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I think one of the most underrated pieces of a manga is the ending. -Or rather whether or not the story *HAS* an end. So many series just go on and on and wear out their welcome. One Piece is probably the quintessential example here, but far from the only offender. I'll avoid a spoiler for obvious reasons, but know that this series has an end. It doesn't overstay it's welcome, none of the characters fall victim to flanderization, the author doesn't ever put out chapters that scrape the bottom of the barrel for ideas, and from start to finish there's a sense of progression.

Karakai ... Jouzu No Takagi-San finds it's footing very quickly. It's a very simple story and once you read a few chapters you'll know if the rest of it is worth your time. It basically does the same thing for the entirety of it's run; which is fine. The games are fun. They're not like, intellectually stimulating or anything- in that none of the solutions are ever brain teasers. But they all make sense and genuinely feel like games between kids. The story makes sense but again isn't anything crazy. It's just a slice of life following two kids who compete with one another. It gets a bonus point for having an ending and not pulling anything stupid during its run. The art is clean and pleasing.

It was a good read. If you're looking for something cute, casual, and mildly funny this is an excellent choice. And if you aren't? I'd still recommend giving the first few chapters a read. They're short enough that it won't take you long and you might get unexpectedly hooked.
I hope you do.

Story 6/10
Art 7/10
Character 7/10
Enjoyment 7/10
Overall 8/10

Ichigeki is one of those manga that you can tell was written because the author wanted to write it, if that makes any sense. To be honest, I don't get it, but the passion put into this is palpable. It's a story about samurai cutting each other up. The art is pretty sketchy (sketch as in sketch-like not shady) which might put some people off but it didn't really detract from my experience. If you're looking for some good action, some good swordplay, or you just like samurais I'd say this is well worth checking out.

Story 7/10
Art 5/10
Character 7/10
Enjoyment 8/10
Overall 7/10

Another romcom with both good rom and com! This is the only anime coming to mind where I actually wholeheartedly enjoyed the slapstick. A lot of times I feel like it gets played up or exaggerated to a point where I start cringing. There's this unfortunate valley where a lot of anime fall into regarding their slapstick. On one end of the spectrum it's either deserved or spread out enough to feel casual. On the other end is Looney Toons, so extreme you can't help but find it completely ridiculous. Tomo-chan thankfully avoids the middle ground and as a result ends up with something quite ... endearing.
The story itself is fine with a notable bonus for both having a definitive ending as well as committing to the premise. It doesn't overstay it's welcome, the character cast is limited and none of them are neglected. I won't go into it for spoiler reasons but most of them have some real depth that I was able to appreciate.
Overall, the only reason I give this an 8 as opposed to a 9 or 10 is that it kind of retreads the same ground occasionally. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but I feel like they could've done a bit more with the time they had. I think we're getting into personal preference territory though, so I wouldn't be surprised if other folks were eating this shit up and just got more out of it than I did. Worth checking out if any part of this show speaks to you.

Story 8/10
Art 7/10
Character 8/10
Enjoyment 8/10
Overall 8/10

Sing a Bit of Harmony is very... interesting. I guess I'll preface this by just saying that it's a good watch.
The reason that I specify that it's interesting is because, well, it could have been a very different story very easily. So starting off with the story, it walks the very thin line between utopian and dystopian. Maybe I'm being overly cynical, but this movie kind of unnerved me at a few points. So, how to put this, you know how you go into a grocery store and you the surveillance robot that's there to catch you shoplifting? The ones that they put googly ... eyes on so you feel some level of sympathy for it despite it being a machine? This movie is like that but ramped up to 10. The creators are really drinking the koolaid on this one. It's a very positive view, which is fine for what it is. But this situation would be horrifying. Like, I don't think it's supposed to be, but this COULD very easily be robot propaganda. The people in this show that treat the AI as a tool? They're literally right. The things that this AI does are fucking horrifying.

That all being said... I'd like to remind you that it's still very good. The art was very interesting, something they did that I almost didn't notice was use 3d models for the bodies of the characters and then animated the heads traditionally. The characters are cool, Thunder is the perfect man. I don't really have much else to say. I can comment on the music I suppose. It isn't a musical, it's a movie with singing in it. And the singing isn't seamlessly put into this show and that's something that's actually plot relevant in the show.

