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It's so sweet.

Cute, hilarious, sad, poignant and beautiful, Pokotsu Ponko is a gentle, pleasant manga that truly lives up to the idea of Iyashikei. The story of an old, clumsy robot girl trying too be useful to humans and an old man enjoying his last years can be gut-bustingly funny sometimes, but most of the chapters are an easygoing slice-of-life story that is occasionally melancholic, but will never leave you without a smile. All the secondary characters are equally lovable and charming, seeing all the small ways Ponko changes their lives is adorable.

Underneath the cuteness, lies a story with a lot of real heart, with ... a meaningful message about the impermanence of life, the search for meaning and purpose, and the value of all the little happy moments of everyday life.

At 10 volumes, Ponkotsu Ponko is a brisk, pleasant read that any fan of Iyashikei and slice-of-life will enjoy. 10/10, we all could use a Ponko in our lives.

I have no idea how a manga this good is so obscure.

Kouya ni Kemono Doukokusu is a genuine hidden gem. The story of a young biology researcher turned into an amnesiac superhuman beast-man warrior is a rollercoaster of thrilling action that travels from Japan to Papua New Guinea to Mexico as characters uncover a complex web of conspiracies involving major corporations and world governments, while also exploring some really out-there ideas on culture, history, religion and biology, and how all of those interact and shape eachother.

Art: Exquisite. The character art is expressive and detailed, with a wonderful linework that truly captures the texture of all ... the fur, feathers and scales of it's human-animal hybrids, while the designs for the hybrids themselves are very imaginative, capturing the anatomy and unique characteristics of various animals and applying them onto a human body to create some beautifully grotesque and realized designs (and Makura, who just just regular beautiful). The backgrounds are similarly beautiful, truly capturing the feeling of being in a vast Central American jungle. The fights, meanwhile, are dynamic, action-packed, and very, very violent (the gore is not for the faint of heart, in some moments).

Story: Great. Again, it is a rollercoaster. It has moments of intense action punctuated with with subdued and introspective moments where characters discuss philosophy and religion. The plot is quite intricate, with multiple opposing factions and characters with their own goals that interact with each other, leading to frequent twists, betrayals and unexpected moments. As the conspiracy behind the Dokkaku soldiers is uncovered, the story goes into some really strange directions, as it explores the cultural beliefs of the tribes of Papua New Guinea and the ancient Mayans, leading to some really unexpected plot reveals

Characters: Also great. The characters are, by and large, very likable and charismatic, even the villainous ones. The main character, Mikado Shuuhei, starts as a typical amnesiac protagonist that is just trying to survive, but quickly becomes very proactive as he finds out the truth of what happened to him, and what happened to the girl he loves. The other characters are similarly cool. Yakushimaru Houzan is a great antagonist, being both an overwhelming menace that the protagonists can barely hold up against, and also a genuinely likable man with some really interesting philosophical ideas. Also Makura, who is a top tier waifu: fun, tough, clever, and takes no shit from anyone.

Overall: It's great, go read it. It has lots of great action, freaky fucked up moments, cool plot twists, interesting discussions of topics as varied as retroviral infections to Buddhist theology, amazing art, a top tier monkey waifu. Again, I really don't know how it managed to stay so obscure. A 10 is too much, it's not some kind of life-chagning masterpiece, but a 9 isn't enough so 10 it is. Anyway go read it.