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Bartender is one interesting piece of media, which provides us with insight of the nightlife bar venues in Tokyo, the people whose work is to manage them and the people who provide their service to the customers. As much as the bartenders serves drinks, they also provide entertainment for those who desire it, and could be good listeners for the more somber customers - this is one of the many more points that this show proves.

This protagonist of this show is Sasakura Ryu - the prominent and charismatic bartender of Eden Hall, the so called "Glass of the Gods". In his representation, we ... see a lot of the before mentioned traits that his line of work expects him to have, but on top of that he's person who is extremely perceptive of his surroundings, and his clientele's physical and mental state, which is his personal style. On top of that, he uses his craft to cater and refine the cocktails he makes so that they'd cater to everyone's personal desires, altering or straight up re-imagining the drink in new form and way to provide perfect service to those that are in need of it.

But this story is one that is not focused on him alone - rather, it presents a view point to the whole bar entertainment industry and the proper etiquette while being in that kind of establishment, which is certainly a reflection of the experiences of Jou Araki, the mangaka that this work is inspired from.

It's impossible to not mention the first adaptation of Bartender from 2006, and their differences. The newer work sticks closer to the source material, and presents us one more inexperienced and flamboyant version of our protagonist - his laid back demeanor and more carefree attitude is hardly evident in the previous version, in which we saw him as this gallant, refined and soft spoken gentleman. The support cast is far more evident and has much more screen time than in the original series, but they feel like much different people, more playful and silly. In short, the current adaptation feels as it is much more lighter, relaxing watch, but in the same way, a bit more prone to fit in tropes - many of the characters behave and express like caricatures of their former selves, including the protagonist. Also this adaptation is much more focused on the story's plot and it's development, while the original show provided more of an episodic, self contained vignettes of stories, but the way that they were developed, and the way that it used clever, often mind-bending cinematography, as well as much more somber, almost psychological approach, made the series absolutely phenomenal for the niche of watchers that enjoy exactly this, myself included.

The dark and enveloping night, the bright street lights in defiance of that, the soft and comforting voice of the narrator, exploring yet another human fate on the canvas of this episode - a well defined character, often lost in his desires that they can hardly express properly, and the feint, gentle smile of Ryu, accepting their presence as yet another customer he'd provide his craft for, by this way alleviating their anxieties. In contrast to this, the remake of Bartender provides story that is a bit more simple to consume, and is a bit more cheerful and joyful. In the same sense it also means that this newer interpretation is more appealing to the casual watchers who are not quite ready for the contemplative psychological approach to the version that 2006 has, but in the same sense that doesn't diminishes the current adaptation's qualities.

In a sense, both adaptations provides two sides of the same coin, and in my opinion, both deserve our attention and praise.

Husk of Eden is in itself, a war story that has very untypical setting. The whole cause and reason for these conflicts are vague and uncertain, we rarely see or hear any motives of the higher-ups for the whole situation, and the story is traced through the eyes of many foot soldiers, usually in their teens.

This work, however, is masterful in one thing, the genuine portrayal of these young people's psyche, their emotions and thought as they go through the motions of being soldiers in a war that they hardly find sense in themselves to wage. As they live in ... this reality, they do get close and attached to their fellow soldiers, and bit by bit, they do share their life stories, as their melancholic thoughts of the past mixes up with their anxieties of their current lifestyle.

The focus of the story is clearly, the portrayal of the mental state of the people who are forced in the reality, in which war is the only option for resolving the conflict. In this world, teenagers are being recruited out of desperation, to protect the sacred city with the symbolic name of El Dorado. In fact, the story is imbued with a lot of religious symbolism, starting from the character's names, and the fact that this is war, which suppousedly is being led for religious reasons. There is mystery surrounding it's importance and origin, but the orders are absolute, the protection of the holy city, despite the costs of life.

The ambience of this manga is one of somberness and one of tragedy. A lot of personal fates are destroyed, families ruined and lives forfeited, all for this one grand cause that has zero to no personal significance for any of the combatants. They are drafted to join the fray either for their own personal reasons, which they try to justify through their months spent in patrolling, skirmishes and recuperating from the traumatic experience they're witnessing on a daily basis. Despite the fact they're guarding holy site, there is nothing that signifies their dignification - they live, die or try to exist in the boundaries between these two absolutes, fighting for a cause that's never theirs and suffering on their own.

