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Actually a lot better than expected. I came in thinking this'd just be your average edgy revenge fantasy, and in some aspects, it kinda is. The main protagonist is driven by revenge, they're not afraid of committing mass murder, yadda yadda, it does hit the notes in these regard. However, I was genuinely impressed by the art and worldbuilding. The settings in this look beautiful, and there are honestly a lot of novel ideas that have their own unique flair/distinction that makes it really cool. The fight scenes are also beautiful, though, come at the detriment of having a magic system that isn't really explained, ... so it comes off as just cool for the sake of cool most of the time (which it is, tbf, it is very cool). Characters are also fun, there is actual growth on the MC's behalf and the heroine, and the former, while not mellowing out in their schemes for revenge per se, does mellow out in their approach to life in general, and it's honestly pretty cool to see. And the heroine, while 'naive', at first, also goes through her own character arc, without feeling like they just succumed to edge and did a complete 180 on their character. Honestly, this manga is a banger and I'd definitely be down to read more. I'm really curious how they develop certain concepts.

For what it is, this story is criminally underrated. Like, there is no other manga within the realm of tournament stories that can even hope to compete with the amount of emotion and raw feeling this manga exudes. Much in line with works such as Record of Ragnarok, Tenkaichi manages to encapsulate so much character, emotion and amazing fight scenes within a few pages alone.

As a matter of fact, within the thirteen chapters that have been written, I have cried a total of four times. And upon two re-reads have still cried each and every time. There is just so much detail and characterisation that ... goes into each panel, and each fight has so many twists, turns and dynamics to it that it becomes not only hard to ascertain who would win, but has you cheering for both sides each and every time.

Though it remains but a few chapters yet, I dare say that this is a must-read for anyone who enjoys fighting manga. From the art, to the magnificent panelling, to the raw execution, Tenkaichi remains to be the best tournament story I have ever had the pleasure of reading yet.

This manga is not for everyone. If you are not interested in the direction this story goes after 10 or so chapters, then I would suggest no longer continuing. If though, for some reason you do like it then by all means persist.

Personally, I enjoy this manga quite a bit. The way each scene unfolds and the way the story continues audibly has me gasping and uttering 'wtf' under my breath in the best possible way. The way the characters are also constructed are very relatable and you really get to understand their perspectives, even as crazy and deranged some of their actions are.

There are ... times when panels are constructed beautifully, chocked full of the overwhelming amount of text bubbles, or a world blurred and shaken that really add to the overall impact and immersion into the psyche of the characters.

My only great gripe is that the main character seems to be a little inconsistent and seems to fluctuate between actively pursuing his goal and just being completely dead, which I believe could have been executed better.

I truly love this manga, so forgive me for any bias. At its core Himegoto is a story about youth, and the methods in which characters aim to achieve and preserve what remains of it which in this story, primarily manifest in the form of their sexual expression and identities. It's extremely dramatic and it does involve a love triangle, though unlike many other stories, the circumstances and dynamic in it is extremely unique and interplays off each other wonderfully.

Every single of the main character's are amazing in their own way, and represent something different about sexual identity, with even one of the side ... characters being interesting in their own right and offering some entertaining perspective. My favorite part is simply the complexity of these emotions, rather then offering a surface-level analysis of oh I feel this way and hence want to act like this, it instead delves into the psyche and circumstances behind the way they are.

If you like psychological stories that explore sexual identity and just complicated feelings in general, then I think you'll like this. Then again, despite the fact that I dislike matters of sex in general, I still found a lot of enjoyment from this manga, so I would still highly suggest it.