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The words 'super underrated' have never been more appropriate to describe a manga. In my view, World Trigger is one of the best ongoing shounen. Although it's missing a lot of components that most people will deem essential to a good read (notably a good story), I think World Trigger has a lot of fresh ideas that will be very attractive to the right audience.

Reasons why you should read World Trigger:

Characters: I think one thing that really makes World Trigger shine is its large cast. To be honest, I'm not a fan of any of the main characters, but to a certain extent, I would ... argue that there isn't really a main character in this series (or rather, the main characters are not the ones anchoring the series). So much of the focus is on the whopping 50+ side character cast and the interactions between them, which makes them truly shine. In particular, I really like the healthy interactions between the characters, where people respect each other and get along regardless of rank or ability and talk to each other like normal human beings. The other incredible thing is, of the 50+ cast, I can distinguish most of them from each other and there's no one I really dislike. Miwa probably came closest to taking that trophy, but he still has some redeeming qualities as a character.

Battle system: I think this is probably one of the best battle systems that I've seen since Hunter X Hunter. Although it is a very simple battle system (akin to a video game almost), the creativity of the combinations and possibilities that the author has come up with is impressive to say the least. The fights are exhilarating as the author always finds a way to add a different dimension to a mechanic you thought you understood (with only a few minor hiccups) and the teamwork between the characters is impeccable. On a related note, I also really like the way the series deals with character deaths. Essentially, there is a system by which when a character dies, their 'virtual body' gets destroyed temporarily but they are not actually dead. Unlike other manga, where the characters impossibly survive an infinite barrage of attacks, the characters in World Trigger 'die' in battle quite often. This adds greatly to the realism of fights.

Reasons why you shouldn't read World Trigger:

Story: Honestly, you could even argue there isn't one. Probably for at least 100 chapters in the middle, it is just fights with no real plot advancement (though I don't mind that at all because the story and setting thus far has been nothing impressive to write home about). But if you need to be constantly on the edge of your seat waiting for the next plot twist, this is probably not the manga for you.

Overall, in case it's unclear, I'm a huge fan, and hope more people will appreciate the manga for the gem that it is!

3 years after its completion, I still find myself inexplicably mesmerized by the epic tale that is 07 Ghost.

It's a tale about the rise and fall of kingdoms - about power struggles and political squabbles. But while the military backdrop and history of the land are beautifully carved, 07 Ghost is not a warstory at all. Rather, at it's core, 07 Ghost is a story about accepting all that life has to offer. It's about having the heart to appreciate another's act of kindness. It's about having the strength to move on when bad things happen.

The battle mechanics in the story reinforce this. Characters use ... an energy called "zaiphon" - which conveys the feelings of the user. Although there are different types of zaiphon that are loosely related to the personalities of each character, at the fundamental level, everyone's zaiphon is of the same quality - it is the strength of the user's mentality that determines the zaiphon's strength.

The main character, Teito Klein, is crafted brilliantly. He starts off without the least bit of appeal, an amnesiac with childish tendencies, who mopes about his circumstances all day, but he noticeably grows through the relationships and connections he builds throughout the series, developing a strong appreciation for the world, his friends, and even his enemies, until he eventually becoming a charismatic leader you'll have difficulty taking your eyes off of. It's amazing to watch his journey come full circle through the series.

Yes, it's a cast of pretty boys. Yes, it's cliche as fudge. Yes, the action scenes are lackluster. But by the end of it, I hope you'll agree that 07 Ghost is so much more than that.

Excuse me in advance for there will be minor use of profane language; I do not intend to offend anyone or anything. However, given that the review guidelines only consider the use of "crap" every three words, profane, I think (...I hope) I will be all right.

Crap...crap...goose!

Alright. Attempted humour spree go!

It was the best of anime; it was the worst of anime.

Now when I say that, I mean it. This is probably the most conflicted I've ever been about an anime. Half of me is like this was awesome, and half of me is like...what the hell is the other half of me talking about.

All ... in all, Tokyo Ravens is probably one of the most unoriginal, cliche, done to death animes this season. And frankly, I have no problem with that. Being original is nice, but you're always sitting on the fence because you never know how people will react. Being cliche is great because you know you already have an established fanbase for whatever overused plot line you're dishing out.