War is a state of struggle, in which every person involved in it fights back with both his body, mind and psyche. It has no clean cut definition, on which everyone agrees upon, and nor does it needs - for every single person it has it's own meaning and it brings forth specific sorrow and grief.

As a manga, Break Blade tries to explore just that, using multiple characters, countries and conflicts, and it's runtime it manages to mold up and shape a personal and touching war story, filled with regret, anxiety and pain. As long as that, it manages to be ... a story about loss of innocence, almost discarding one's own rose-tinted glasses of naivete, and looking unflinchingly through the disillusion that once was there. But, amidst the themes of despair and violence, one can also find a glitter of hope, despite the cruelty surrounding them, the characters are trying to grip into something they love, believe in and hope for and enter the chaotic sandstorms with decisiveness.

Art wise, the manga provides, interesting, even if slightly confusing early on, battles and fights. The mechanical details on the mechs on every single country and faction had been kept consistent, proportionate and solid, the action scenes are varied and nicely presented, at a few moments the battlefields do lose it's details, but the strategic movements of the units is kept grand and in perspective, giving the reader very detailed and engaging viewpoints.

The characters cast is vast, expanding upon multiple factions and various social standings. While juggling with that large cast does means some of them could be undeveloped or straight up forgotten, for the most of this manga's run, this is kept to a minimum. It can be said that the ending does feels rapidly wrapped up, leaving some political and relationship threads hanging, as far as the main characters are considered, all of them are neatly concluded, with minor, or major, but in any case, some kind of conclusion.

As far as the art for the cast goes, it is neatly consistent, presenting us with satisfying detail in the character's emotions and feelings, their personal moments of turmoil, victory, greatness or downfall. As well as in the mech details, the various uniforms and clothing in the different kingdoms are well defined, and cleverly thought out, representing their lifestyle, habitual differences and cultural definitions.

The initial and gripping world building of the start does keeps it's momentum, even if it does staggers in a few moments. The various sieges and battlefields were thoroughly presented, with a lot of attention to the movements and the maneuvers that the mechs, as well as the supporting it infantry does in order to outmatch their opponents. For a fantasy setting, filled with mechs, the technologies and strategies does feel highly inspired from the medieval warfare - ladders for breach, as well as anti-ladder machinery for the defenders, usage of battering rams and heavy axes and hammers to break the main gates, the attention on the guard for holding these gates as well as to fortify their tower nests with sniper units - all these small, but intricate and nuanced small bits does show the mangaka's appreciation and understanding of the situation, in which the futuristic clashes with the medieval, and in which the sophisticated meets the primitive.

While most of the cast deserves it's own mention, I do believe the main character in this work to be very interesting, and consistently built upon, character wise. While he starts as a pilot by sheer luck, something very common writing for this genre of story, his development is quite engaging. While as the story progresses, he does shreds bit by bit his simpleminded and childish outlook on the life that surrounds him, as well as for his relationships with his friends and fellow soldiers. He slowly, but surely finds out how warped, narrow minded and cruel this war makes him, but even so he still has his kind and generous, humble and welcoming side of him, which makes his character much more complex and engaging. This is not a story about how life hardens you, but rather, a story about how conflicts and wars change people, usually evokes the worst of them, and brings nothing but misery and destruction in it's aftermath. There are no glorious heroes, or grand victors, just people, surviving this massive massacre, which scars them for life, and shows them how frail and precious life can be.

As the name suggests, this manga's name is reflective of this creation - it could be chipped down, and battered, but it manages to be this immersive and touching war story. It could feel both gritty, but also emotional, and touching as a story. As the name suggests, this is a story about one raw, and unshaped person, who never liked fighting, to embrace the destiny that had opened to him, but in the same time, it is a story about this person, being traumatized, broken down and plagued by his fears, regrets and grief while fighting for the things he sees meaning in.

Nothing in this life is perpetual, and not considering that and taking it into consideration is something we often don't do in our busy and hectic lives. The streets of the places we live in, the people walking on them, the buildings surrounding us, our families and relatives and the everyday interactions we have with them - in a sense, most of our days feels the same, and in this monotonous pace and routine, we often do lose the value of time, and it's implications.

But everything changes once you get a timer, and the deadline of your existence is something that ... you do know.

In this story, we do follow the daily lives of two people, and the small but oh so relatable reasons for them to be happy, mad, anxious, or giddy about their everyday experience, all while trying to shove off and stave the constantly looming thought that they are terminally ill, and their lives are close to their end, despite their young age.

