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Mar 10, 2025
The following is my defense of Japan’s greatest mid shonen series in under 500 words.
In fairness, most critiques of Fairy Tail are probably true. If you like power systems, Fairy Tail has some, but it is certainly not cursed energy, reiatsu, or Nen. If you want consistent world-building, there’s some, but I am also very confident a character canonically mentions Japan at one point. If you want deep, emotional character payoffs or hype battle scenes, there’s some, but also expect plenty of rushed character arcs, corny jokes, and PLENTY of low/high angle shots of Lucy and Erza’s assets during high-stake fights with bad guys
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Consequently, reading Fairy Tail with the same expectations as [insert favorite Shonen Jump title here] may cause one to miss the charm in-between the mostly forgivable stupidity. Taking this manga too seriously ends up missing the point because the author doesn’t seem to take it too seriously. In one of the early volumes, Mashima mentions that he didn’t have a plan for some of the early arcs and that he probably ought to plan more. Further, the end of the volumes have Q&A sections during which readers point out regular inconsistencies with character drawings, geography, and lore.
Yet, despite this carefree (or careless) approach to the story, Mashima finds a really approachable balance of fun, lighthearted banter, short and long term foreshadowing, and rapid dives into action while maintaining a fairly well-structured long form story. It also delivers on hype, cool, and fun battle moments as well. So, despite “not being planned”, there is a good sense of long term pacing, mysteries to solve, and a bigger picture that keeps the story engaging.
Additionally, while he’s no Eichiro Oda, Mashima deserves props for his character management skills. Characters can be unexpectedly funny or unpredictable and his POVs can be unique and entertaining. He also creates a genuine sense of cohesion within Fairy Tail (the guild) by portraying all the members, even less prominent ones, talking and interacting with each other. Though Natsu, Lucy, Erza, and Grey are the “core” group so to speak, these regular interactions give a fun, cozy sense of what everyday life is like at the guild. Even if these moments can be predictable or even if something is “missing” from the overall payoff of these characters’ arcs oftentimes, it’s easy to get caught up in the shenanigans of each personality and enjoy the ride.
All in all, I think Fairy Tail’s virtues outweigh its vices, at least in the manga. It’s dumb, it’s mid, but it is fun, dynamic, and relaxing. Fans of shonen should give it a chance.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Mar 3, 2025
Hima-Ten! Is a cozy, inoffensive high school harem romance thing that is mostly predictable but may be good junk food while you read better manga.
The gimmick is that male MC has a part-time cleaning gig and he ends up snagging a popular make-up influencer/business owner/high schooler as a client. This relationship, of course, has to be a secret because she will apparently be ruined if anyone knows she’s messy. To meet harem quota, MC has three girls –the influencer, the childhood friend, and a junior student (who is also a model, naturally) -- interested in him by the most recent chapter and he is,
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of course, mostly oblivious.
Perhaps the most compelling aspect of Hima-Ten! Is that it seems to be framed as a MC/influencer story with harem side-quests, but he likes the childhood friend and the childhood friend likes him back plus they have had plenty of opportunities to be together. This relationship just makes sense to root for even though it seems to be a MC/influencer story. Additionally, the three love interests are on relatively good terms with each other. So, it seems like the author is going in the “we want the best for each other, but we all like this milk toast MC and that’s hard” direction rather than solely the “I need to figure out my feelings” or “I can’t admit my feelings” direction, which gives a fairly generic story some complexity.
Otherwise, if you’re a fan of the genre, you’ve definitely read/watched this story before. The secret relationship hasn’t really added any stakes to the story so far and everyone’s courage to confess is progressing at a snail’s pace. Most recent chapters had our first “ actually was a confession, but denied at the last second to create misunderstanding” moment.
If you’re looking for something distracting, cute, and comfy, and you’re a fan this genre, this might be worth reading
5 or 6/10 story, personally enjoying it at a 7-8/10.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Feb 20, 2025
86 is an incredible anime that everyone should watch. Its direction is superb, mixing light-hearted banter with sudden heart-wrenching deaths and dramatic changes in tone, is beautifully animated, and has a gripping and emotional soundtrack. If you fell in love with the anime like myself, you may have learned that there’s MORE to this beautiful story and need to know what happens next.
