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I find stories about a badass main character lose credibility to me because they almost always serve only to make the reader feel cool. I think Kei being sociopathic/ entirely apathetic isn’t explored well enough realistically. To touch on the negatives and positives of his lifestyle in such a half-assed way takes away from the story. He seemed to finally express emotion with the “death” of Kai, but his mindset does not shift at all after. Kei is shown to have gotten this from his mother, yet she is insufferable and unsuccessful. It seems that the author wanted to write a character who is a ... badass with a secret heart of gold, but without putting any of the effort into developing such a character. Beside all of that, Sato saves the story for me. He is entirely one note, but that simplicity creates all of the interesting story beats for me. His desire for excitement forces others to react to him. I feel that he served Kei’s role in the story better than Kei did. In terms of the demi-human concept, it left me feeling unfulfilled. It seems like a cop-out that the answer we’re given is that of a singular scientist's theory. This solution seems to rise up because the author himself didn’t know. The answer of “Demi-humans come from human consciousness/heart” leaves the reader asking many questions. Simply, why this is the case is never answered and why that matters is never answered. I think this idea could’ve been explored at all or entirely left out for a better effect. If the author did not have the answer he should not have given a half answer. I felt the idea of a demi-human proposed many interesting opportunities, only half of which I feel were fulfilled. The physical aspect that they cannot die was excellently displayed throughout the story. I also feel the flood is something which could have been “cooler.” Although it was foreshadowed earlier in the story, it didn’t amount to much of anything. Overall, I don’t think I’d recommend the story to anyone who hasn’t read manga before. To me it serves as only 2 things. One: as a power fantasy for the type of people that like to say they “see red” and “black out” when they get angry or two: someone who likes the exploration of characters that do for the sake of doing, we see in Sato. I think these are the only two ways to enjoy the story as it doesn’t live up to hype as a mystery/thriller.

One Punch Man is one of those stories I find myself coming back to when I see it on my list of ongoing stories. It is a manga that I know will reliably be entertaining without challenging me as an individual. Everything about it is easy to consume. Although this may seem like a detriment, it is in my opinion the main benefit of the story. The art is a great example of this idea. It is technically excellent and extremely easy to follow. I feel that no one can deny the beauty of each panel. Yet, it is not heavily stylized like other manga ... out there. It is not worried about pushing boundaries and it is not in any way controversial. This I feel, is exactly what the story attempts to do. The characters are like-able and interesting, but not something that may stick with you/ create a sense of awe. ONE’s ability to write characters that feel real is excellently shown in Saitama. Similarly, the entire story serves as an answer to the problems a figure like Saitama or Gojo can cause in a story. Ultimately this manga is great at the things it does, it just doesn’t try to do a lot. I can’t say this is a bad thing but it does move the story down my ranking. As far as what it tries to be I believe One Punch Man is nearly perfect. Yet for its affect on me as an individual, I cannot give it a higher score than other manga which I still think about daily.

Blue Lock is one of those stories that I feel will speak to you or it won’t. I don’t feel there is an in between in the case of this manga. It is extremely cheesy. It can at times feel like it is taking itself too seriously. These are qualities that I have come to appreciate though. It is funny to me in the same sense your little brother is funny. You kind of chuckle with a “oh brother” type thing, but you also don’t want to make him think it’s super funny because it’ll go to his head. I don’t know why I have ... this feeling towards Blue Lock, but I do. I think the most important thing to me is the discussion of ego and its ties to consuming others and being the greatest. It particularly speaks to me in an artistic sense. If you are someone that naturally feels competitive Blue Lock will speak to you in whatever sense you participate. Blue Lock exemplifies competition and a desire for being the best that is otherwise hard to explain to others. There are many endings in stories I am looking forward to, but Isagi conquering the soccer world is high up on my list.