While the topic of this work is in theory, a tragedy from the get-go, along it's way the author managed to imbue it with much more than the melodramatic gloom one would expect, but rather, it shows the beauty of their characters, who try to do their best, to cling to their hopeless and fruitless dreams, and to eventually become a full-bloomed human beings, even just for a bit. Instead of the saddening and somber husks of a beings, their encounter and the time they spent gave them something to long for, something special and sincere - appreciation for who they are, despite the factors that plagued their lives, and a simple, but genuine desire to spend more time together. This manga can bring everyone to the simple realization that the time in this life is our most priceless commodity, even thought it has no price or value by itself.

While the art is decent, there are not too much details in this work in this sense. Instead, as expected, a major focus is being put on the expressions and emotions that transitions from the characters, which are vividly portrayed, with all of their somber and sweetening splendor.

While in a sense this work is not one that breaks the standards or opens new grounds for the medium, I do believe it is a manga that everyone should give a shot at. Everyone could find different ways to appreciate it, their own values to find within it, but in general, I do believe this is a story that's worth experiencing - for it's tasteful and graceful portrayal of people, who are on the verge of losing themselves in their own sorrows, but who manages to go forward, despite the pain that follows them, for the fact that it shows the human soul in it's essence, as something frail that we're scared to get exposed towards everyone, but to constantly seek the special someone to whom we'd feel comfortable exposing our vulnerabilities and anxieties, and as well as a story, which is about the very relatable feeling of seeking for happiness amidst the despair, as well as to evaluate one's own existence despite any solid basis on which to compare it to.

Hot Milk, as it's cheeky name, is a work that you can get what you're getting for in the first 2-3 chapters. In a sense I can get why it's Seinen, but in the same way it's not very deserving of it, since it's humor is pretty teen oriented, at best, and while on a conceptual level the setting and character dynamic does sounds fun and interesting, it's execution definitely didn't live up to that.

The story in this manga centers around our main protagonist, who is this laid back, slightly trashy badass of a person, who in a twist of ... fate starts to work for this cute and ditzy girl, who's named bizzarely Milk (that's why the manga is called Hot Milk, get it haha ... ). After that, the manga follows the formula of, Milk, being the Mary Sue of a character, sees person in trouble, which means she'll try to help them in any possible way, be it plausible or not, which would in turn means our main character (who is a Gary Stu in a sense too) devolves into a mix of mascot and unfunny caricature of a person, and tries to keep Milk safe from harm. Rinse and repeat that formula for 10 times, and you got this manga's plot.

The characters of any importance are our main ones, and they feel very dry and simple. In a sense, they act in this very basic and formulaic way, they act reckless and as dumb as straightforward you'd get , and eventually everything turns out perfect for them, which honestly makes it difficult to get interested in them. Also Milk, while not being in action is used for cheap fanservice, while our bodyguard is your friendly neighborhood pervert.

The character art is fine, and fits for a comedy, which is the only thing that's not really problematic for me.

I do believe that this manga is alright if you feel really bored and you wonder what to read - it's comedy is weak at best, as far as narrative goes, it's very uncoherent and annoying read, the characters are more or less annoying. But even so, if you are that bored, there's so much more manga to pick from ...

She is in the Summer is, at it's core, a bittersweet love story that had happened in the past, which in a way could be relatable to everyone. The clumsy, awkward meetups, the pretext to hang out and to share the time together, can be situations we've all experienced and could make us reminisce about our own story, which is the main emotional drive for this work. Following the story, we have our protagonist, who returns to a place in which he was a transfer student, and in which he was able to meet a girl, who he fell in love ... with, but then again the present and the past are different.

Concerning the art, I believe it's fitting and nice. The artist had made an effort to replicate in his work an actual town, down to the streets and particular for this place sights, as the decorative rockets, and lighthouses, which does provides us with a sense of grounding up the story. As far as character goes, their design is basic, but cute, forgettable in a way, but still provocative and/or sweet when needed.

The characters and their interactions are quite, cliched in a way. That might not really be a problem, but even so, it's a reminder for the people who looks originality and novelty to probably skip this work. Most characters operate, governed by one simple trait, being exposed in them for the end of the run, but even so, being sweet when they have their moments together.

I do believe this manga is enjoyable, in a sense that is not pretentious, but rather simple story about finding out for the first time that you can also hold these romantic feelings in yourself, and the slow but certain switch from mostly caring about yourself, to cherishing the person beside you with everything you've got. It's also a nice reminder to not hide nor hold out your feelings for the others, since all that remains after is just regret, and unfulfillment.

