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Feb 14, 2018
From the author of Eyeshield 21 and the artist of Sun-Ken Rock comes Dr. Stone, a shounen manga that's familiar, yet is new and innovative compared to any current manga running in Jump.
From the very start it introduces Taiju - your typical but inspiring "usual" shounen main character. We see how the world has changed while people have been petrified for over 3000 years. Not long after Taiju's escape from his petrification he encounters his best friend Senku - a smart and resourceful friend who seeks to find the cure for the petrification. As we follow their search we soon find out that the
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true protagonist of this series is Senku, and he will be there to stay as the protagonist.
What's interesting about this is that the author "misleads" the readers into thinking that Taiju's "the power of friendship" mindset will cure the petrification, but it actually focuses on scientific ways to solve it with the help of Senku. This is also what this series does so well. It's not a manga that hypes you up with fighting or playing sports, but rather it does so by introducing discovery, hope, and science. Science that is actually true to life (except obviously having some creative freedom).
This is backed up by beautiful art created by Boichi. If you've seen his previous work you'd know that he focuses making his drawings as extremely detailed as possible, though he's not able to always do it here given how it's a weekly manga.
The story starts off with a simple premise, and what Senku wants is very clear, and that gives this manga a sense of purpose and an end goal. Throughout the story we the readers are engaged in how the story will unfold, how Senku will find a cure for the petrification and how he will build a new society from the ground up. And this hopeful mind and this sense of discovery is what keeps me waiting for a new chapter each week.
I would say this manga is phenomenal and has the potential to become a staple series in Jump's lineup.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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May 22, 2017
I'll start this review with this phrase "Don't judge a book by its cover", or rather in Watamote's case "Don't judge a manga by its first 40 chapters". The reason for this is because the first 40 chapters are somewhat of an introductory storyline where you essentially learn about the MC Tomoko and her socially awkward, and somewhat petty personality. Although it does get monotonous throughout that, and I'd recommend you just skim through those parts if you don't want to be bothered.
But after that, the manga slowly starts to take a shift in tone. It all starts as Tomoko tries to reconnect with her
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old friends, thus requiring her to socialize more than what she's comfortable with, which creates some rather hilarious moments. As the manga goes on more and more characters are introduced, and their interactions with Tomoko and her obscene and straight forward language makes way for what is one of the most hilarious manga that I've ever read.
Besides the humor you also do get a sense of progression of the plot through following Tomoko's journey through high school (or junior high?), working on herself little by little to overcome her social anxiety. But that is not really what is important, since it's essentially a gag manga that is episodically structured. Rather than that, focus on secondary characters are emphasized in the later chapters, with each character bringing a unique and absurd dynamic to the story.
It felt like it was never going to develop further when I read the first 30 chapters, but I'm glad I picked it up again. If you follow it past the 40 something chapters it's a manga well worth the read, and its sure to make you laugh uncontrollably every time. Also I recommend you don't watch the anime as it likely only encompasses the pre development chapters (1~40).
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Apr 11, 2017
Harem. A genre that myself and many anime and mange fans are anal about. A genre that is used 99% purely for fanservice. A genre that is vastly generic, and bluntly everyone is sick and tired of by now. Well you must be wondering why this genre so common is, even though what I'm describing is basically dogpoop. Well for one, it's easy fanservice, by making the cast as diverse as possible. Second, you make a roster of characters that you don't have to develop because they already have strong individual personalities. So what does all this have to do with this manga anyways? Well,
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the whole premise of The World God Only Knows (TWGOK) is based on the Harem genre, and it is an exemplary story that makes the best use of this genre and here's why.
First and foremost you have the protagonist Keima Katsuragi that is a Gal gamer that has devoted his life to the "2D" girls. But after a fated encounter with a shinigami called Elsie, he gets bound by a contract wherein he has to free evil spirits from girls (conveniently), by making them fall in love with him. So with no way to escape from the contract Keima sets out to free the spirits using his gaming skills he had accumulated over his lifetime. It is critical do make your main character (MC) likable in a harem genre as the story will most likely revolve around him. Unlike many other harem MCs (I'm looking at you Nisekoi, High School DxD, Infinite Stratos, etc.), Keima is intelligent and calculating, and he's an otaku. In fact he is the least likely character to be harem manga lead, but that is exactly the reason why his quest to conquer the girls is so intriguing. He knows that the girls have feelings and doesn't intend to make a love dodecagon (12-sided polygon) for 200 chapters.
TWGOK's author succeeds in what countless other artists have never even bothered in trying to succeed. It's the female characters. Harem genre demands strong characterization from female characters in order to stand out from each other. Thus most authors don't feel the need to develop them any further except maybe the 2 or 3 main girls, leaving them as a Japanese archetype indefinitely. TWGOK deliberately tries to stray from that path by seemingly introducing the girls as archetype characters, but as the story goes on each and every one of them has a development to a certain degree. Their reason to like and dislike the MC are all explained through the story (rather than the MC being a "nice person").
As the story goes on, it has its ups and downs, but it never strays from its original charm and originality, you would enjoy it as much as you did when you first started reading the series. Along the way you also have an intriguing overall story complemented by a fantastic "harem style" art that doesn't have blatant ecchi in it. And like any long running series, you can see the artist's improvement over the years.
