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When I was but a wee lad, I was cursed with the misfortune of being the ill-begotten carrier of illness. That is to say, I found myself falling sick quite frequently due to my underdeveloped immune system. I distinctly remember one of those days where I was forced to trap myself in the bathroom for hours on end obeying the tyrannical dictate of my unruly stomach. I suffered an attack of explosive diarrhea. Multiple attacks, actually. It was more of a skirmish to be fair. When I thought that I had finally overcome myself and reigned sovereign over my body once again, the unfortunate reality ... was that the worst had yet to come. I felt a sickening fullness coursing my torso. I hurried to the sink. Before, clean and spotless; now covered in the half-digested contents of a hearty, delicious breakfast. Vomiting relentlessly, I began to instinctively apply internal pressure to my system to force the rest to come out. And, well....let's say it did certainly come out, from the other end.

As harrowing as this tale is, none of what I described is sufficient material to complete this comparison. Mahou Shoujo Site is one of the most vile, repulsive, putrid, horrendous, disgusting, stomach-queasingly, jaw-droppingly awful pieces of garbage I've ever had the displeasure of laying my eyes upon.

To start, none of these characters are remotely likable. The writing is insufferable. The plot is deranged. The only reason you would want to watch this show is to see people suffer, and hey if that's exactly what you're looking for in your media then more power to you, but there's nothing of substance to even evaluate from this show beyond that. Nevertheless, since I went through the self-inflicted tragedy of watching this show beyond the first episode, I will continue trying to understand and put to words the atrocities that I've witnessed.

Our hero is a complete outcast, at school and at home. Well, "home" doesn't really work as a concept here. There is no place for her to call home. Everywhere she goes she is subject to constant dehumanization. She is made to feel inferior by all. Bullied at school, abused at the house she lives in. So, to further elaborate on what I said earlier and maybe rectify it a little, Aya is not just a complete outcast to her peers and family but is someone who's treated as if they aren't even human. Actually, not even animals are treated this cruelly. She's no different from a toy, less than a living being. Now, there's nothing inherently wrong with this setup. I mean, a lot of people genuinely do live through these types of experiences. I was curious to find out how the show would take this and transform it into something bigger. Perhaps it'd be as a platform to express an empowering message of hope against all odds. Or, I could see it becoming a more of a revenge plot focused on bringing justice to those whose purpose serves only to spread suffering, but I'd be disappointed if this were the case as revenge plots tend to be repetitive, disjointed, uninteresting, and generally just suffer from a severe dearth in quality writing. How about instead of following those traditional paths, we pave something genre-defining that moves the hearts of many in a way never-before-seen, something that defies expectations, crafts characters with real human motives and personalities, and/or ignites a fervor of discussion merely around the splendid presentation of its themes?

Well, as you've already surmised, had this show done any of that I would likely consider it worthy of recommending to a few. However, this show has no powerful message or meaning that extends beyond itself. This show has no "satisfying" revenge plot. There are no endearing personalities. And, really, what themes did this show try to present beyond "look at these characters suffering! depression, anxiety, torture, you relate to that, right?". WHY DOES THIS SHOW HAVE A BEACH EPISODE?? What is it even trying to say at this point? I left to go on a desperate search for a reason to all the chaos and died from dehydration while looking for the slightest clue.

Anyways, I've said a lot and I've said nothing at the same time. I hope you enjoyed reading this! More than I enjoyed watching this show at least...

“not simple” is a short story that invites us to be a witness to a total stranger’s life. Excluding the prologue chapter, the story is told in chronological order from the days of Ian’s early youth right up to his fateful meeting with a woman who “left her family”. Most fictional stories, especially in the world of manga, have at least one element that clearly separates it from reality and/or is written in such a way that the reader knows very well how detached they are from the world being presented to them. However, the storytelling of “not simple” is composed such that it almost ... feels like we’re having a conversation with a man telling us the full life story of a man he grew to respect. For me, it’s reminiscent of having a conversation with my uncle who would at any given moment bring up a fond memory of his closest friends. And, as someone who followed the advice of my friend and read the prologue at the end, this sort of atmosphere is established in my mind without even having realized just how close to the truth that is.

