ+ community and the general public, as it explains the processes and the pains of the transition, and the overall experience of being a trans woman in Japan. There are also sections called “info notes”, where multiple questions relating to the transition and the trans experience are discussed.
We create a high degree of empathy with her, as the struggles of being a trans woman are very well depicted in this manga. Moreover, it depicts the legal constraints of the transition in Japan – where it is generally harder than in most sections of the Western world – as the logistical effort of having surgery abroad (Thailand).
The manga goes on to explain the process with utmost care and detail, noting the advantages and disadvantages of each GAS (Gender-affirming surgery) option.
The story really doesn't have an end, as it isn’t a fictional account but an autobiographical one. It is, nevertheless, quite an entertaining read.

Art – 7/10
The art is minimalistic in its approach – closely reminding the reader of My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness, another LGBTQ+ autobiographical manga –, where the scenarios and landscapes are frequently omitted, rather focusing on the character. As there aren’t many characters, the character design is highly functional, fulfilling the purpose of distinguishing the main character from the rest of the figurines.
The cadence of the panels is well-convinced, and it is easy to follow up the story.

Characters – 5/10
There aren’t really characters in My Journey to Her – with the exception of the main character, Yuuna Hirasawa (the author herself), that we clearly empathise –, as it is mostly focused on the transition process rather than the rest. It is for this reason that it is filled with figurines, such as the nurses, that are pivotal but anonymous as individuals who interact with the protagonist but don’t play any other role.

Enjoyment – 8/10
Personally, I will cherish this manga when it comes to difficult transition decisions. And that is, without a doubt, a great strength of this manga: its pedagogical value. Moreover, it is an informative and entertaining read for an autobiography. For these reasons – and mostly because it is a tool for anyone seeking trans resources – it deserves a recommendation.

At the Mountains of Madness – Spoiler Free – Recommended

TLDR
Story – 8/10 – 8 x 0.275 = 2,2
Art – 8/10 – 8 x 0.2 = 1,6
Characters – 5/10 – 5 x 0.225 = 1,125
Enjoyment – 7/10 – 7 x 0.3 = 2,1
Total: 7,025 -> 7

Story – 8/10
... At the Mountains of Madness adapts Lovecraft's longest story into a four-volume manga; it is, once more, a Gou Tanabe adaptation.
It is a faithful rendition of the spirit and the atmosphere of the original story, having thus the same strengths and the same weaknesses of the original: it is mostly a story-driven manga – in opposition to a character-driven story –, that mostly serves to advance the element of horror in the Lovecraftian mythos.

Art – 8/10
The art is quite good, although there are no awe-inspiring panels like in Call of Cthulhu, being weaker than the aforementioned work. The cadence of the panels is great, making the story easy to follow; the character design, however, is somewhat lacking, for most characters look like the next character.

Characters – 5/10
Lovecraft is not known for its characters, and At the Mountains of Madness is no exception. The characters only serve to advance the lore of the Lovecraftian mythos and not anything else. They have no personality and play essentially no role; they are not memorable, and if they were replaced by a placeholder, it would have been the same: they are essentially figurines.

Enjoyment – 7/10
The At the Mountains of Madness manga introduces one of the most important stories in the Lovecraftian repertoire, adding a rather well done visual dimension to the original story. The change in the medium doesn’t affect the appreciation of work in the slightest, although the original is also quite good according to Lovecraftian standards. Since it is an adaptation, and thus rendering it hard to review, since it has to live up to the original, what can be said is that it is an enjoyable work that faithfully adapts the original content with good – but not stellar – art, thus deserving a recommendation.

The Call Of Cthulhu – Spoiler Free – Recommended

TLDR
Story – 8/10 – 8 x 0.275 = 2,2
Art – 10/10 – 10 x 0.2 = 2
Characters – 6/10 – 6 x 0.225 = 1,35
Enjoyment – 9/10 – 9 x 0.3 = 2,7
Total: 8,25 -> 8

Story – 8/10
The story of the Call of Cthulhu is one of Lovecraft’s most beloved tales and definitely one of his best. There isn’t much to say about the story of the manga, as it is a truthful adaptation. Gou Tanabe did a tremendous job adapting Call of Cthulhu, preserving the same spirit and atmosphere as in the original. Moreover, there are ... sequences near the end of the manga that are even better than in the original.
Gou Tanabe was not only able to faithfully adapt Lovecraft but also made a compelling and engaging story in a whole different medium.

