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Do you like character-driven dramas where run-of-the-mill underdogs initiate some psychological manipulation and even engage themselves in puppet mastery? Do you not mind if the story takes its time weaving everything into its own place? If you answered yes, then My Home Hero might be one for you.

*A spoiler free preview at 150 chapters*

My Home Hero is not a flashy series in any sense. The characters and events are rooted in mundane life and even the more outlandish elements introduced have never left me feeling they couldn’t exist or happen in the world I know. This is a story about people who have ... different takes on what law and happiness mean to them and that presents blacks, whites and different shades of grey which generate most of the conflict and tension in the story. Our main character Tetsuo is a gentle and boring everyman who ends up fighting giants with his own weapons and making unexpected allies and enemies along the way. All in all, I could say in its core My Home Hero is a family drama with heavy thriller undertones.

Currently My Home Hero has reached a point where Part One and Part Two have been wrapped up. The first part of the story is quite a traditional cat-and-mouse game with rapid plot developments and turns of events. The reader gets to see all the essential points of view of the story, but the focus is always on our main character Tetsuo. The second part of the story burns a lot slower, introduces a myriad of new characters and shifts both the milieu and the focus of the story. Initially I didn’t like the shift because I really enjoyed following Tetsuo’s attempts in Part One to outsmart both the criminals and the cops and steer them away from his trail, but as the second part neared its conclusion I realized what has been happening: while Part One concentrated on showing us how Tetsuo perceived the world around him and reacted to it, Part Two showed us how Tetsuo and his actions looked like through the eyes of other people. It connected past and present and made me feel actions in this story really have consequences, and the impact of those actions could be viewed either horrendous or justifiable, depending on who to ask.

My Home Hero is a story that requires some commitment. You might enjoy the first part and dislike the second or vice versa. The first part of the story is more fast-paced and exiting, while the second part builds more gradually and almost fools you to think it is not as crazy, uncomfortable and brutal as it turns out to be. There are some bumps along the way, but I think the readers patience is always rewarded in the end. The question still remains: is My Home Hero more about going ever higher and higher or falling even deeper and deeper? That, my friends, remains to be seen.

What kind of heart is the heart of a samurai? What it means to be a warrior? How about brother? Lover?

Wild and weird, Peacemaker Kurogane is a continuation of Shinsengumi Imon Peacemaker. Definitely not for everybody's taste, this historical series is based on real events and people of the late 19th century and renders an intriguing picture mixing historical facts, fictional characters and even some supernatural. Foremost, I feel this is a war drama wrapped in some bizarre and flashiness making it suitable enough to fit the standards of action shounen.

*spoiler free*

A war story. If the first series was mostly about Tetsu's plans for ... revenge and events leading up to the moment that defined Shinsengumi's reputation, the second part sets out to deal with the consequences - good ones, bad ones and shocking ones. The more you are familiar with Japanese history the more you know what to expect when the last flames of Tokugawa regime burn and the new age is creeping in. Our main characters are still the mighty Shinsengumi with some of the manliest, sexiest and cutest portrayals of them I’ve thus far encountered, and the clash of worlds and beliefs told from their viewpoint is what has been making the story for me.

A coming-of-age story. We also have the kind-hearted Ichimura brothers. At the start of Shinsengumi Imon Peacemaker Tetsu was an adorable kid who burned with hate and passion, and his older brother Tatsu was more like a wimpy comedy relief. Boy, how far have they come! As of chapter 90 of Peacemaker Kurogane both are almost unrecognizable. As with all the characters, I’ve really enjoyed how the chaotic times have made them walk down paths they otherwise might never have chosen. They have learned some lessons and matured, and their ideals have been challenged – how it has affected them, is for you to find out.

A story about friends turned enemies. There is a myriad of viewpoints told mainly from the perspectives of Shinsengumi and new government forces, and keeping up with who is allied with who and what happened where can become long-winded. Your enjoyment of the story might hinge on whether you have patience to wait for the narrative to connect. The start of Kurogane can also be a deal breaker because it feels super out-of-place and the transition from the first series is not that good. There is also the issue of messy layout, but fortunately there is a significant development in how the story is structured and presented making it much easier to follow, and I feel that at the moment it’s really crisp and enjoyable in every way.