The title belies its minimalistic art style. If you’re a fan of the Nishioka Kyoudai siblings or you’ve read any of Okazaki Kyoko’s work then you’re perhaps already quite acquainted with how minimalism looks like in manga form, but if you haven’t then I hope you’re able to approach it with an open mind. Most people regard minimalism as an inherently inferior artform, or at least one that isn’t able to rival the epic peaks of realist manga like Vagabond or Vinland Saga or contend with the great scores of other unique art styles that thrive in the industry. While I do hold a strong personal preference in favor of those art styles as well, I would advise to avoid letting its minimalism deter you from reading it. The manga was drawn this way with a purpose. It adds a whole new dimension to the experience, one that serves to contextualize Ian’s story in the massive fabric of life. Horrific events proceed as if they were just normalities. The victim, the evil wrongdoer, the bystander, they are all reduced to their barest forms, stripped of the exquisite individuality that you may see in most popular works. No one has a shadow. Their chopstick legs only exist so that we can be sure that they’re still human.

At the heart of its tale, “not simple” is a narrative about coming to terms with tragedy and tackling the importance and role of family. Ian is a man with nothing to cling to. His life is one of undue pain and constant suffering. Yet, there is one hope that continues to inspire him: the promise he made to his sister. While Ian has a complex relationship with the rest of his family, his sister has always been there for him. She is the one unequivocal ally that he’s had since childhood, it only makes sense that he holds his promise to meet with her so dearly. However, as he chases his sister across the world she only seems to appear to grow further in distance and even more impossible to contact. Ian refuses to surrender. His sister is the most important person in the world, how could he not? Family is not the only complex tragedy explored within these simple panels, but I’ll leave it to you to read the manga and delve into the other themes. Regardless of your attachment to your family, I hope that you do find something of substance here.

The world is cruel, ruthless, cold, and unforgiving. We chase our hopes and dreams only to find disappointment. This is the life of an ordinary man with extraordinarily awful luck. But, there’s something about his reluctance to give in and submit to the injustice of the world that is just so…beautiful. I’m not sure what this manga is trying to say, I’m not sure whether it really has a message to begin with, but if there’s one thing I can be certain of it’s that the world truly is “not simple”.

What a pleasant read! Nothing better sums up this manga so succinctly as that, but for the sake of writing a more cohesive review I must go on. For the heartless bastards like me who are content living their days wallowing in self-pity and misery, there comes a moment or two in our lives where we need something so wholesome that it almost convinces us that our unyieldingly frigid hearts can be warmed. The romantic development in this manga can be sickeningly idealistic at times, but hey if all you're looking for is that sense of escapism then this functions pretty well for you. Yet, ... the awkward moments our eager lovebirds share does give some sense of realness to this story. That feeling of wanting to do something for your partner to see their smile, of wanting to be as open and as transparent as possible, and of wanting to extend those sweet, special moments of intimacy just a little longer among other facets of love are so beautifully stirred together into this saccharine overdose of pure, utter bliss that you can't help but leave feeling a bit happier after reading a few chapters. Though this manga may not be a definitive one-of-a-kind experience or blow your mind with genius storytelling chops, you'll most certainly be left with a splendid aftertaste! Go try it out now, or maybe save it for when you're feeling down! Reading this will sweeten up a sour day for sure

In a world ruled by the laws of science and nature, there exists but one man whose sole purpose in life is to be a walking contradiction to elementary physics! His power is so great and inexplicable that minds across the world would fail to fathom it with their meager methods of "science" and "logic". He is, what one could say, an esper! So, what exactly is it that he can do? Behold! He has the power to bend spoon! And uhh...yeah, that's pretty much all he's got. Beyond that, he's just a perfectly normal dude with a cringy personality and inflated ego. Meet Souichirou ... Saitou, the main hero of our journey!...Except he's soon to find out that he's not alone in his extraordinary abilities. In fact, other espers exist with much more powerful capabilities, chief among them being telekinesis, the power to control lightning, and even straight-up invincibility. Surrounded by such talents, what is to come of our hero? How will he fare in accomplishing his visions of an ideal high school life when he gets captured in a club with these weirdos?