Since I have read Berserk, it has slowly moved further and further down my ranking. Maybe this is a testament to the act of experiencing Berserk being so grand and memorable, but I personally think it has been me taking off the rose tinted glasses with the series. I find Berserk too heavily focused on Gut’s violence. It is shown as a “sickness” that haunts him, yet it solves every single problem in the series. In this sense, I feel Berserk serves too well to appeal to the “male gaze.” The men in the story are conquerors and the women are conquered, if you are ... strong you will succeed, and worst in my mind, if you struggle enough, your actions are forgiven. Casca is an excellent example of each of these things. She is a strong woman yet she is subservient to Griffith and then Guts in that order. She is physically and emotionally conquered by men time and time again, even to the extent that Miura depicts her being sexually assaulted. This act and scenes like it are deplorable in my mind and do not serve to develop the narrative Berserk fans seem to suggest. As evidence for this fact I ask where is Casca’s healing? Where is she given the time that Guts is? I understand he is the main character, but in her time of need she is infantilized and ignored. We then get to experience her hatred of Guts through a lens of her being the problem. I completely understand I may have missed a lot of small details that would change my mind. I think this belief has led me to believe Berserk is better/more conscious than it is though. Because so many people like it, part of me likes to trust that there must be something they are seeing. Yet this sense is slowly disappearing. I find Berserk is primarily enjoyed by men who have not gone to therapy. This is a joke of course, but I hope it illustrates the picture I’m imagining. Even in the emotional scenes where Guts shows that he feels emotion too, there is a sense that it was written by someone that is new to understanding themselves. It seems to align with the idea that you should only see your father cry in the worst of situations. Even when Gut’s true connection to the sword as a trauma bond is revealed, it only comes off to me to vindicate Gut’s violence. If you are a woman, someone who does not like senseless violence, etc you will probably not like Berserk. I say all this while understanding the story has not finished. I’m not sure if a sensitive ending would fix the story though. Even if it could, I don’t imagine this would be the ending Miura would write. I bet Guts would succeed over Griffith, Casca would be miraculously cured and all of the terrible stuff Guts did would result in his life being successful. Whether or not this will be the ending, I have no doubt much of the fanbase would appreciate it. Many of them simply because they hate Griffith and want to see Guts succeed. Interestingly the fanbase hates Griffith not because of the despicable stuff he does in the series, but rather because Guts hates him and they want to be Guts. This is the value of the story in my opinion. If you see yourself as a Guts like figure that has a heart of gold but must resort to violence or anger because the world is terrible, you will love Berserk. Otherwise, I think you can appreciate the art and visceral nature of the story without paying too close attention to the themes and concepts at play.

To describe Chainsaw Man in one word I would say Visceral. I don’t mean this in the sense that many others would use it, although it applies. Rather I mean to suggest that Chainsaw Man and Tatsuki Fujimoto feel as though they are one in the same. There is a sense that he is his character and the story is him. Ultimately, it feels to me that his brain has been opened up and created a world for us to experience. The series is marked with a sense of innocence. Of course it is violent and dark, but it seems to understand and portray things ... as they are, not steeped in the opinions of society. When given the choice between something that will be interesting or something that Fujimoto wants, I am sure he would pick the latter. Ironically, this is almost always the more fitting choice for the series. This property applies to every aspect of the story. One thing I find particularly charming is how every time someone’s body is opened up, we only see their intestines. It seems to me that Fujimoto doesn’t know how to draw the rest of the organs, or he doesn’t care to draw the rest of the organs. But he understands that we do not need to see a realistic anatomical explosion to convey what he is trying to convey. Why did he make that choice? Questions like this are the value of Chainsaw Man. More than a story you are learning about the odd man that created it.