A sweet and bitter story. The first part of Peacemaker wandered into some dark territories and I can only advice you to brace yourself with this one. That said, Nanae Chrono can really do tragic that punches you hard in the gut. This is not a misery-fest though, because there is also a lot of lighthearted moments and silly comedy, which is probably an intentional choice to tone down the grim and heavy source material and make it more approachable for younger readers. Still, I like the serious moments best, because the author can create very powerful and memorable scenes. Ugh, I have never wanted to spoil anything this much! Uniforms! Can I just scream uniforms?

A luscious story. Nanae Chrono’s character designs have always been superb; I love her style which is clean-cut and a bit stiff, and her characters usually have that "I just emerged from a bedroom" vibe no matter what archetype they are. I think the art department - well, every department in this story - shines in character interactions and when building towards emotional situations but suffers in battle scenes because they are not as dynamic as they could be. I can forgive that because the action is not the main attraction for me here and the characters and their interactions more than make that up. As usual, everything gets better over time as all the weird antics that bugged me at the beginning get toned down.

A story about ideals and beliefs. Turmoils of war are never pretty and leave no soul and body unscathed. The whole Peacemaker franchise is pure nostalgia for me but lately I've caught myself waiting every new chapter with ardor and terror, which is a testament to how good it has become. I love how the story has a crazy approach to its subject matter with some questionable choices in narration, characters and art. It also manages to feel realistic and still have that carefree shine. Like I said, definitely not a series for everybody, but a challenge with a reward for adventurous and patient readers!

TL;DR
Peacemaker Kurogane is weird and wonderful historical drama. It might take some patience to get past the transition part from the first series and definitely requires you to be interested in historical facts, but I foresee you will be rewarded with a gripping tale about samurai soul and honor. Recommended for Shinsengumi fans and those who have an interest in realistic history stories with some shounen tropes. To be approached with an open mind and a packet of tissues at hand.

More sports and underdogs? Generic as hell, sign me in! If you are a sucker for depictions of team play and growing stronger together you might want to give Harigane Service a shot. As of today, it hasn’t been fully translated though, and you should note that this is only the first part of the story which continues in Harigane Service Ace and is still ongoing.

*Spoiler free*

In a volleyball court scaling from absurdity to reality, this series is somewhere between the attack lines; it’s rather realistic and low-key sports drama with a few over-the-top elements and some crazy character designs but what’s most important ... – it’s really fun to read!

The story starts familiarly with a group of first years entering their new school's volleyball team. You can guess what occurs next, because the pattern is quite basic. That’s not necessarily a bad thing though, because if you like the formula, there’s nothing to complain here. Additionally, I could say there were some particulars that made me enjoy Harigane Service more than just any average story of the same species. I felt there were legit tactics and thought put behind most of the gameplays and enjoyed the realistic touch with character dynamics and their reasons to bond or not to bond; even if you’re not a happy family your team can learn to play together and acknowledge each other’s strengths.

The biggest thing that boosted this story upwards to me came from its main character Shimodaira. He is a humble hero who’s easy to root for and feels like any normal guy except for one peculiar starting stat which comes from a lot of practice. Regarding that, it was refreshing to see a main character who had learned some extreme skill not because they especially wanted to or were especially gifted in it. Shimodaira is not a one-trick pony though, because in the course of the series he not only hones his initial skill set but also commits to learning stuff he always wanted to do, and seeing him try new things and pulling of good plays in different situations is really cool. Through him we also get to experience a mental trauma and fear of failure, and seeing him grow as a player and a character made me feel like a proud mother.

The characters are a typical bunch of varying personalities and their looks really emphasize that. Their designs range from pretty boys and girls to the extreme – those eyebrows…! If crazy designs don’t hinder your enjoyment, there’s a lot to like. Don’t expect anything too deep or phenomenal, but if you like to see everyone getting their moment in the limelight and a team learning to trust each other, your wish will be granted. Also, the more you like Shimodaira, the more you will like the direction his personal journey goes.

The pacing is my only major complaint, because at some parts the story seemed to drag unnecessary around minor characters, and some matches I would have liked to savor went by too fast. The matches also felt a bit disjointed and could have been easier to follow but the key scenes were always made well. The ending could have also used some more chapters to really process what had just happened and therefore feels a bit rushed, but all in all the story ends in a good place and wraps up storylines that needed to be wrapped at this point.