With a classy premise like this, the author has a lot of room to work with. ESP has always been a concept that provokes significant intrigue after all. The genre is quite well-defined and has been explored in a variety of settings and styles. However, this manga does little to add on to this corpus of work. Instead, we are bombarded with an array of vapid cliches and trite fanservice that the experienced reader has unfortunately now come to expect out of most manga. Little is done in way of building up convincing story arcs and this can be seen no clearer than in the final arc which was honestly kind of a complete mess. This would be perfectly fine if the series committed to being another schlock run-of-the-mill slice of life, yet it throws these ridiculous wrenches in the way of that goal that will leave you with a bad aftertaste. If you go into this manga expecting either some kind of cohesive story or to have a relaxing time reading a laid-back slice of life ecchi with the theme of espers, you'd leave disappointed on both fronts either way.

That's not to say that this manga didn't have its moments though. Although the characters lack originality, I did enjoy watching them interact with each other and handle situations as they unfolded. However, the abrupt ending does leave us with a dearth of meaningful development.

While I did have some fun reading "Saitou-kun wa Esper Rashii", I left disappointed due to the qualities it had lacked. Overall, I think this manga isn't too far off from what I've come to expect from most random reads. Those who love ecchi slice of life will like this series more than I did.

When I first read this manga a few years ago, I thought it was terrible. I did not find any enjoyment in the themes explored, I struggled to relate to any of the characters, and overall I felt like the manga failed to make any kind of strong, powerful statement that would stick to me, seeing as this is the type of manga that appears to have something to say. However, now that I’m reading it again, I’m starting to see that maybe there is some merit to this manga after all.

Now before we delve into what made me reconsider my stance on ... this manga, let's first address what I still hold my grievances towards from my first read: the art. The manga's jarringly ugly art style, in conjunction with the unforgiving walls of text, makes the experience of reading this manga feel like a chore at times. This manga was not easy to get through for me, not because of the content itself but because there was nothing particularly inspiring with how it was presented. However, there are certain moments where you can see a lot of thought put into the timing of certain panels, such as the events that unfold in chapter 4. The juxtaposition of Kannonzaki's adulterous sex presenting itself as a symbol of life and pleasure with Yamada's dire revelation of his secret discovery and the pain he lives through everyday providing a somber contrast to that symbol.

I thought this was a nice analogy with quite brilliant, thought-provoking execution. It makes me think back to the way Haruna described her first time with Kannonzaki (“Sex without the purpose of reproduction holds many contradictions and mysteries”). In this chapter, we witness the first of many contradictions: sex for the “fun” of it. Many people, such as Kannonzaki, seem to strongly hold this idea of sex as an inherent act of love, yet those same people have no qualms having sex completely devoid of it. Whether or not sex implies love is a question outside the scope of this review, but it's certainly true that people behave in incredibly contradictory ways when it comes to love. The way this manga observes Kannonzaki's attachment with Haruna and contrasts it with how he continuously acts in contradiction to this supposed attachment serves to illustrate to the reader a wonderful example of this phenomenon. This was a compelling theme and I think it’s quite well explored within numerous other moments of the story as well. I would delve into more of the nuances, but I'd rather not spoil any more of the story than I have to.