Art – 10/10
The art style in Call of Cthulhu is nothing short of extraordinary. With luxurious and gorgeous panels and an art style that has personality, it adds a great visual dimension to Lovecraft’s tale. There is also a good panel cadence that makes the story easy to follow. The character design, although not all that important in this story-driven manga, is also of great quality.

Characters – 6/10
Lovecraft is not known for his character depth or character development, as the focus is clearly the story. The manga suffers from the same illness: its characters are all forgettable and only serve to develop the story – in opposition to character development. In fact, this shows that the manga adaptation is well done: it has the strengths and the weaknesses of its original version.

Enjoyment – 9/10
Let there be no doubt: the manga adaptation of Call of Cthulhu is great. In fact, it becomes a page-turner in the later stages of the story, making the Lovecraftian mythos more accessible to us, Otakus, and doing a service by providing a visual guide to Lovecraft's imagination. It is, without a doubt, Recommended.

PTSD Radio – Spoiler Free – Mixed Feelings

TLDR
Overall: 4/10

Disclaimer: due to the nature of this work – a collection of short stories –, my normal parameters of Story, Art, Characters and Enjoyment with a weighted average won’t be applied. Instead, a global overview will be offered.

PTSD Radio is but an excuse to draw creepy panels, as it lacks much of anything of horror.
PTSD Radio is a one-of-a-kind manga by Masaaki Nakayama. It is a compilation of short stories that are weakly connected by a common thread. The story, in general, is not coherent and does not make much sense as a whole, even though there ... are some attempts to connect the dispersed dots. The stories are incredibly short – mostly being 5-10 pages long – making any short story lacking in development in all senses. They look like ideas for certain panels rather than stories.
Designed as a horror manga, it features many elements of the genre, such as creepy panels that play with the uncanny valley effect, jumpscares, and an eerie atmosphere. However, it is extremely lacking in all other aspects: it is not scary, the jumpscares are foreseeable, and everything looks like a failed attempt to emulate Junji Ito’s Uzumaki.
One of the good things about the manga is the art, though. The art is of great quality and is the saving grace in all this. There are eerie panels – but not scary – that are truly memorable. There are also ideas in some stories that are worth developing for their horror value.
PTSD Radio simply doesn’t have characters. There are entities that participate in the story, more like figurines, but there aren’t any individual characters per se – entities with personalities, a name, and a sense of morals (or lack thereof) that play a genuine specific role in a story.
The author also claims that strange things started to happen to him when he began the serialisation of the manga, which helped to add another dimension of horror to the manga. Blurring the line between fiction and reality was also the great trump card in PTSD Radio, as some – I repeat, some – of the things that supposedly happened to the author are way scarier than the actual stories of the manga.
At six volumes and 97 chapters at the time of the review, it is nevertheless a quick read since there isn’t a lot of dialogue, and most of the stories are but visual experiences. It cannot, however, be recommended: aside from the visuals, PTSD Radio isn’t scary and does not add to the overall horror genre. For this reason, it deserves a mixed feelings stamp dangerously close to a not recommended.

Nijigahara Holograph – Spoiler Free – Not Recommended

TLDR
Story – 3/10 – 3 x 0.275 = 0,825
Art – 8/10 – 8 x 0.2 = 1,6
Characters – 3/10 – 3 x 0.225 = 0,675
Enjoyment – 4/10 – 4 x 0.3 = 1,2
Total: 4,3 -> 4

Standing there in the cold wind I began to doubt if any of it had ever been real: God, the Magic Box, the Talking Butterfly. And if they were true, what an empty world this was.
... -Nijigahara Holograph

Story – 3/10
Nijigahara Holograph is probably one of Inio Asano’s most complex, and weakest, stories. In fact, even laying down a simple synopsis of the manga is quite a difficult task. The story happens in different timelines, and we jump from timeline to timeline in the most non-linear way in any of Asano’s work. It is actually a very confusing manga, albeit very short (it is a one-shot). It requires several readings for one to understand what truly happened. This is not a compliment, as making something unclear for the sake of it does not elevate it as a piece of art. But, as one can glimpse through the mud, we also realise that most of the deciphering Nijigahara Holograph is also not worth it. It just doesn’t feel that it is rich enough to be fulfilling.
It also points in multiple directions and does not develop any of them well – other than the butterfly. Nijigahara Holograph also feels oppressive in its atmosphere and offers a sense of mystery as the story progresses. Aside from this, however, Nijigahara Holograph doesn’t have much else to offer. Its confusing constant timeline jumps removed most of the immersion in the story.
It is even hard to ascertain if the story had leaps of faith, as it is genuinely hard to understand the story.
It also mentions some very dark topics – such as incest and rape – but contrary to some of his other works, where these topics are grazed lightly, this is not the case in Nijigahara Holograph, as it is very stark and raw in its setting.