Now, please feel free to criticize my review because of my limited scope on the full scale of the series because I’ve only listened up to volume 3. However, the anime does it better.
The story reads like a series of set, unalterable descriptions
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to which the various sprinkles of plot development respond. “The 86 were treated as sub-human by the Republic”; “Shin was a Reaper, the undertaker because he heard the voices of the dead and carried his fallen comrades with him”; “The 86 took pride in their fighting, even though they didn’t have to anymore”; “The Republic are white pigs/the 86 are pigs in human form”, etc. These mantras are repeated ad nauseum, to the point where I began enjoying it much more when I could laugh at the predictability they would be used. If the frequency of descriptions were downsized significantly, each audiobook’s listening time could probably be decreased by anywhere from 30 minutes to more than an hour without any loss of content.
This is a shame, because the central drama and worldbuilding of 86 is incredibly interesting. There are many mysteries behind the characters, the Legion and the tense political atmosphere between isolated nations. There is also hope for a satisfying romance (again, I’m knowingly not giving a full picture of the series). Further, when the story actually takes a minute to stop reminding you that the 86 were mistreated but they don’t know what else to do other than fight, it semi-consistently introduces fascinating nuances, administrative decisions, and perspectives that enhance the story immensely, so definitely read it for these reasons.
Overall, this review is difficult for me because of how much I wanted to love this series. However, due to its very tedious writing style, I can’t whole-hearted recommend it. It’s definitely a better listen if you listen to it at 1.5x speed. If you’re reading it, I’d recommend reading it faster because the descriptions become so predictable that they needlessly slow down the story and can be ignored. I will update this review as I listen to more because volumes 4 - 6 seem to be popular amongst readers, but for now I must say I’m disappointed.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Feb 20, 2025
Spice & Wolf is an anomalously good series featuring a vast and intricate fantasy world, dynamic, high stakes drama, and two extraordinarily charming lead characters.
I say anomalously good because it’s impossible to describe Spice & Wolf without its niche emphasis on the economics of a fictional, medieval European-esque fantasy world. While this may sound mundane, one point where the series becomes captivating is how intricate this economic system is and how consistently and seamlessly the author can capture the risks of being a traveling merchant and then craft (pun intended) a make-or-break or even life-or-death scenario from them. This world has various fictional currencies valued
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differently and fluctuating in price, goods fluctuating in price due to cultural trends, and other merchants in various circumstances making risky or desperate decisions to make a profit, which creates plenty of narrative tension. Each town has a history including its economic emphases, relationship to the church, pagan histories, trade guilds, festivals, foods, drinks, and marginalized groups with which the MCs interact. And despite the intricacy of this world, these details rarely seem exposition-heavy or unwarranted. The author is quite skilled at both bringing life to the world in the most efficient manner possible.
Yet, a remarkably articulated fantasy world would feel empty without charming characters to follow, and thankfully this series is headlined by perhaps the most charming character in any medieval European-esque fantasy world, Holo the Wise Wolf. Witty, sharp, seductive, sensitive, stubborn, funny, lonely, loyal, unpredictable, and of course wise, Holo steals every scene she’s in, and thankfully she is featured in most. And though Kraft Lawrence is the every-man to Holo’s transcendent charm, he is also skilled, dynamic though not immune to error, easily swayed into a good time, appreciative and contemplative. Together, their banter is fun, their romantic tension is beautiful, and their conniving will certainly keep you on your toes.
While I can’t say I don’t have bias because I’ve fallen in love with this series and I’m only three volumes into it, I am confident in my recommendation. The biggest hurdle against Spice & Wolf is its own premise: a normal merchant does his job with a cute wolf goddess. I think due to its niche emphasis, this series in many ways epitomizes that story that you’ve been told is good but is sitting on your backlog. However, all of the good things you’ve heard about it are true. Be a believer and read/listen to Spice & Wolf!
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Jan 15, 2025
Childhood Friend Complex is a good humored, patient romance that is worth the risk of your heart breaking over it.
First, if you are struggling with porn use, I do not recommend this manga and you shouldn't read it. Some chapters include nudity and/or sex.