Getting back to Yamada’s pain, I want to get into how Okazaki explores the theme of bullying in the context of romance. Kannonzaki’s merciless harassment of Yamada is nothing short of being utterly disgusting. Haruna does try to restrain Kannonzaki in some ways, but for some reason she chooses to preserve her superficial relationship with him instead of following her moral compass and protecting Yamada. Personally, this relationship frustrates me to no end. Sure, Haruna has poured a lot into this relationship, especially considering that Kannonzaki is the person who she gave her virginity to. Yet, after the horrific acts of torture that Kannonzaki commits against Yamada, why would she do anything other than break up with this asshole? It’s simply something that I don’t understand. However, perhaps that’s the point of it all. I believe that with this complicated relationship, Okazaki offers quite a somber reflection about the limbo state of prolonged futility that many relationships exist under. This relationship exists solely to benefit Kannonzaki’s own ego and to the sheer detriment of Haruna’s happiness. And yet, what is there to hold Haruna back from breaking up with him? It's a question that many of us struggle to ask ourselves. Maybe there's some deep-seated fear of abandoning the status quo, perhaps the social repercussions of a break up would be too much for Haruna to handle, or it could be some other reason that only Haruna could ever truly know. Clearly, it feels like there’s a specific target audience that this manga seeks to relate to. This is a story about trauma and grief. But also, this is a chronicle of our many vices as fragile beings. The things we do to seek attention, the things we do when acting out of our deepest insecurities. A lot more happens in this manga, but again, I'd rather you read the manga for yourself and reflect on your own about those parts.

This manga seeks to tackle a lot, and it does so succinctly. Ultimately, this manga is a statement about how bubbling emotions and our self-obsessed egos work hand-in-hand to foster tragedy. Yet, despite my praise of the themes that I found were explored quite well, I honestly believe it should've honed in on one or two specific themes instead of attempting the Herculean challenge of crafting a multidimensional masterpiece in just one volume. Ideally, it'd be the themes I mentioned in this review. I haven't even addressed some very prevalent aspects of this manga, like Yamada's sexuality, his girlfriend, and anything relating to Kozue because I feel that these aspects weren't nearly as compelling or well-explored. Nevertheless, I enjoyed what this manga was able to accomplish and I’m glad I gave it another shot. Overall, I think this manga does a solid job at bringing up certain issues about love, both the love towards others and the love towards oneself, but feels bereft of much of its potential depth due to its tediously zealous onslaught of ideas and a general sense of over-ambition.

Have you guys ever wondered what your friends taste like?

...

Wait, just hear me out. Before you think I'm some kind of weirdo, I swear this is a good introduction...well, good enough. Anyhow, this is the story of the cannibal princess who enjoys eating her friends.

In the first chapter, we’re introduced to our main protagonist Era, the mermaid princess of the sea, who is friends with many of the fish around her and deeply revered within her community. She spends her days helping her citizens get through their insecurities and is resolved in her goal of making this idyllic kingdom an even happier ... place. Essentially, Era is the image of an ideal princess.

But, Era is hiding a secret from everyone. A secret that she can't afford to let slip. A ghastly habit that would condemn her to the lowest levels of fish hell if revealed. A yearning for something so frightful that it would send chills down the spine of any fish unfortunate enough to learn about her true nature. It all started when she made her first trip to the surface to pay respects to her friend…by ordering him at the restaurant that caught him!! Intending only to bear witness to what had come of her fishy friend before her own eyes in order to pay respects... she then proceeds to eat him after being tempted by a customer who claimed it would be the only way to send the fish to heaven! However, this would unfortunately set forth the utmost heinous of cravings, the craving to eat your own friends.

Throughout the manga, she struggles with confronting her reprehensible longing to consumer her fellow brethren, her immense guilt overwhelming her at certain moments leading her to confine herself in her own bedroom. Yet, whenever this happens, the death of one of her friends inevitably prompts the inescapable urge to visit the surface to eat them. The other fish believe that her voyages are solely for the purpose of paying respect to the lost souls, but little do they know of the true horror that goes on behind their backs…

Of course, like any other self-respecting manga fan, I just had to see how the author would develop this story and what themes would be explored under the vehicle of such a unique premise. However, I unfortunately find this manga to be rather lackluster in those departments.