Art – 8/10
Nijigahara Holograph’s art is on point, as in typical Inio Asano’s fashion. However, the art, in this case, served a mediocre and confusing story. But technically, it deserves some notes: page composition is good, the characters present an average character design – definitely much lower than in other of his works –and the cadence of the panels is also decent.

Characters – 3/10
It is very hard to ascertain anything about the characters in Nijigahara Holograph, as the story is so densely interwoven that it is very hard to unwind.
There are barely any main characters, and the rest of the cast is meaningless. The characters are not likeable, and one cannot understand their behaviour in general.

Enjoyment – 4/10
Nijigahara Holograph is a complex manga that is sure to confuse most of those who actually read it. But aside from the confusion and the pleasure that one may take in deciphering this, it has nothing else to offer. On a personal note, I am a fan of Inio Asano, and it is for this reason that I cannot recommend it. In the end, I didn’t grow as a reader, as a person, and simply didn’t enjoy reading Nijigahara Holograph.

A Girl on the Shore – Spoiler Free – Recommended

TLDR
Story – 7/10 – 7 x 0.275 = 1,925
Art – 9/10 – 9 x 0.2 = 1,8
Characters – 6,5/10 – 6,5 x 0.225 = 1,4625
Enjoyment – 6,5/10 – 6,5 x 0.3 = 1,95
Total: 7,1375 -> 7

Story – 7/10
... A Girl on the Shore is a manga by the great Inio Asano, as it unwinds the threads of sex, life, and everything in between.
Most of this story is about sex – and it is certainly the most discussed topic in the manga, both graphically (and it gets quite explicit) and in the dialogue. The story starts precisely with what we will find throughout the manga: a sex scene between the two main characters – Isobe and Satou, two teenagers still in school. They soon become intertwined by the regular hook-ups that will develop into hostility and love. Their bodies become more than just a stage for pleasure, as personal feelings start to get in the way. However, things don’t unwind well.
In typical Asano fashion, it has a way of dealing with complex topics most lightly – in this case, suicide and sex. It depicts the final death wishes of one of the characters, as well as the suicide of one of the character’s brother. Moreover, everything also feels very natural, as it is very common for such things to happen from time to time – uncorresponded feelings in a love scenario, suicidal ideation as a response to trauma, etc. Asano also does a great work of exposing the multiple varieties of sex, be it for pure pleasure, love, dominance, or just plain empty and emotionally dull sex. As it is essential in a Slice of Life, we feel that, in some way, the story we are reading is also our story, that we lived past the same exact moments as the characters and that we empathise with them. In this regard, it is very well done.
The story is well-written in literary terms, as Asano usually does.
The ending is not memorable and feels too sudden.

Art – 9/10
Inio Asano’s art style is always a sight to be seen. From the emotional characters and the rich character design, to the natural flow of the manga and the cadence of its panels, Inio Asano has shown from time to time that he knows what he is doing. The backgrounds and the landscapes are also excellent.

Characters – 6,5/10
The characters are mainly focused on the two main ones – Isobe and Satou –, as the rest of the cast is but a filler in some sense, or just serve to interact with the main characters. In this light, it works quite well, as they are the ones that tell us a story and that develop the narrative.

Enjoyment – 6,5/10
Inio Asano knows how to create a story and dwells in the depths of the human psyche in a humane and intimate way, and A Girl on the Shore is no different, although the topics he approaches are somewhat different. In general, it is an entertaining and quick read that points towards some avenues of reflection. Although not enthusiastically, it deserves a recommendation.