The reading experience was enjoyable and there was something cute in the way how down-to earth elements were mixed with crazier ones. Fans of sport stories might not find anything particularly shiny or new in this one, but some details are capable of raising it above average and making it a series well worth a try.

TL;DR
Harigane Service is a mix of drama, feel-good elements and some shounen extremes sprinkled here and there. It is comfortingly familiar and chill but also sports some intense moments. Expect to see estranged childhood friends, insane ball courses and unibrows, take a good position and go for it.

Legendary delinquents, one masked hentai, a quest to become one of the coolest protagonists in history. Ever heard of Nanba MG5?

*A spoiler free preview*

Chapter one, page one. The sturdy auntie next door appears and I know I am going to love this one. Full of expressive and silly characters, Nanba MG5 is visually interesting and definitely different. Somebody might say it looks ugly, but I think it is enjoyable and remind you not to judge the book by its cover. Keep reading.

The story starts when our main character Nanba Tsuyoshi, an infamous teenage delinquent decides to go against his even more infamous family’s wishes; a ... decision which ultimately leads to secrets, lies and problems. Having a double life means double trouble! Nanba MG5 is a story about Tsuyoshi’s balancing between expectations and his own desires, crazy situations, loony people, and of course – fighting.

The story has a quirky, comical air but there is a fair amount of drama and moments that are capable of tugging your heartstrings. Silly and good-natured, the story also becomes involved in some serious topics and I think it handles them better with each passing arc. Many things are played for laughs, but the lines are drawn when needed, and even the goofiest characters have their own dignity. A crucial theme is Tsuyoshi’s relationship with his family who he feels could not accept him for who he is.

Tsuyoshi is an amazing character and the mainstay of the story. He is the type of guy who is unable to stand back and watch when others are about to get hurt or mistreated. Even if he is super strong, the fights are never boring and fighting does not solve everything. Along the way Tsuyoshi becomes acquainted with some interesting characters involving a girl of his dreams, a delinquent-wannabe and a bunch of super strong fighters going for his head. Being a yanki manga there is bound to be a good amount of - yes, the thing I love yanki manga for - bromance.

Nanba MG5 is truly a series I would call obscure. A straightforward fighting shounen with silly comedy, drama and roughness, it also possesses something indescribably endearing. There are hot boys and hot girls, awesome main character who likes to go shirtless and bros that have your back. Is there anything more you could ask for?

TL; DR
Nanba MG5 is a quirky manga with amazing style. Recommended for people who are interested in delinquent stories, peculiar art, characters with secret heroes of justice identities and series which need more love.

Imagine a battle manga with Ziggy Stardust as a main character. Wait! You don't actually have to do that. We already have Nanbaka, where everyone is a glam rocker.

*A spoiler free preview*

Oh, those Idiots with numbers. An oddball among oddballs, Nanbaka has become a series I'm faithfully following despite finding it a bit boring and awfully paced from time to time. I'm fond of the characters, love all the colors and sparkle and totally adore the art.

Nanbaka both is and is not what it looks like. If you come for the comedy, you won't be disappointed, but that's not all you will get. Be ready ... for whirlwind of emotions, because this gig will be long and full of surprises; even a wacko comedy can be incredibly dark.

The characters are dazzling, hot and interesting and everyone is a badass in their own way. The Nanba prison is full of individuals with different motives, skills and stories we get to unfold one by one. The story arcs can become incredibly dragging with all those characters whose backgrounds we're going to have to discover on the way, bu there's always something interesting enough to keep you reading. While Nanbaka might not be the best at creating a harmony between comedy and drama, those parts sometimes work incredibly well while solo.

The art is dynamic and just phenomenal. Character designs are gorgeous and everyone is clearly familiar with both their masculine and feminine sides. The full-color format is fully utilized and shows the author's skills with coloring; be prepared to put your sunglasses on while reading. The characters are expressive and the best part of the whole series must be Jyugo's eyes; they change color from panel to panel, something the anime version couldn't bring to life.