Upon my initial read, I felt profoundly disturbed by its concept. I mean, wow this really is just cannibalism portrayed in a comedic light. Era’s constant refrain of “I’m sorry _, but you taste so good!” is delivered comedically, yet she is depicted crying during every single instance. Clearly, she's facing an internal struggle and is in constant mourning over her uncompromising desire to commit sin. This all works together to set a tone of dark humor, yet I didn’t find this theme of the manga particularly all that funny. Sure, it was an engrossing concept for the first few chapters, but it quickly tires out. In fact, I'd say that I found Himada’s goofiness much more enjoyable than the whole "I'm sorry bro, but you taste so good" schtick. Maybe I’d be able to enjoy the comedy more if I didn’t binge every manga I read and instead opted to space it out. However, I believe that any manga that professes to be a comedy should be funny enough to binge regardless. Comedy series ought to be very careful when relying so much on one running gag like this manga does.

The author tries to include backstories for the fishes that get caught and attempts to use Era’s consumption of them to be some kind of pinnacle or conclusion to their story, as if they were really being sent to heaven by this dreadful act. These backstories serve to add a bit of unique flavor to each chapter and offset some of the staleness, but I don’t really know how to perceive this in juxtaposition to Era’s moral conflict from a plot perspective. Perhaps these moments of resolution in the fishes’ stories are merely elaborate illusions crafted by Era’s desperate mind to convince her that her actions are not entirely evil. I particularly enjoyed the scallop’s story, I felt that it was well-executed and honestly surprisingly thought-provoking in certain ways. Other stories were also a cut above the rest, such as the story of Bonito and Nakajima. However, many of these chapters still felt bland and and were hardly taking us anywhere. I get that this series is structured as more of a weekly ordeal but there were clear storylines that the author could have approached and dived deeper into that I feel were not given sufficient exploration. To mention a few things: I wanted to see more of Era’s character struggle and her helplessness in addressing it. I wanted to see more of Ryo’s past. I wanted to see more of Era’s history with Tuna. Finally, I wanted to see Sango’s development to be slightly slower-paced. She seems to turn into an entirely different character all too quickly after her first trip to the surface, but nevertheless I have to note that the fact that the whole side plot with Sango exists at all was a great decision by the author.

Up to this point, I thought the manga was quite a decent read in spite of its flaws. However, reading the final chapters left me with a bitter aftertaste. The two chapters preceding the finale make absolutely no sense to me. In these two chapters, Era develops in a way that is completely uncharacteristic of her and this was not done in a convincing way at all. The manga was clearly rushing to an ending, and I can only assume that this manga presents yet another case of the axe phenomenon. Even if the manga was being axed, I still feel like this definitely wasn’t the way to go. The author does make sure to hone in on the theme of friendship for the final chapters, a theme that was thoroughly explored in previous chapters and is perhaps the centripetal concept of the whole story, nevertheless it does so in such a hackneyed fashion.

The final chapter does end in quite a comedic way, which I’m quite glad to see. But somehow its plot feels even more contrived than the events preceding before it. It’s not like what happens in the end technically came out of nowhere, but the finale was not given enough space to breathe and just isn’t compelling whatsoever. Maybe in some alternate dimension it could've been written to make sense, but unfortunately that isn't the case. I honestly think the manga would’ve been better off if the final arc focused more on the series’ dark humor rather than trying to take itself seriously and delivering some kind of half-baked “meaningful” conclusion.

Overall, I enjoyed this manga for what it was. That said it’s definitely had its fair share of highs and lows. I would recommend it to fans of dark humor looking for a lighter read, though I’d advise you to not go in expecting brilliance.