In fact, the very reason I started it was because I read the premise of the story (much more then the premise actually, I spoiled the whole plot for myself); anyways, I got to the part where a huge secret about the main character is revealed (I'm a sucker for these types of plots), and I figured, this is just what I was looking for! Tokyo Ravens has everything set up right, but after watching the series, I can only say that everything so magnificently flopped, rolled over, and died.

The perpetrator? Poor execution.

Some people have complained that the first half of the anime was too slow. On the other hand, I found that the first half was paced perfectly. Great character introductions, great background explorations, great steady buildup...to a climax which never happened and a denouement which decided to switch places with where the climax should have been, just for kicks.

The second half of the anime was a complete mess. With all the buildup, you would have expected the second half to unravel all the tangles in the yarn laid out in the first half, but no. It's like they tossed the ball to a cat who started playing with it and ended up wrapping the whole house in yarn.

Here's my very adolescent explanation: I remember watching the last six episodes, thinking "SHIT'S GONNA GO DOWN NEXT EPISODE", only to have no shit go down. And this continued until I finished the last episode, whereupon I felt extremely disappointed and empty inside. How is this possible you ask? Every single plot device/scene I was looking forward to was rushed, butchered, or omitted entirely. Stuff just started happening all over the place at the same time with minimal explanation. It made me totally lose track of characters and their personalities, philosophies, and motives - all the things that define them.

And if you're wondering how I still ended up rating this an 8...despite all my complaints, I found Tokyo Ravens to be very addicting and enjoyable. I thought the magic system was really cool and the few fight scenes that existed were extremely noteworthy; definitely some of the better action scenes I've seen recently. On the art and sound front, I would say the series is near flawless. Even the story, I thought it was cliche, but great. My only complaint would be with the characters, who were (for the most part, few exceptions) so one-dimensional that it's amazing how they managed to keep the suspense going.

There were just so many things in Tokyo Ravens that I thought could have been done better. But alas, as I don't plan to take up the director's seat anytime soon, these aspirations will remain unrealized. Takaomi Kansaki probably did a better job than I could ever do anyways.

"To make a friend's wish come true, we would do nothing less...
And from the bottom of our hearts, we prayed for nothing more."
- from the most tear-jerking pages of Ouran

Anyways, onto the actual review.

Story (8/10)

Ouran High School Host Club is about a normal girl, Fujioka Haruhi, who is admitted to a school (primarily for children of the upper class) on a special scholarship for being an excellent student. While looking for a place to study, she accidentally stumbles upon the Host Club (which is composed of six hot guys of the highest pedigree who cater to girls that have too much time on their hands) ... and is mistaken for a guy herself because of her shabby dress. When she accidentally breaks an expensive vase belonging to the Host Club, she is forced to work for the Host Club for the rest of her time in high school to pay off her debt.

In most shoujo romantic comedies, slowly but surely, all the guys fall in love with her and she picks the most unlikely one and they live happily ever after. The end.

Well, this isn't exactly the case with Ouran, mostly because our main character isn't looking for the guy of her dreams; she enrolled in Ouran because she wanted to become a lawyer. So, even though she's surrounded by a variety of guys and given the luxury to pick and choose, she doesn't give a damn about them. Frankly, she just wishes they'd all go away so she could study in quiet. And so, Haruhi's life at Ouran begins.

The Host Club's philosophy is to use everyone's unique talents to attract girls who all have their own preferences. There's Tamaki, the princely type, Kyouya, the cool type, Hikaru and Kaoru, the devilish type, Honey, the cute type, Mori, the silent type, and now Haruhi (actually a girl), the natural.

Now I'll have to admit, the manga has a lot of filler content (especially at the beginning where you're still being introduced to the characters), but once you get to know the characters well, you start to realize that the main characters are all very abnormal - as in, all their personalities are ridiculously warped and unrealistic in some way. Why? Well, the brilliance of this manga lies in the journey that the author takes you on to find out.

Art (8/10)

I've got nothing special to say about the art. Bisco Hatori's style isn't very unique, nor is it totally amazing. I will say that the art significantly improves throughout the manga, and by the end, you could almost say that it is noteworthy, but overall, I wouldn't say the art is a main selling point for this manga.

Character (10/10)

If I could, I would rate this section a 13/10. The characters are very likeable, but most importantly, they are portrayed brilliantly. There is a diverse range of personalities and any reader will easily find one to his/her liking. However, the best things about the characters are, without a doubt, their backstories. In this manga, there's always more than meets the eye. Like I said earlier, as you start reading, you'll find that all of members of the Host Club (well maybe except Mori) have ridiculously warped and unrealistic personalities, but if you think about it, what could six hot guys from rich families possibly worry about?