Dazzling, odd and idiotic, Nanbaka is a series that does everything with style. Battle shounen with boarding school vibes, colorful characters and even more colorful art, stupid comedy and tearjerkers, it's definitely something worth checking out, like it or not.

”Look, dude, it’s just a game, right?”
”Just a game. Sure. And death is just...a long nap.”

Bus Gamer is one of the coolest things that never really came to be; instead, it remained an obscure piece of original work for Minekura fans to worship. What is it all about then?

*A spoiler free review*

A death game. In 1999, the same year Bus Gamer started publication, a novel called Battle Royale also saw daylight. Sharing many themes and ideas with it, Bus Gamer is a death game in urban environment. Having the core plot of fighting for survival in predetermined locations, using your wits and environment to pull ... through tricky situations and trusting either in yourself or the teamwork until there’s only one winner left - that sounds like something that became a big hit in the next decade. Bus Gamer is definitely not among the first survival or death games out there, given the whole battle royale concept originates from ancient times, but it is undeniably one of the first new generation stories before the boom.

A prologue. As Minekura herself has stated, Bus Gamer: The Pilot Edition is like a collection of ideas and a prologue to the longer series she had in mind. The Bus Gamer that ran from 2006 to 2009 is the reboot of this original and was intended to become the main series– it has unfortunately been on hiatus ever since. The Pilot Edition throws us in the middle of action and manages to create more or less coherent story with its existing chapters - too bad the story ends just when the main players are introduced and we have started to get somewhere.

Characters who have bite. It wouldn’t be Minekura if the story wasn’t full of these charming, emotionally damaged, ass-kicking snark knights. Easy to like, harder to figure out, Bus Gamer’s main characters Toki, Nobu and Kaz are brought together to play a game where knowing who to trust and when might be a key to survival. The story gives us some hints about their pasts and reasons to participate but hasn’t enough run time to explore the characters more deeply. That said, the character interactions are really enjoyable, and the dialogue translation is guaranteed golden age Tokyopop entertainment with mad one-liners.

Blatantly '90s. Mini discs, diskettes, flamboyant trench jackets…welcome to the period drama my dears. The setting could be any big city from its time, and the urban feeling is always subtly present but never getting in the way of the colorful characters. The goddess of pretty boys and girls is on the roll, and her art is always a delight to see. Also, brownie points for Minekura to have her characters play a Saiyuki game in the arcade.

Some degree of cult reputation? It would have been interesting to see what kind of series Bus Gamer could have been had it not suffered from publication problems and author’s personal problems. It has a simple idea, it’s easy to follow and the characters are interesting and likeable. I would have loved to see more of it.

TL; DR
Bus Gamer: The Pilot Edition is the original Bus Gamer story, an action flick with survival game themes, simple plot, engaging characters and huge potential that never came to be. A must read for Minekura devotees and recommendable for experimental people, '90s lovers and old school death game fans.

Pretty guys in suits? Check. Pretty guys in uniforms. Double check. Pretty guys in each other's arms? Bring my sedatives please.

*A spoiler free review*

Mitsumei is a refreshing little story about star-crossed lovers and warm feelings in cold Russian winter. It's more delicate than smutty and would be great material for BL virgins and people who love mafia or military spices in their bishounen stories.

The story and characters are surprisingly solid for a series this short. The wold feels genuine and has a strong European feeling in it. There is even a plot that actually makes sense. If something, the first half of the story is ... very different in tone than the latter one and trusts the reader to equally enjoy some floating fluffiness and the more thriller-like drama.

The art of Mitsumei is clean and sophisticated and the cover picture was actually the thing that drove me to read this. Like I said, suits and uniforms. Can't resist those. The main characters were super attractive and made me want to lick my screen. I tried searching more works drawn by the same artist but couldn't find any so doesn't it make this one sort of a collectors item?

In short, Mitsumei is a beautiful, timeless story about love and friendship. I would recommend it to everyone in need of a little breather story and to those who want to try very gently dipping their toes on the yaoi well.

You don't read stories like this because of their groundbreaking qualities; you read them because they can be so much fun.

*A spoiler free preview*

First, I'd like to point out that this is not a story about national socialists. The 卍 symbol in the series' name is a Buddhist symbol, manji. The original character of prosperity and good fortune has also become popular youth slang in Japan with an array of cool meanings, and regardless of its intended meaning in here, Tokyo Manji Revengers makes for one heck of a cool name.