An amazing conclusion to an amazing anime. Mob Psycho 100 is nothing short of a modern masterpiece, and a huge step in the right direction for the anime industry. The goofiness of Reigen’s salt splash, the inner struggle of Mob’s character growth, the idleness of the Telepathy Club, the burning passion of the Body Improvement Club, Teru’s growth as a person and his transition from villain to hero, I loved every second of Mob Psycho and I’ve barely even begun to scratch the surface of all the little things that make this show so great. For all the supernatural elements it has, Mob Psycho feels ... like one of the realest shows I’ve ever watched, and this final season does a great job at conveying a sense of finality while also letting us know that Mob’s story doesn’t end there, that his life is an ongoing cycle of change just like our own.

To begin, I’d like to comment on how beautiful the animation of this show is. Ever since I watched the first episode, I’ve fallen in love with the show’s artistic style and sheer creativity in expression. And I’m glad to say that this season does not disappoint! The Divine Tree arc was replete with excellent battle animation and everything felt incredibly smooth and pleasing to the eye. Mob Psycho is not afraid to take artistic liberties to draw out the deepest emotions a character is feeling, and it does so in a way that is so utterly unique that it effectively crafts its own visual identity. Not to mention how perfectly the soundtrack and voice acting complement the entire experience. Watching Mob Psycho is an unforgettable experience, and every episode reels you in with the show’s charm and individuality.

I’ve always been very fond of this show’s style of humor too. Even in the most serious of moments, this show always finds a way to make the viewer crack a smile. For example, during one of the most intense fights in the series towards the end of the Divine Tree arc, Mob’s ridiculous-looking monkey shirt is revealed and, to his chagrin, is immediately met with the line “You have such shit taste”. It’s these brief moments of levity amidst climaxes of emotion and plot that really makes this show shine. Of course, Mob Psycho isn’t the only show that attempts to pull off this type of absurd comedy, but it remains among the most capable I’ve ever seen.

Now, onto what really made this season just as good as the other two: the plot. This season concluded everything that the show has been building up to in quite a beautiful way. The last episode with the scene of Reigen having a down to earth talk with Mob is something that I feel like I’ll remember for decades to come. It’s moments like these that really proves to me how real this show is. Reigen’s struggles with being a fraud is something that I feel like I can heavily relate to deep down, because all my life I’ve been living under these facades made to please the people around me, to appeal to what everyone wants me to be. This theme was explored with profound depth in season 2, but reaches its climax in season 3 with Reigen’s confrontation with Mob. I also really appreciated watching the Telepathy Club arc. It made me think about the regrets I have of not doing enough in high school, but what it does even more so is inspire me to live out doing the things I truly love so I won’t feel such things in the future. And of course, in Mob Psycho fashion, the arc concludes in perhaps the most absolute wildest way imaginable and was just a pure joy to watch. Finally, the Divine Tree arc’s message about dreams and figuring out what’s really important in life struck me hard and made me reconsider the path that I was taking. Am I truly satisfied with pulling out all stops in order to set up the perfect future where I make the most money I can? Sure, it’ll fulfill my dreams of affluence and grandeur, but it’s not worth it if I lose myself in the process.

Mob Psycho 100 is a show that’ll always stick with me. While I’m sad that it has come to an end, I’m more than satisfied with this final season and this series as a whole. For me, everything about Mob Psycho is 10/10.

I often look back to simpler days. Days where I had friends that I could rely on to celebrate my successes and console me through my failures. Days where I didn’t have this overwhelming feeling of solitude engulfing my heart. Perhaps those days are nothing but a daydream, conjured by my fanciful imagination. But it’s a rather nice illusion to have, even more so a nice dream to chase.

“Kaoru Hana wa Rin to Saku” is a manga about love, friendship, and crossing boundaries. More importantly to me, it's a manga that encourages its readers to seek out the same. Friendship is a beautiful thing. A ... good friendship is one of the few things that makes life worth living, but it’s so hard to find people that care about you, right? Well, friendship is a mutual endeavor. It requires mutual effort, mutual care, and mutual compassion. If you want to be friends with someone, the best first step is to initiate that effort on your own and show them that you care. This manga best exemplifies this through Hoshina Subaru’s character.