You have Tamaki Suoh, a charming guy with a flamboyant personality who simply strikes you as shallow and annoying, and then you have his unlikely best friend, Kyouya Ootori, a cold and calculating genius who puts on a mask of perfection to hide his insecurities. You are also introduced to the twins, Hikaru and Kaoru Hitachiin, the sons of a famous fashion designer who love to play pranks on everyone. And of course, there's got to be that really cute 12th grader, Mitsukuni Haninozuka (a.k.a. Honey), who is addicted to sweets of all kinds and also a karate master despite his small stature, and his strong and silent sidekick, Takashi Morinozuka (a.k.a. Mori), who is ironically three times taller than him.

As you find out more about them and how they became the person they are today, I will guarantee you: you will gasp, you will sympathize; you may even cry. Don't even give me the excuse of "I have seen the anime so I know about all this already" because the anime doesn't even begin to touch upon their heart-wrenching stories. Just read it and you will know what I mean.

Enjoyment (10/10)

If you're worrying about not being able to get through the fillers to enjoy the main story, don't. That narcisstic, obnoxious, self-indulgent idiot Tamaki will come to the rescue. His actions are always hilarious to look at and his comments are always ridiculously stupid. He's the comic relief of the manga, but by the same token, he's also the source of much of the story's angst.

If you're not a fan of his, then there's always the rest of the Host Club: when their diverse personalities interact, something's bound to go wrong. Or, there's Haruhi, who's always being made fun of because she doesn't know the customs of rich kids. All in all, the manga was very enjoyable.

Overall (10/10)

Overall, this is a wonderful piece. The ending was ridiculous though, but I suppose it is quite fitting of the Host Club, whose members have always been...well...ridiculous.

Despite the recent vampire craze, which led to an overuse of vampires in all media alike, I'd like to argue that Noblesse is quite a unique manhwa.

Story: 9/10

Cadis Etrama di Raizel (i.e. Rai), a powerful vampire who was in hibernation for 820 years, wakes up abruptly to find himself in a completely foreign world, so he decides to learn about the current state of affairs by attending a school that his servant, Frankenstein, created for him while he was in his slumber. Little does he know that human society has advanced far beyond his imagination, while vampire society has made little progression at all, much ... to his dismay. Because of his delicate position in both societies, he runs into conflict wherever he goes.

One thing that I find particularly fascinating about this manhwa, is that it throws in all of the supernatural (vampires, werewolves, and all), yet tries to mix it with science (genetically modified humans). Much like in Bram Stoker's Dracula, this ends up being a rather successful mix. With the development of human society, mankind has found a way to retaliate against the vampires which they both feared and respected. I totally did not see that coming. Aren't vampires supposed to be all-powerful creatures? Apparently not always true in Noblesse.

Art: 8/10

I must say, I found it rather difficult to adapt to the author's style because I'm used to reading Japanese manga, and the author of this manhwa is Korean. The style of art is completely different, it's read from left to right, and it's in colour!!! (You get used to it after a while.) At first, I was very disappointed with the artwork, but it does improve significantly throughout the series. What I mean to say is, the art is no longer hindering my enjoyment of the series, in fact, I'm actually quite fond of the author's style now.

Character: 9/10

In Noblesse, you get exposed to a diverse array of characters - all unique in their own right. You have Rai, your typically "silent and strong" protagonist, who probably holds some dark secrets that you aren't aware of. Then you have his servant, Frankenstein - a curious man who acts in ways that always seem to raise suspicion, yet he still displays an unwavering loyalty towards his master. You also meet a group of genetically enhanced humans and some noble vampires, who you can't help but pity and admire simultaneously. The characters are, for the most part, well explored. Every now and then, you are taken on a side story which gives you a glimpse of a major character's background: you really learn to empathize with them and you even find yourself cheering them on sometimes.

Enjoyment: 10/10

This is likely one of the most enjoyable manhwa I have stumbled upon recently. I must say, the author's humour totally blew me away. You can't help but laugh when Rai beats up bad guys with no problem, but can't play first-person shooter (FPS) games for his life. The reoccurring gag with his strange attachment to ramen (instant noodles) is also hilarious. By the end of the first 20 chapters or so, I already knew that I could expect a bad joke at the end of the chapter, but the author still managed to make me laugh with every single one of them.