As far as people who like Beastars, it is one of those pieces of media that people are either weirdly proud of enjoying, or ashamed to have enjoyed. There is this divisive sense to Beastars and how accepting people are of it which I think makes perfect sense for the type of story it is. Personally, I think it is one of the most underrated manga out there. The way it explores exactly what it wants to in the way it wants to, is impressive to me. Of course the ending was rushed and confusing, but I don’t think that matters. I believe the author ... did what they wanted and didn’t want to do any more. For this I can respect her. The story excellently discusses the ideas the creator wanted to discuss. Specifically, I am left with no questions of what it would be like to be an animal in this society. How this extends to our society is important, but I don’t think that was the author’s main goal. If you are interested in exploring other universes that behave differently to ours, I think you will heavily enjoy Beastars. Personally, the use of consumption as both for the sake of sexuality and to quench hunger is beautiful to me. How these things connect to our society, how we as individuals are both sub conscious necessity and conscious desire, and much else comes to mind. For this reason, I heavily enjoyed Beastars and think more people should give it a chance.

There is so much I can write here to describe why One Piece is my favorite piece of fiction, but I won’t. First and foremost, I want to focus on one aspect of One Piece that I believe sets it apart. Everything that makes it so great to me either stems from this, or directly falls under this. Put simply, I think there is a character or story in One Piece for everyone. Whether you see yourself like Usopp, Boa Hancock, Kuma, etc, I can guarantee that most people will find someone that speaks to them specifically. There are many stories that speak to me ... as a white man. I can read most manga and know that I am likely the audience they had in mind, or I can fit within said audience. What makes One Piece so great is its subversion of this. I am happy to support a piece of media that makes people who see themselves in Bon Clay understood. I am happy to read a story that is so sensitive and careful in its depiction of different peoples. I am excited to see where else Oda will take us and how he will wrap up such a beautiful story.

Vagabond is one of those stories that I feel will be entirely boring to you or life changing. I’m sure there is much in between these two opposites, but I doubt the majority would find themselves there. I think there is something great about watching someone come to terms with the failures you see in yourself and changing. It serves as a great reminder that you too can be different, while showing you that the difference does not mean you are entitled to different treatment. Musashi’s growth is a beautiful thing. His coming to terms with the cycle of violence he created still plaguing ... him is more beautiful to me. There is a point when consumption means consuming for the sake of consumption. Musashi lived at that point for a long time and went a different route. Many people are living this life and unwilling or unaware that they can or should go a different route. Vagabond is a beautiful story. I particularly love Sasaki Kojiro’s character. He excellently contrasts Musashi’s “way of the beast” as I consider it. He is amazing with a sword because he lets the sword speak through him. Just as he lets his body and his mind speak through him. I love that he can speak in this although he is deaf and mute. His whole experience has been letting people talk so he has learned to hear that which speaks inaudibly. Although I would love to see how Musashi and him finally fight, I know this is not the lesson of the story. The value of that which is there is exemplified by that which is missing.

Jujutsu Kaisen feels like the story I would write if I had the abilities that Gege has. It seems that it’s not focused on many things that other stories seem to hold in utmost importance. Gege seemed to hold how compelling something was in the highest regard. The way in which we got there felt kind of second to this. In this sense, it is extremely creative. I can say for certain that I love Jujutsu Kaisen, but I can’t say for certain it was well written. Yet, it was extremely well written. Jujutsu Kaisen seems to be a paradox in my mind. Ultimately, I ... think if you took a map of Gege’s plans about the story, it would appear exactly as the story did. I don’t know why I feel this way, because I know this wouldn’t be the case, but I do and that’s why I love Jujutsu Kaisen.

Goodnight PunPun is the perfect example of a story that I love, but would never recommend. There is something raw and sharp about it that feels real. The characters don’t seem to be characters, but people that happen to live within the pages of the manga you’re reading. It's intense and hard to read. It’s also boring but lively. I have often thought that although people ask for realism they do not truly want it. We prefer realism that feels real, but doesn’t act real. Goodnight PunPun is realism that acts real. It feels like I am a fly on the wall watching a sick ... person. At many points I stared at the page and felt a deep sense of disappointment. Not how I usually would with media, but more visceral as I would a loved one that has done me wrong. It’s extremely impressive to me that a story can do this. Yet, I probably won’t finish it and I will not recommend it. It exists within my mind as it is and that is enough for me.