Before we go there however, let’s go back and look at the context that builds up to it. Rintaro, our MC, is a boy who attends the completely unremarkable all boys’ Chidori High School. Through the cake shop his family runs, he meets a sweet girl named Kaoruko who he soon finds out attends the prestigious all girls’ Kikyo High School. There exists a strong animosity between these two schools that gives the series a sort of Romeo and Juliet feel to it. However, it’s not exactly the main focus. What’s more important across this series is the power that lies in the strong bonds of friendship.

Enter Subaru, Kaoruko’s best friend since childhood and someone who staunchly believes that Chidori and Kikyo should never intermingle, influenced by her fear of boys. Subaru’s introduction presents an obstacle to the development of Rintaro and Kaoruko’s relationship, but it's not an obstacle that Rintaro finds impossible to overcome. Through his actions and sincere attempt to understand Subaru’s worldview, she is moved into eventually accepting that Rintaro is not the image of the awful delinquent kid she had in mind.

Subaru’s friendship with Rintaro, though it may seem cliche as I describe it, is something that sprung powerfully and moved me quite a lot. However, it’s not the only instance of love and friendship in this manga, far from it. In fact, there’s so much to talk about that I’m feeling intimidated just thinking about it. This manga wastes no time in developing its cast of characters, everyone feels like a real person and has their own strong personality and sense of identity. For example, there’s Uzami. He’s a very energetic person, eager to celebrate his friends’ successes and always ready to have fun. We’ve all seen characters like this in anime, but Mikami Saka writes Uzami in such a way where you can really feel the meaning in what he says. We all know that one friend with too much energy, and Uzami feels just like him rather than just some cliche. It's hard to describe without spoiling some of the deeper plot points, so I’ll leave it there.

I was also impressed by the depth of Rintaro’s parents. They’re surprisingly well-developed characters, you can feel his mom’s pride in her son and his dad’s passion in baking. They, too, feel like real people. They also give excellent advice and treat their son with utmost love. I’m realizing that I’m struggling to find ways to express exactly why these characters break the mold, but perhaps it’s simply in the way the manga is written. No moment feels cheap. No moment feels empty. Everything is working towards something, the gears of the manga are always moving, and I love that.

The art of this manga, as others have mentioned, is stunning. Every character actually looks unique and different from each other, and the background art is quite nice. Certain panels, such as Kaoruko’s smiles, the sunset at the beach, etc. will be engraved into your mind, whether you like it or not!

I suppose I could rant on and on about the various aspects of this manga that make me love it, but I don’t know if anyone would find any interest in that haha. It seems like I’ve already ranted for quite a bit, but I hope I’ve gotten through my love and appreciation of the series to you!

This has to be one of, if not the best high-stakes murder mystery manga out there! From beginning to end the whole ride was nothing but thoroughly thrilling and energetically enticing. Damn, this shit’s even got me speaking in alliteration, that’s just how epic it was!

The title really intrigued me the first time I saw it, "My Dearest Self with Malice Aforethought". I mean, you gotta admit that sounds badass af. That would be a sick album title, so of course I absolutely had to check this manga out. Woo boy, it definitely did not disappoint!

I find that high stakes mystery series often focus too ... much on the insanity of their characters and lose sight of what makes this whole genre so damn interesting in the first place, the tactics with which these characters interact with each other. It’s the psychological traps and mind games that are going on behind the scenes that enrapture my imagination, I don’t give two shits about how insane a character unless it plays a genuine role in the deductive reasoning of it all. So many of these series, such as "Dokuzakura", "Juujika no Rokunin", and "Happy Sugar Life" fail to capture the level of intricacy created within this series and that’s what sets this apart! Characters are not crazy just for the purpose of being crazy, almost everything feels like it solidly builds up to everything else and the plot twists keep you invested the entire time.