Story 6/10
Art 7/10
Character 8/10
Enjoyment 8/10
Overall 7/10

Here's the thing: If you liked the first two seasons, you'll like this. Things keep developing and it's an interesting and entertaining season. If you didn't like the first two... well I guess you probably won't like this one but also why are you even here. Go watch something that you'll probably like.
Overall the series is very good and judging by the manga as of right now is going in a good direction. The anime doesn't come out fast enough for them to need to start putting in random anime only episodes so there's little worry on that front. There's a few parts that could've ... been done better but overall they feel like nitpicks. The main appeal for me are the characters. The ones introduced are interesting and they don't fall out of focus as the series moves on. Also, despite the cast being pretty large it doesn't feel bloated.

Story 8/10
Art 9/10
Character 10/10
Enjoyment 8/10
Overall 9/10

As far as wish fulfillment isekai go, Shinka No Mi definitely sticks out; I might even say it does so in a good way.
Starting off with what is done well, the story is a lot of fun. The characters are wacky and I'll give the author props for making the main girl a literal gorilla. The mc is fat (for a bit), a... donkey I think? joins up with them. The animals do have human forms but also regularly swap back to look like beasts, often enough that it doesn't feel like the author is trying to get you to forget that they're actually ... animals. That alone is a lot of fun. How the main character's "OP cheat skills" manifest is pretty enjoyable too and it doesn't feel like JUST video game skills. You can tell that the author is having a good time with them at the very least. Beyond that? Well. That's about all I can really praise it for. Just those two things carried the series for 30 or so chapters, unfortunately all good things must come to an end.

The manga really tries to do too much. I could talk about how the art is kind of gross, how the plot is background noise at best, or how the action is as lame and dry as an old horse in the desert; but I'd rather focus on how the series steps on it's own toes. The thing about having good characters is that they can only carry your story if you let them. Shinka No Mi keeps adding more and more new characters that keep trying to take away the spotlight. But the problem is that they already hit their mark! The newer additions to the cast are bog standard boring at best. This would be fine if they were tertiary but they're fucking worming their way into the main cast! I want to smack the author with a broom. As the amount of characters added rises, the quality of those characters drops too. Having shitty characters bloating your story is bad enough, but then you start involving them in the plot?? Come on now. The plot has always been stupid but it didn't really matter because it wasn't what I was there for. Newer characters are all comically evil, comically stupid, or comically weird. I use the word comically with a lot less humor than I usually intend. If played right the comically evil could be actually funny, threatening, or otherwise entertaining. The comically stupid would be more comfortable in a bad gag manga but could serve to lighten the tone or break up the important scenes if used well. The comically weird could easily be charming or genuinely interesting.

But the ball gets dropped every time. I think the first 20 or so chapters are probably worth a read if only because it's quick, maybe some of the anime? Hard to say since I haven't watched it; maybe they fix some of the art problems. This could've been a solid 7 all around, maybe an 8 on a good day. As it is tho? My 5 is a generous memorial to a strong start.

Story 3/10
Art 4/10
Character 7/10
Enjoyment 6/10
Overall 5/10

I wasn't sure what to expect mostly because my memories of the first season are kind of hazy at this point but the second season was good. For the OG, I remember liking the sparse action as well as the characters mainly. For the second season the humor landed better, maybe just because I'm older this time around. The characters were just as charming thankfully and they bounce off of each other very well. The action this time around is almost nonexistent and lame. Tbh I'd just prefer no action at all at this point. It wasn't really engaging or impressive in anyway. The story ... is the same as ever, which it's really just there as a vessel to deliver jokes, fun dynamics, and fun little scenarios. Nothing really to write home about there, I'm sure you can predict how the second season goes almost entirely based off of vague recollections of the first time you watched the show back in your high school anime club.

Despite ragging on the story, art, and action, it's not really what I came for so it's kind of a moot point. I came to see stupid romance, of which there's a little bit I guess. That part actually disappointed me a bit. The characters from before are just as good as they were originally and the humor lands. If you're here for anything other than a fun little slice of life with... fantasy-mundane humor; you should probably look elsewhere. But if that sounds appealing to you or you remember the first season fondly it's worth a shot.

