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This manhwa is funny and a parody. The author alludes to One Punch Man straight off the bat. Unlike OPM, this story takes place in a typical magic school setting. The pacing and gags are unique, they are about how the protagonist Yurian tries impression management but fails at it.

Art-wise, this work is servicable. Not much else to say.

There are some inconsistencies, like when Yurian tries to maintain an alter ego, the manner at which he goes about it, is eye-rolling illogical. He suddenly has a costume, but his thought process and ideology behind it is never really shown, and since it's not a superhero ... story, throwing in the alter ego stuff feels worsely executed than the typical superhero story. But since the entire premise of the story is to be a chuunibyo power-fantasy, I can't really complain.

Overall, I would recommend it if you want a silly YA story.

The first 25 chapters are fairly in-depth and intriguing. It's got magic and nobles, but the beginning feels more like a folktale, low-fantasy setting. The pacing of the story is slower, which reminded me of written works. This webtoon is adapted from a novel series of the same title, so hopefully there will be a proper ending.

The art is decent, and great care was put into lighting effects. The plot seems to be going in the direction of a coming-of-age adventure, so the characters are designed for that audience. Many grand settings, backgrounds, and circumstances.

I am wondering what the role of the treasures are, particularly ... the winter sword, and what significance they have in the future. Are the characters going to crutch on them, or will they have to rely on their wits to overcome problems? So far it seems more like the latter, but it's too early to know for sure (without reading ahead in the novel).

Teenage Swordsman takes place in a martial arts world (murim/wuxia). The VRMMO game aspect should be ignored since it doesn't do much except force a plot and let the author joke around with isekai tropes.

In terms of the style and vibes, the worldbuilding is more subdued like .hack//Sign rather than SAO or Murim Login. The world is immersive because the politics are introduced slowly instead of Sect drama dumped at once (it still dumps drama but not as badly as some comics).

Unfortunately, when the game RPG popups appear, they ruin the immersion, but I guess notification screens are part of the genre...zzz...

The overarching ... plot is rigid and artificial, because the MC is forced to complete his main quest just because the popups tell him to. However I like that the quests are exploratory and more than just "number go up." Also the MC is level-headed and strategic, and he is analytical compared to typical shonen protagonist. His reactions are believable which I appreciate. I look forward to how he adapts to his environment.

Some sources say that the studio behind Teenage Mercenary is also behind Teenage Swordsman. I definitely think both manhwas lean toward realism. The MC in Teenage Swordsman has advantages but isn't as OP as the MC in Teenage Mercenary (if Ijin walks in a room you can expect an ass-whooping, but if Harang walks in a room it doesn't change the predicament much).

In terms of character design, it's hit and miss. I like the fantasy cultures and their overall aesthetic, but the individual characters have inconsistent designs that don't make sense (like one girl wears a plain tank top while everyone else wears long-sleeved hanfu).

This story is a good middle-ground between brainless OP protagonist and underdog story. Characters are decent enough, conflicts have twists and plans go wrong.

Exorcist wo Otosenai is definitely most notiable in the art department. Some of the action scenes are amazing and breathtaking.

The story itself isn't really deep, it's intentionally ridiculous and over-the-top. As long as you let it go and enjoy the magic it's a fun read. The author has good pacing and knows how to space calm scenes with intense ones and not overdo the flashbacks.

Characterization is a toss. Based on the chibi artstyle I don't expect too much. Each side character has their own motivations so they're distinguishable, but it's not like Paranoia Agent or other stories where characters are grounded in gritty realism.

As for ... the theme of falling in love, the story sticks to that motto. There is an angels vs. demons vs. angels are demons plotline to give the artist a fantastic license to draw a laser beams and monsters.

The introduction is a very compelling and creepy flashback. After reading about 6 chapters, I realized the story leans closer to slice-of-life. On the pixiv website this series is labeled under mystery/horror and slice-of-life.

The story premise is exploring ghost stories and urban legends. The chapters are lengthy, about 30-40 pages, so it's a decent chunk of time and has enough pages to draw you in.

The manga has nice art and beautiful facial expressions, and dialogue-heavy as typical of Josei. The author overexplains a lot of the mysteries so even if the horror is subtle, I felt a bit let down about the mystery aspect. The ... story dumps info about describing the role that mysteries and stories play in our lives. This manga might not be the greatest if you were expecting confusion or intrigue to be a major aspect.

The main draw of reading this story would be the emotional development of the protagonist Naoya Fukamachi. It's similar to the Sherlock + Watson dynamic, with Takatsuki as Sherlock with supernatural memorization abilities, and Fukamachi as Watson to provide grounding and support.

It is a bit flawed in the characterization. The author portrays Fukamachi as passive in the wrong instances while brave/active in others, which feels inconsistent, and the story is weaker for it. Professor Takatsuki is portrayed too perfectly and seems like an ideal rather than a person. For example, Takatsuki is already good at detecting lies so why does he need Naoya Fukamachi's special ability? The given explanation doesn't stick that well. Maybe the author will improve their writing later, but for now it's jarring.

EDIT: I realized this manga is an adaptation of a novel, so maybe the writing suffers from adaptation awkwardness?

The manga is still worth reading for its wide portrayal and variety of Japanese folklore, well-done scares and atmosphere setting. It doesn't have romance from what I can tell, and the story doesn't rely on shock or terror.

Even though the story for this manga is 2/10 I give it 7 stars because I still read 100+ chapters. Do not expect too much realism, the mangaka goes for Rule of Cool over realism. If you have triggers for sexual assault and r@pe then be careful with this manga.

Art: 8/10

The style is really clean and it's easy to follow the panels. It also uses brushwork and exaggeration that shines in a 2D medium. So even if the story is batshit insane, the art is enough to carry it. There are a lot of bishonens and gore.

Story: 2/10

The plot is a simple revenge plot, little ... to no nuance in characterization, and a lot of torture porn and sexual assault. So far most female characters are refrigerator fodder. The plot is still better and more pure than Redo of Healer though.

In conclusion, the manga is like heavy metal rock music. It has the vibe of debut author young mangaka, where they need to get out all their edgy energy. If you like the sound of that, then Juujika definitely fits.