Comradeship, bromance and bad blood - that's what gang stories are made of. If you're ... drawn to them like me, this one won't let you down since 99 percent of its characters are some sort of juvenile mobsters, gangsters and thugs. Our wimpy main character Takemichi is an ex-delinquent who discovers he's able to travel back in time and embarks on a quest to make things differently the second time around. As we can guess, turns out that changing the past is not so easy and can alter the future unexpectedly.

If you prefer you stories solid and logical...Tokyo卍Revengers doesn't have much of that: time traveling is like taking a taxi, outrageous plot twists just keep coming and sometimes there's so much going on that the story seems to forget what its primary target was. For those who don't mind, the story can be crazy engaging. I found myself slightly interested at first, somewhat immersed later on and at the moment I'm craving to know what kind of turn it's going to take next.

The more I have gotten to know all the characters, the more I've liked them. Our main guys are the Tokyo Manji Gang aka Toman, whose infernal conflicts and struggle for power against other gangs lay the foundation of the story. Takemichi is the kind of phlegmatic character who has to discover his guts and resolve in order to take action in the middle of all the fighting and scheming. Being a cry-baby, the butt of all jokes and chronically clueless, he's still a sympathetic character who has made me say time and time again "That's my boy!". Also, his puppy love with Hina is the sweetest.

What I really like about the art is how much effort have been put into making different hairstyles, clothes and accessories and how great the characters look in their badass styles. In general, the art is good and fitting and simple enough to follow with ease even in the action scenes.

Despite the never-ending plot twists, Tokyo卍Revengers is actually a pretty simple story. Simple, and cool. The characters are already my bros and I'm interested in seeing how the upcoming scenarios are going to play out.

TL; DR
Tokyo卍Revengers is a railway engine which prefers the journey over destination, gradually accelerates and takes random routes at intersections. Recommended for people who like bad boys, ass-kicking and getting thrown in the face by constant cliff-hangers and turns of events.

Thoughts become reasons, take action, cause consequences. They form new thoughts, new reasons, new truths. When individual truths turn inter-subjective, societies are bound to break and change, for better or for worse.

*A spoiler free review*

Devils’ Line. Seeing the cover, reading the synopsis, it has all the same makings than every other dark and brooding vampire romance out there. Well, colour me surprised. What I found was a thrilling police drama with decent action, complex relationships and ever evolving storytelling. Having a strong focus on politics, power struggles and discrimination it’s also an interesting study on society. Starting out as a cute romance, it never forgets ... to throw in some steamy moments either.

What I really like about Devils’ Line is that it’s not afraid or embarrassed to present us subject matters that are rarely seen, controversial or even plain taboo. It won’t judge its characters either; it’s up to the reader to make their own verdicts. The characters are treated quite impartially and almost gently, and we get to see inside every player's head and learn their backstories and motives, which blurs the line between good guys and bad guys and sometimes turns the situations upside down. The story maintains a level of realism, showing us a world that could be our real world and in a metaphorical way actually is, and creates a bit apathetic, yet alluring atmosphere that finalizes the story’s identity.

There are also things I wish were made better. The start of the story concentrates on our main couple’s relationship and is sweet and silly at its best, cheesy and predictable at its worst. After making some rather cheap moves, the story starts to find its direction out of the generic monster/human love story route. Speaking of love stories, there’s a lot of them, and while diverse and interesting, they can get a little exhausting, especially when it comes to our main couple. They’re the sweetest cinnamon rolls, but the places where the story starts to drag are regrettably the ones where their relationship is given more focus than usual. From there we’ll go to the next stumbling block which is...

The art. The art style greatly defines a story. At first, I thought I was reading a shoddy Korean web manhwa. The kindest thing to say would be that I became really fond of those bobbleheaded figures with their creepy, tiny raptor hands. And that I loved Anzai’s emo forelock, it was genuinely sexy. It’s not that I hated the art, despite being clumsy it actually fits and brings some cute innocence to the story and makes the characters sympathetic and approachable. The biggest flaw is that there are a lot of characters you gotta remember, and they can be hard to recognize or tell apart. Heck, one of them even gets a heel-face turn treatment, emphasis on the word Face. The art though, as usual, gets a little better, and nobody can say that it isn’t unique at least.