Misumisou – Spoiler Free – Recommended

TLDR
Story – 6,5/10 – 6,5 x 0.275 = 1,7875
Art – 7,5/10 – 7,5 x 0.2 = 1,57
Characters – 6/10 – 6 x 0.225 = 1,35
Enjoyment – 8/10 – 8 x 0.3 = 2,4
Total: 7,1075 -> 7

Story – 6,5/10
... Misumisou’s story is a dark tale about bullying and how bullying can affect those who suffer from it.
Misumisou is a manga made by Rensuke Oshikiri that depicts a scenario of severe abuse and heavy bullying and how the victim can act when deprived of everything. It also seems to have been made by someone who actually suffered from bullying: the fears that it may affect our family are there, that the bullies’ evil intents may stop at nothing, and the rage that the protagonist – Nozaki – had to lash out at anyone who made her life unbearable is also present. It seems a story written by the victim, a projection of what the author would have liked to do in a situation akin to that of the protagonist.
However, although Misumisou hit a nerve in terms of bullying, it is also a little bit over the top sometimes, especially with the malice and the violence that it depicts.
There is also something fundamentally wrong with Misumisou: while the story escalates well at start, it doesn't manage to maintain that intensity. It unsuccessfully uses violence as way to provoke the reader, escalate the story even further, and move the plot forward. It does, however, portray how abuses only gives rise to more abuse.
The ending is lacking, and we feel as if something has been left out.

Art – 7,5/10
Misumisou’s art style is quite unique in its approach to emotions, as one can quickly read the room, but not much else.
The panels have a good cadence that makes the story easy to follow, but the character design is lacking, making characters hard to tell apart. This is especially true in crucial scenes where understanding the character in front of us would have been fundamental.
The backgrounds and the landscapes are also sufficiently detailed to be a joy to look at. They also help in building the depressive atmosphere that is quintessential to the manga.

Characters – 6/10
Misumisou’s cast isn’t very large, and can be summed up mainly as the bullies and their families, the victims and their families and friends, and the teachers of the school. There is also one character that, while being a victim, is fundamental to the bullies desires and objectives. Most of the story happens between the main victim – Nozaki – and his companion – Aiba – and the two main bullies.
Their interactions make up most of the manga and are well done, especially when emotions – that are essential in this emotionally driven story – come to the fore.

Enjoyment – 8/10
Misumisou is a quick read, but it is an engaging story that is hard to drop once it has been started. This is fundamental to understand the enjoyment that Misumisou provides. The story’s violence and malice serve as fuel to the interest of the reader, making us always wonder what is going to happen next. The story, although not stellar, picks up quite well some of the fears that the victims of bullying have in a unique way, and although some of it may be over the top, I still believe it deserves, although not enthusiastically, a recommendation.

Tropic of the Sea – Spoiler Free – Recommended

TLDR
Story – 6,5/10 – 6,5 x 0.275 = 1,7875
Art – 8/10 – 8 x 0.2 = 1,6
Characters – 5/10 – 5 x 0.225 = 1,125
Enjoyment – 7/10 – 7 x 0.3 = 2,1
Total: 6,6125 -> 7

Story – 6,5/10
Tropic of the Sea is a one-shot by Satoshi Kon himself. It mainly deals with the debate of progress and tradition and about novelty and familiarity. However, Kon incorporates a mythical element in the plot: mermaids and a mermaid egg. Supposedly, there is a tradition in which a mermaid egg has to be returned to the sea periodically (from 60 ... to 60 years), in order to satisfy the seas and maintain the peace between the sea and the little town, which is experiencing a boom in tourism. Meanwhile, there are other people, who represent progress, that want to use the egg in their own experiences and study it scientifically.
Tropic of the Sea's mythical elements help create an original and engaging story. However, the plot is really simple, and there are no twists and turns. It is foreseeable how it will end, and it (almost) ended the way it was supposed to.

Art – 8/10
Tropic of the Sea’s art style features Satoshi Kon at his best. The art feels unique and does justice to the impeccable character design. Moreover, the cadence of the panels is great. The fact that it is hand-drawn also helps make it feel special.

Characters – 5/10
The characters in Tropic of the Sea aren’t bad, but they are just average. They are archetypal characters that present either progress or tradition, whereas Yosuke – the main character – is caught in the between. In a sense, this manga is bipolar: there is a constant tension between these two opposite poles. And the characters represent just that and play to that tune. It is thus up to Yosuke to find out the secrets that the egg has.

Enjoyment – 7/10
Tropic of the Sea is a quick and enjoyable read with great art. The story is rather simple, but not necessarily dull, and serves more as a way of interrogating the tension between modernity and tradition than in telling a story. It deserves, nonetheless, a non-enthusiastic recommendation.