The story is a childhood-friends-to-lovers romance based in a university setting. Structurally, the story has generally favored focusing on the male and female leads for approximately 25 chapters and then starts to focus more on secondary characters and plots after that point and reaches a turning point at chapter 41 (current chapter at time of writing).
The primary duo are really
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fantastic. Their dynamic of picking-on-each-other banter is genuinely funny and exudes a sense that they’ve known each other for a lifetime and live in their own world. Haneul is an outgoing, playful, easily loveable type while Mincheol, though charming if not a bit of a jerk with her, is more brooding and protective generally, making his development as a character the most central to an endgame between them. The psychological struggles of understanding their shifting relationship are not overdone and well-paced.
Mixed within are breaks from the romantic tension (though that romantic tension is exceptionally done; the author is very gifted at communicating passion in body language without text) with the characters having lives outside of their relationship with each other. A love triangle is hinted at and introduced fairly early on as well, but the publication is too early to see what will happen with it.
All in all, this manhwa is on-track to be a very special romance and may be the only erotica I recommend especially since that content is few and far between. I think any fan of romance will enjoy it.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Jan 13, 2025
Helck is a slow burn, high payoff adventure that does not overstay its welcome. In 111 chapters, nearly every aspect of its characters and world that are introduced are continuously explored in unexpected ways through the end of the story, resulting in a composed and very satisfying conclusion.
Structurally, the plot of the story is akin to something like Your Name where 60% of the story is slow-paced and relatively light-hearted with many mysteries outstanding, then a turning point is established and the remaining 40% are non-stop reveals, beautifully drawn action sequences, conflicts, and resolution. Among its many virtues, this successful implementation of tight, big-picture
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plot is among its most impressive and lends itself to some incredibly touching character moments as well as some badass action scenes.
The setting is 90% fantasy with some interesting sci-fi adjacent elements towards the end. Regarding genre, it starts as a parody-tournament arc, then a journey/slice of life bit, then something like a fast paced rescue mission. Throughout each of these phases, so to speak, is a very dry, understated humor that is particularly unique. It never goes for big, hilarious gags, but rather for subtle conversational or character details that range from people being overly obvious or completely out-of-place.
Perhaps the most jarring aspect of Helck is its art style. From what I can observe, it seems as though the author uses heavier, thicker line art. They also exaggerate sharp angles in the faces. Females have slightly more narrow necks than what is average in manga, while men generally have wider, more anatomically porotional necks and almost boxy faces. Additionally, the style of characters seems to be a blend of Japanese and non-Japanese sources. While you’ve definitely seen something akin to the cat-girls, elves, and witches that are in the story, many of the major characters have a distinctly medieval Eurpopean feel less unexpected within a manga. These subtle details can simply seem different and take some time to get used to.
Overall, Helck is certainly worth the read and is a well composed adventure with a very satisfying epilogue.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Jan 11, 2025
This one has glimmers of genuinely interesting plot and character dynamics, but it very quickly abandons these to essentially episodic, non-consequential encounters with the various, albeit attractive, characters.
First, if you are struggling with porn use, I do not recommend this manga and you shouldn't read it. Nearly every chapter includes some degree of lightly censored nudity or sex.
The art is very well done and the pacing of intimate scenes is definitely the author’s strong suit. Highlights of the central “drama” involve the male MC and Ms. Lee. Ms. Lee has some occasionally interesting hang ups about their relationship and some clearly deep sense of
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abandonment from her prior relationship and her age which is subtly alluded to. Another lust interest, the male MC’s childhood friend, is genuinely interesting in her steady rise to celebrity while the author introduces a potentially slimier side of influencer culture (this seems to be abandoned as of chapter 92, more on this later). Ms. Lee’s daughter is (unsurprisingly) introduced into the mix and her various poor deductions on top of deception by the male MC and Ms. Lee makes her a somewhat unfortunate character.
However, this all becomes stupid very quickly because the male MC has virtually no consequences to his actions, nor hardly any moral qualms about his sexcapades because he’s a “young guy” with a high sex drive. He’s not a very interesting character, and as the number of lust interests stack up (very rapidly) after chapter 50, he ends up just being somewhere between a sleezy douche and a sociopath. At this point, the author seems to mostly give up on a narrative and just creates situations for MCs body count to increase. The introduction of an (attractive) doctor character was completely unnecessary and ultimately just serves to make the male MC a worse human being.