Devils’ Line is also a modern take on the vampire genre. Being a lover of everything vampire, I think Devils’ Line does a great job with it’s purely scientific approach to the subject creating modern, almost zombie-esque creatures called devils. Having no myths, no folklore, devils are urban creatures fitting the story’s urban environment. The mysteries surrounding them and their origin is one of the longest running sub plots of the series and in my opinion one of the most intriguing as well.

The characters in Devils’ Line have something endearing that makes it easy to like them. I found myself caring and becoming invested in their - usually contradictory - missions only after a couple of pages and wanted to know more about them. The focus is on character dynamics rather than their development, and being a study on society and its individuals it rewards you the deeper you go. My only real complaint with the characters is that while mainly realistic, their thoughts and actions considering romantic relationships were sometimes incredibly naive.

Devils’ Line has moments that warm your heart, break it or make it throb with excitement. It’s easy to read and easy to like. For me the most enjoyable aspects were the police and mystery features and some great side characters with interesting stories. There’s a fun mix of fluffiness, erotic lust and intense action moments – the” zombie house raid” must be one of my favourite scenes in a long memory, resembling a chilling mission in my all-time favourite game Vampire the Masquerade Bloodlines. The pacing is quite fast and tight, and while not able to dodge all the sinkholes along the way, the story delivers and manages to end in a pretty good place. Don’t forget to read all the extra chapters, either!

You don’t have to become a superhero or a badass to make a difference.

TL; DR
Clumsy and weirdly charming, Devils’ Line is a story about society and the individuals’ struggles to change it. It’s a story that evolves and grows, delivers surprises and makes us chase after mysteries. Recommended for people who like police and detective stories or societal studies and won’t mind it glazed with romance.

"They say wolf is a creature that won't feel lonely even if it's alone."

Warm, touching and full of heart. Something that makes you cry tears of happiness. It's not often you find a gem like that among the forest of generic romance stories which many times feature incapable protagonists, shallow and frustrating relationships and endless cycle of misunderstandings as a plot device, but with this manga I was left with feelings so sanguine it almost hurts. Hereby presenting: Bambi to Dhole.

*A spoiler free review*

"Are wolves scary?"

Bambi to Dhole is the more serious, down-to-earth type of story. It's like a love child of Bitter Virgin and ... Taiyou no Ie - both worth a read - incorporating many of their key elements: characters who feel like they don't belong, family issues and taboo-worthy secrets with the strong backdrop of romance. There's sadness and hope, likeable and believable characters and tiny amount of candyfloss all woven together beautifully. While not rid of some typical shoujo romance tropes, it's quite self-aware and manages to keep its paws on the ground delivering us something that tastes like real life.

"Who is the wolf now?"

The characters are what really made this story for me. I love gals and guys who act tough and consider themselves misfits without really trusting anyone around them. In here we have the adorable, two-faced Fawn who hides herself behind the perfect girl act and the bit of a bad boy Wolf who shows indifferent face to cope with his life. Together they clash, spark and start to mature from their one-dimensional views of themselves and the people around them.

The main leads had good chemistry and felt realistic down to their thoughts and actions. Their relationship with each other was the hide and their relationship with others the fur of the story. I liked how people were shown in their best, in their worst and in between. Being relatively short, the story didn't have time to fully explore all the relations presented, but I felt that all the characters got a good conclusion.

"They say wolf is a cruel and lonely creature but the truth is that it cares a lot about it's family."

Seemingly generic, Bambi to Dhole somehow manages to tackle expectations. With its good pacing, wistful and beautiful tone and sensible manner to treat its characters and their issues it creates a well-balanced story about love in it's different forms. Accompanied with fitting, simple and fluid art and a good comic timing it's a total sleeper among other shoujo romance stories. Recommendable to everyone in need of something warmhearted, moving and relatable.

Oh, and the last panels are something that would leave even the hungriest wolf satisfied.

TL;DR
Bambi to Dhole is a coherent story distinguishing itself from most shoujo romances and succeeding in its depiction of how different types of relationships can form and change. A nice mix of drama, romance and great character development will leave you blissful and wanting for more.