Champagne, is a peculiar manga. If you've read Bartender, from the same author who made this work, you know what you're getting yourself into. The story revolves around an university teacher who has strong interest in champagne, and throughout the short stories you witness, he strives to help the others of getting over their worries and problems, oftenly by using his expansive knowledge of this liquor, and using it as a metaphor on which he builds upon his viewpoints and solutions.

As far as art goes, it certainly is good enough to present you the stories and get their point ... across, but it must be said the painstaking detail in which the various bottles and their small details were displayed.

The characters might feel a bit underwhelming and one-note, but then again they don't feel irritating for being such. The main character is simple, but yet charming individual, who is trying his best in explaining how this drink is something much more than a collection of brewed ingredients.

I do believe this work can prove interesting for a specific type of people, one whose are interested int the meaning and the thoughts that were put in, rather than the finished product. This is a manga that relies on you to think and reflect upon the stories that are told, as well as a work that do advises you to think outside the box, to trace the things to it's roots and to respect the history behind the creation of champagne. Since, it's merit as a liquor can be so much, but the true appreciation and richness it represents is often concealed in the emotional, and historial aspects of it's existence.

Kekkai Sensen, is an interesting case. This shows feels like a hotpot of styles, and ideas, which by itself, is something very fresh and novel, compared to the tame and formulaic shows, being churned every year. But then again, I can see why this show can't really fit in everyone's bill of "Something I can like and be entertained from", for the simple fact that it does shows you one very colourful, and vivid entertaining picture, almost like watching stained glass panel, but if you're not really invested in the characters or the universe, or the way it's presented, you can totally take ... this beforementioned image for just random pieces of coloured glass, with no coherence or much point of existance.

For the sake of objectivity, I must say, the story's setting and premise, and the concept of the show is borderline banal, and something you've probably seen a lot. This is not the show's strong point, so for the seekers of tight scripted, narrated driven story, with well defined acts - this show is not about this. The show's execution on the story department really does feel like one of the mangaka's older shows - Trigun, or another good example is Samurai Champloo.

The show's art is great, as well as the action choreographies, or the comedy skits, constantly changing the camera angles, or sometimes just stopping it, the show's a treat as a cinematographic sense, also the colour palettes really fits well with the setting, the rustic and dusty battered streets and buildings with the blazing and vibrant colour palettes of the character's abilities and all this.

The show's sound direction and OST are very well defined too, and crafted with good care for the setting and mood they're going for. 50-60's groove songs ? Check. Fast paced, jazzy battle themes ? You got it. Ambient and refreshingly calming classical pieces (Eric Satie's Gymnopedie 1, for the intersted) that really gravitates the viewer into the melancholy of the characters ? All''s there.

Character-wise, hmm, they sure are well crafted, conceptually, and their variety and quirks really fits like a glove for the show's setting, being this megapolis of demons and humans, with their distinct excentricities. The cast is memorable and entertaining to watch, even just for their banter alone. It has to be noted though, as far as character's depth, it leaves alot to be desired.

Is this show entertaining? Surely, there are decent amounts of hooks for alot of people, the fight scenes are nice and fluid, the animation alone is very quirky and expressive, the character design is memorable, the OST even by itself is a killer, and for the whole worldbuilding aspect of the show, it's very intriguing. Also, the show itself has very subtle irony of itself and it's setting, which is a nice touch.

Is this show for everyone ? As I've stated above, not really, tho if you're looking forward for something fresh, and non-stale, or you're a fan of Yasuhiro Nightow's other works, you can sure see his storytelling and infuences all over the place on this show.

Twin Spica is a by itself, a simple story, about a girl, suffering through life's hardships, but never swaying away and chasing her dreams. This sounds like story you've heard and read countless times, and a story we've learned what to expect from, in the grand scale of things. What makes this story standing out from the others, is how gently and sincerely it's explained, it's seeped with alot of feelings and drenched with bittersweet melancholia, which makes the experience so much more personal and impactful.

As mentioned above, the story is straightforward, and you can even call it, stale, if you ... don't get emotionally invested into the characters. There are often times where a flashback chapter is being done, explaining certain people's circumstances and motivations, which did helps out tremendously into fleshing out the characters in the long run.