Story 5/10
Art 5/10
Sound 7/10
Character 8/10
Enjoyment 8/10
Overall 7/10

Akiba Maid War stands out as a chaotic mix of many genres and themes. Thankfully I can say this with nothing but adoration as it is very much a good kind of chaos. The cast of characters are wonderful and wacky which meshes very well with the over-the-top gory action, the cute maid fluff, and the actually funny comedy. The entire show is mainly a framing device for setting up situations that let the creators flex these 4 aspects. The story is fine but nothing to write home about other than being a bit edgy and the gap moe; but it doesn't matter, because the ... story isn't the point funnily enough. The characters bounce off of each other well, set up lots of hilarious situations, and then keep the ball rolling.

If you're looking for something deep and moving... I mean, I guess this show probably isn't for you. But if you're looking for a fun show? Give this one a fair shake.

Story 7/10
Art 7/10
Sound 7/10
Character 9/10
Enjoyment 8/10
Overall 7/10

Witch Hat Atelier is a very... mixed bag. The art is frankly wonderful; character design, paneling, background, detail, etc. The art is easily the best part of the manga as I think most people will agree. Where I differ in opinion is towards the rest of work. As the story goes on things start to fall apart. I started getting bored during scenes and arcs which are clearly meant to be peaks. The characters are interesting but don't fit that well into the world, partly because the world kind of sucks. I won't go into spoilers as to why but after a certain point, maybe ... 40 or 50 chapters in, things start to unravel. The world makes sense early on but eventually the author starts explaining stuff and, not that it doesn't entirely make sense per say, but as they clear away the fog I started to realize "Oh, this world is a lot less interesting and fun that I had initially thought." The original premise is... sort of comparable to Harry Potter but written in a much more interesting way imo. But as missing pieces get filled in a lot of the mystique fades away. The villains are turning out to be very much the more reasonable people. Having a grey morality isn't a bad thing, and it isn't like the main characters are actually evil, but the whole things starts to feel kind of ridiculous. Especially in the most recent chapters I've read, 60+, where all of a sudden massive consequences pop up out of nowhere. These surprises are cartoonish stupid and feels pretty bad.

Overall, I understand why people like this. The art is wonderful, characters are fun & dynamic, and the concept is ripe with potential. But the manga doesn't hold up under pressure, like a cake built up too high, and topples over. I give it a 6/10 because I did enjoy it for a while and it would be dishonest of me to ignore all the wonderful things this manga does right, but I also wouldn't recommend it to anyone else. Depending on when you see this review, check other ones. If someone has read another 20 or so chapters after I dropped it and says "Ok yeah it has a rough patch but it recovers!" then take my blessing and give it a shot, I've been wrong before.

Story 4/10
Art 8/10
Character 7/10
Enjoyment 4/10
Overall 6/10

Renai Flops is, as I'm sure you'll notice in just the first episode, a very standard rom com; except something is off. The first 5 or so episodes are a lot of set up and character building and it's well done. Eventually plot things start happening which and it's not egregious, but don't expect to be blown away either. At this point I was thinking I would be rating the show an 8 or possibly a 9 out of 10. The romance was solid and I was genuinely laughing at the jokes. They nailed both parts of the Rom and Com!

Unfortunately, Renai Flops hits a... ... rocky patch, I'll call it, towards its conclusion. It felt like they were trying to make me care about what was going on. Funnily enough, I DID care about the plot and characters up until that point where I think their efforts had the opposite effect. The final episode to wrap things up is a step in the right direction and a... decent conclusion all things considered.

My legitimate recommendation for the optimal viewing experience? Watch the first 5 or 6 episodes and stop there. It's a 9/10.
As a complete package the full series is a weak 7/10, maybe a 6/10 depending on the day. Still an overall positive experience don't get me wrong, but it had a lot of wasted potential.

Story 7/10
Art 7/10
Sound 7/10
Character 8/10
Enjoyment 7/10
Overall 7/10