There's a fine line between a work of good psychological intrigue and pure doggone hogwash. It's not easy developing such a complex structure while also mapping a perfect plan through which to deliver it to the reader, but this manga executed that amazingly. My only gripe with it is that it’s a little too long. I appreciate the elaborate detail, but when it comes to thrillers I prefer that they don’t indulge in certain story arcs for longer than they need to. This is something that I was disappointed about when I read "Death Note", I felt that after a certain point it didn’t need to go on for longer. Regarding this manga specifically though, I’m talking about the whole arc with Skall and Yashiro Sai that was towards the beginning. That’s just my opinion though, and at the end of the day this was a magnificent read. If you’re one of those people who care much more about the ending, don’t worry this manga pretty much handled it perfectly!

I highly recommend "My Dearest Self with Malice Aforethought" for anyone looking for a convoluted mystery with great delivery!

To me, slice of life has always been a rather lackluster genre. It’s never made much sense to me how people enjoy watching mundane characters partake in the least thrilling activities imaginable. I understand that the point is to let yourself lie down, relax, and stop worrying about things, but I usually find myself in this state of mind-numbing boredom whenever I watch it. And this boredom is different from relaxation. How do I know the difference? Well, that’s what Non Non Biyori taught me.

Before I watched the show I came in with the expectation of “it’s just another one of those slice of life ... shows”. I like to give things multiple chances, and I think it’s really unfair to definitively say that an entire genre of anything is “bad” or “not for me” if you never give it the opportunity to impress you in the first place. So, since Non Non Biyori seemed to be a respected title among slice of life fans, I decided to give it a go…and man, I sure am glad that I gave it a chance!

So what makes Non Non Biyori so different from the typical slice of life experience? Well, to start, watching Non Non Biyori is so much more than just “watching mundane characters partake in the least thrilling activities imaginable”. It’s a love letter to the beautiful simplicity of bucolic life. I’m assuming you’ve already read the synopsis, so I won’t bother explaining the setting that it takes place in, but the way in which country life is explored in this anime is simply marvelous. It’s a celebration of kids being kids, an ode to the wondrous journeys of childhood where everything was new and our teeming curiosity was limitless. Seeing Renge getting so excited about things like the first sunrise of the year. Seeing Hotaru being overjoyed at the sight of snow and stretching her arms out to let the vibes embrace her. Country life being explored in such brilliant exuberance, this anime has perfected the delivery of its message.

The joys of Non Non Biyori don’t stop there! I was already impressed by the first few episodes, but I would be remiss without at least mentioning my favorite part of it all that was shown in one of the later episodes. That moment where the candy store lady’s history with Renge is explored absolutely melted my heart! It was so adorable! I do want to talk about it more, but I have to keep the spoilers light lol.

Ahh, this is what true relaxation is, my friends! It’s about appreciating the beauty around you, being at one with the world around you. Even writing this right now, I feel at utmost peace. And for those who live in the city, don’t sweat it either. Though Non Non Biyori commemorates country life, it makes sure to avoid bringing down city life in doing that. Renge’s sister, who moved to Tokyo, actually much prefers city life and for a little bit we get to see Renge being envious of how cool city life must be. Hotaru, who came from the city, exists to contrast this as she’s come to prefer the country. I believe that by doing this the show wants to highlight that both environments are part and parcel to the beauty of life, it’s a really positive show!

Moving on from that, I want to at least briefly mention how masterfully produced the ambience of the whole ride is. The music is nice, the animation is always either cute or legitimately stunning, the voice acting is amazing, and of course the characters are all wonderful in their own individual ways! You can really feel the close-knit vibe between everyone, like how one of the characters is just referred to as “Dagashiya” (lit. “Candy Store”).

In the spirit of Non Non Biyori, I want to make it clear that my intention is not to bring other slice of life shows down to highlight how much better it is. I just want to say, for those like me who often don’t find slice of life a particularly enjoyable experience, please give Non Non Biyori a chance. You’ll be pleasantly surprised!