Read this and you too will maybe realize the powers of the almighty "God" that is Keima Katsuragi.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Nov 4, 2016
Boku no Hero Academia, a Shounen Jump manga for the "new generation" of mangas that is regarded as a successor to Naruto by many, is to me, still looks like it hasn't hatched from its egg. What I mean to say is that this manga has an incredible potential, but always backs out when it's trying to break the barrier from a good manga to a great manga.
From the summary you probably would've guessed that this is your typical Shounen action manga. Optimistic MC is always neglected by everyone, but starts changing the minds of people around him through his sheer will (and with the
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help of a certain someone). And as expected it goes by the typical route where his determination inspires the people around him for the better, and that can keep you invested in the manga for only so long.
But what really caught my attention where the villains. In a world where a hero association with superhumans exist with a sole purpose of defending the citizens, it's only natural that a community of villains will exist. But rather than doing typical villain stuff, their purpose is still somewhat of a mystery. The part that makes them interesting is that they bring a whole new dynamic into the manga. They challenge the very ideals of those heroes, and gives the readers a sense of what drives them to do what they do. A good example of this is the anti hero known as Stain. The moment they appear they show a real sense of risk, turning the manga towards a darker, yet interesting road.
But here's my complaint. It never really goes over the tipping point. Just when you think they're gonna do something to really impact the hero society, they just back down. It feels like a cop out, when in fact if the author decided to take the risk it would elevate the manga to a higher level.
While I'm on the subject, I'd also like to talk about how the heroes use their powers. A big problem for me was that although this manga focuses heavily on the usage of super powers it never goes about it creatively. Sure every arc the heroes learn a new move or something, but there is an example where during a fight the main character was in a situation where nothing he learned could be used to make it out. But rather than losing the battle, or coming up with a new way to use his powers, the author decides to use a deus ex machina, which is one of the things I despise most about any stories.
Despite these flaws, I've been reading it avidly, hoping that at some point the author decides to take the risk and make use of its great potential to make it become something big. But until then it's nothing more than a fun read for anyone interested in mainstream action shounen.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Oct 11, 2016
This manga, albeit very new has gotten my attention well enough to prompt me to write a review. With the ending of popular series like Bleach and Naruto, myself and many other people have high expectations from the newer generation of authors. And I believe that the authors of Yakusoku no Neverland have great potential.
YnN starts off with Emma, a happy go lucky girl who spends the days of her life in pure bliss along with all the other orphans. All the kids there enjoy their carefree everyday activities like playing tag, eating delicious food, and taking an extensive IQ test with absolute focus... wait.
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It is at this moment you realize that this is no ordinary orphanage, but the kids who grew up there are completely oblivious to that. It is not until Emma witnesses the horrible truth about the purpose of the orphanage that is encircled in walls that she and some other orphans begin to wonder about mysteries outside the orphanage.
I kept my summary vague to keep the element of mystery intact, which the authors do a phenomenal job of keeping you intrigued while still maintaining a steady pace. It is especially important because that is one of the aspects that keeps you coming back for more.
The other one are the characters. The main character Emma is at first glance the typical shounen character beaming with optimism. Her character is somewhat reminiscent of Gon from Hunter x Hunter, that is, a feral, stubborn, bright, but also very calculating. In fact all the main characters are depicted to be smart in their own way and for a good reason. Unlike many shounen characters who are frustratingly stupid, the characters in this manga would do and think about all the things the readers are thinking.
My only fear for this manga is that it hopefully won't reveal it's overarching mystery too soon, and characters don't stay true to what they are already established as of now. But the way the authors are going, makes me hopeful that they know what they're doing. Could this potentially be the new Hunter x Hunter? One can only hope.
I will update this review after this manga has reached Ch. 100 and blown up in popularity.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Sep 27, 2016
Manga (and comics) is a media that has been widely disregarded by adults and critics because of its childish art, or target audience (which are mainly kids and teenagers). This is especially true for Hunter x Hunter as it was published in weekly shonen jump. A first glance at this anime has put off many viewers. But for what seems to be a kid's show, underneath it lies a rich story masterfully executed, characters so unique and likable, and themes so profound and relevant.
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begin our story with the protagonist Gon Freecss as he embarks on a journey to find his dad. But as they point it out in the anime itself, it's never truly about the destination, but rather the journey and the people you have experienced them with. The story is very structural at first glance. There is a clear beginning, middle, and end, separated with arcs that flawlessly flow into the next one. One thing the author does here is that he uses the first few arcs to set up the universe, and the characters. He then meticulously develops each character throughout the series which might be a slow pace for some people, but is absolutely necessary for a big payoff at the later parts in the story.
Speaking of characters, that would probably be my favorite thing about this series: Character development. It's safe to say that you'd like almost all of the characters. Whether they are villains, allies or just the henchmen, each character has a clear motivation to do what they are doing. Some are righteous and some are devious, and all of them act within their nature without becoming too one dimensional.
All in all I would say this is a must watch for anyone who likes a masterfully crafted story, whether you're an anime fan or not. And if you invest enough time in this series it will easily earn a spot in your top 10 list guaranteed.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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