The artstyle is perfect, this is something that can instantly drew you in and invoke the manga's feelings and themes to you. The characters are very appealing, and cute, their design has the round curves and oval shapes, added with alot of gentle shadows and beautiful, instantly recognised expressions, which overally evokes feeling of honesty and acceptance. Also, the simplification of the characters' faces when shown from a distance is something that Kou Yaginuma nailed perfectly, you can instantly emphasize and relate to the situation when you see their faces and emotes, created by very few or single strokes, but explaining volumes of content. Also the general background art is phenomenal, and it by itself can make one emotional, spacial care was given to cityskapes, forests and the skies, and the city shots at the start of each chapter perfectly portrays the city in which the main group resides.

Character wise, I do believe the characters are what makes this story relatable and evoking your empathy for every single of them. Everyone of the main, and good majority of the minor characters are very likable, and their sorrows and aspirations are presented in a slow, and revealing manner. It can be said that some side characters doesn't get fully developed, but their involvement is more or less to enchance and reinforce some of the themes, we do have enough differentiating personalities from the relaxed and gentle Shu, Fuchiyama, being very stoic but dependable, the shy and introverted Marika, the heart of the party, and the emotional leader of the gang, Kei, and Asumi, who glitters like a tiny star iteself.
While not entirely story related, the author decided to include a couple of short stories of himself, his life and his struggles at the end of each volume, called "Another Spica", in which he explains his drives, emotions and gripes he had in his life, and how he got inspired to even write this story in the first place, with the idea that the characters in this manga can be heard or seen on the streets in the real life. This, added with his melancholy and forlornless of his struggles, is something that really made me even more empathetic towards him and his work.

All the single cmponents of this work are very good, but as they blend the results are even better. The story is easy to follow, it's pretty gripping ride and yiou'd like to read the next chapter right away. Even though the work tackles topics like how the technological improvements of our age might replace the need of human labour on some places or how the whole country is left scarred from a national tragedy, the manga also keeps it's romantic and vey idealistic aspirations. The topic of dreams is maybe the most major one, and through the eyes of all the characters, theirs are presented. Some of them keep their dreams as the last beacon of hope, others had discarded them long time ago, but they are feeling the weiight of them every single day.

This work feels like one, very personal piece, made with alot of hardship, but carrying alot of love and affection. It's sincerety can probably be felt as excessive, and too mellow, but, at least in my case, it managed to shatter my cynical and realistic worldview, for a few brief moments, and made me contemplate. Who knows, after checking this work, you might as well aim for your dreams, desipite the tough road ahead of you.

This manga depicts the relationships of our main character, Heisuke, with his schoolmates and a kid that he has to take care of after school. In theory, this could be pretty entertaining setting, in which you can have your emotional moments, as well as calm ones, while having the realistic and believable background of a story. Did this manga provided something close to this ? Not really.

Story wise, the start and the pacing was interesting, new characters were added, they had their short cameos here and there, and initially it was entertaining. But then again, into it's mid-point, some characters are ... straight up thrown away, for no good reason, and instead we had a bunch of chapters, that feels like they almost repeat themselves, since the character's banter and the situations they get into are extremely same-y, to the point that you feel that as you see a character, popping up, you know what will happen to the end of this chapter. Sometimes, this may be taken as praise, but certainly not in this case.

The manga provides very simple, mostly based on quirky facial expressions kind of presentation, which is certainly fine enough for stories of this genre, but then again it's nothing to be remembered of.

The characters of this story are extremely trope-y, very one dimensional and straight up boring. Everyone can be explained by one sentence, and the same goes for the main character, which really doesn't help the reader to be immersed or represented into the story. On the topic of main characters, Heisuke is probably one of the least likable characters, since his relaxed and laid-back pace of doing things eventually can end up making the readers annoyed and dejective of him.

The series more or less depicts realistic settings, but the characters feels like cardboard cutouts in them. After the repeatable concept of almost all of the chapters, you can actually ask yourself why are you even reading this work, considering there is zero to none emotional or relatable value, as well being absolutely predictable to a fault.

I do believe there can be people that could enjoy this manga, if they are having disjointed reading schedule, and feel problems with picking up story driven manga. There might also be people who enjoy the semblance of chemistry that our characters have, or people who can feel that they can get into the main character's shoes.

But this manga is a perfect example of a work, by which the people, trying to get into the slice-of-life genre can wholeheartedly say, that this genre is too boring and has no coherently established characters, nor they are able to channel any emotions to the reader.