Overall, good art, stupid/abadonded plot decisions.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Nov 11, 2024
Now that more than two chapters have been released from my initial review, more than enough time has passed to make a fuller evaluation of for Beat & Motion. While promising from its start, the series has continued its trajectory of being a stand-out series worth reading.
The author continues to have a remarkable grasp of using visual metaphor to capture the up-and-down experiences of the characters. Additionally, while the over-arcing narrative has been mostly linear in terms of success for the main characters, there's a potent sense of anxiety in their day-to-day pursuit of those goals that aims to draw the reader into the
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shoes of the main characters. This structure can really speak to anyone who has pursued any performance-based, risky field like art, music, or even sports.
The leads also have a charming, easy-to-root-for relationship that continues to come together quite satisfyingly.
It will be interesting to see where the manga goes moving forward since it has been characterized by mostly good vibes peppered with anxiety. An honest critique could be that the characters have experienced significant success within the first 40 chapters. Though they are still little fish in a small pond, it does seem as though they're moving on a relatively fast track towards their end goals. Yet, there is still plenty of time for the author to set up some heartbreaking situations, which would only benefit the overall message of the story.
I would highly recommend if you're a fan of slice-of-life and romance and if you're interested in the psychological world of artists (I would personally extend this out to athletes as well though this is not a sports manga).
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Oct 31, 2024
Blue Box is an exceptional sports-romance-drama thing that is a must read (now also a watch) for any romance fan. It is cute, goofy, heartbreaking, and hype wrapped up into a nice little blue box (ha). The artwork is wonderful and Kouji Miura is one of the best character writers I’ve read for the genre. She’s been particularly skilled at writing rivalries, pulling out good qualities from characters with glaring flaws, and giving the reader reason to root for everyone.
You may be disappointed if you’re wanting a stronger emphasis on the strategic elements of games or matches for the main characters because, as Mother’s Basement
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points out, the sports aspect generally takes a backseat to the drama between characters. However, the more recent chapters have a heavier emphasis on the games and these have been some of the best moments of the manga so far.
While my experience as a college athlete certainly enhances my appreciation for this series, I can’t recommend this series enough and it’s on my short list of physical manga I plan to buy. All chapters are available to read at www.viz.com under their subscription.
Also, whatever "blue box" is referring to is still up for speculation to my knowledge.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Oct 25, 2024
The premise of Nozoki Ana is extraordinarily stupid with a plot hole WAY bigger than the story’s infamous peephole (just call the police, your parents, and landlord anyway despite being blackmailed?), but I’d be as much a liar as the MC if I said this story wasn’t simultaneously thrilling and emotionally gripping, especially for smut.
First, if you are struggling with porn use or are not comfortable seeing nude female bodies, I do not recommend this manga and you shouldn't read it. Literally every chapter includes some degree of nudity or sex.
As Gigguk has already pointed out, Emiru is what keeps the story genuinely interesting. Her
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mysteriousness, cleverness, obstinance about the rules, and consequent maliciousness is offset by unexpected displays of compassion and bravery that make you question all of your (correct and healthy) assumptions about Stockholm syndrome. Similar to Makima from Chainsaw Man, Emiru puts the reader in a dilemma where this person is clearly not trustworthy, but even after all she does is still likeable.
Kido to some is a typical, indecisive harem protagonist, but I disagree. He’s quite decisive, he just makes consistently poor decisions and regrets them. Yet, it’s useful to keep in mind (and be reminded) these poor decisions are done under a constant state of duress for most of the story. Despite that duress being avoidable, the author’s commitment to the premise turns what could be a bland protagonist into something more like a psychological case study for how one may respond to this situation (emphasis on “something more like” given these situations are mostly timing when he has sex). Consequently, his escapades with love interests at odds with his complicated relationship with Emiru create some interesting moral quandaries prompting questions about privacy, truth-telling, duress and romance, and sexual trauma.
There’s more to say about the other characters, who I would say are generally well-written and multi-dimensional. Yet, despite being unexpectedly emotional and well-written, it is still smut so by principle I can only give it a mixed recommendation. Lastly, please do not become voyeurs hoping that you’ll find the love of your life if you decide to read this manga. You will go to jail.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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