Overall: 9/10

I think this is one of the better ones I've read recently. I don't think it's for everyone, but it's definitely worth a try at the very least. For those who are technologically illiterate and require an instruction manual for everything, Rai is your best friend.

Ah...Nurarihyon no Mago. An interesting anime indeed.

Before I start reviewing, I have to admit, I'm a big sucker for Jun Fukuyama voicing characters with alter egos (e.g. Lelouch/Zero in Code Geass, Ryner/Ryner with Alpha Stigma activated in Densetsu no Yuusha no Densetsu and of course, Rikuo Day/Rikuo Night in Nurarihyon no Mago), so excuse me if I sound a bit biased here.

Now, on to the actual review:

Story (7/10): You have your classic reluctant hero, Nura Rikuo, heir to the Nura Clan. 3/4 human and 1/4 youkai, he lives a normal school life by day and controls an army of youkai by night. The story details ... the challenges Rikuo face as a part human in a youkai household and as a part youkai in human society. Sounds cliched, right? I agree. Even so, the story isn't all that bad. Although the development of the plot is painfully slow, it also allows the viewer to gain a greater insight into the characters.

Art (8/10): Studio Deen has never really done a bad job with their animations, so there's nothing much I can critique here. I really liked the colour contrast between the human and youkai societies. You can see that anything relating to humans generally has warmer colours, whereas anything relating to youkai generally has cooler colours.

Sound (7/10): The OSTs in this anime are brilliant. Then again, I shouldn't say OSTs, because it's more like just one OST with many variations, but it still sounds good nonetheless. Seiyuus were well casted for the most part, though I really don't think Akira Ishida sounds good in any part except Arthrun Zala from Gundam Seed, no offense. Again, I'm a sucker for Jun Fukuyama voicing characters with "double" lives, so I have no complaints there. Openings were...decent. Endings were...not so decent. Not the best OPs or ENDs I've seen recently.

Character (9/10): Like I mentioned earlier, I think the characters were well developed because of the slow movement of the plot. There were some crucial flashblacks that I really enjoyed because they cleared up character motivations brilliantly (e.g. Gyuki's flashback regarding his relationship with the Nurarihyon and Kana's flashback regarding her relationship with Night Rikuo). However, because of the large cast of youkai, not many of them are examined in detail, so many of the characters are just kind of there...you don't really know much about them other than little insignificant hints dropped here and there.

Enjoyment (7/10): I must say, I enjoyed this anime, mostly because of its subtle comedy. The names of the youkai are hilarious first of all. Kubinashi (literally meaning "no neck") has no neck. I found that funny. Kana's misunderstanding about Rikuo. I totally saw it coming, but I laughed anyways. Everytime Rikuo transformed, I also laughed, mostly because it reminded me of the cliched: weak character becomes strong through wicked transformation. The worst thing about the anime by far is the slow plot development. And when I say slow, I mean slow. The Shikoku arc was like 12 episodes, when it really should've been something like 6 because half of it was about Rikuo hesitating.

Overall (7/10): It was good, but hey, if you have as much time on your hands as I do, go do something productive instead. Cheers!

To be honest, I didn't think I would enjoy Tegami Bachi after I read the plot summary. A government employee delivers letters and fights monster bugs. Great. I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised.

Story: 9/10
Although Tegami Bachi may seem extraordinarily childish at first, the subtle, dark undertones are what make it very appealing.

Amberground, the setting of the story, is divided into three sections based on social class: Yodaka, Yuusari and Akatsuki. The land is covered by darkness with the exception of the artificial sun with illuminates the capital (Akatsuki); therefore, the farther away you get from the capital, the darker it gets.

Lag ... Seeing, an orphan, was found by a Letter Bee, Gauche Suede, who realized that Lag was the package he had to deliver to Campbell Litus, a small town in the dark Yodaka District. To Lag, Gauche was like a hero - he had saved his life numerous times during the delivery. Gauche was also the one who taught him about how letters hold the hearts of those who write it, and how the gaichuu (giant insects) are out to steal those hearts. Overshadowed by his hero, Lag swears to become a Letter Bee when he grows up. Only, when he finally achieves his goal, he discovers that the person who inspired him is no longer working as a Bee. Desperate to see him again, he begins to search for Gauche during his deliveries. In the process, Lag learns of an underground organization plotting to overthrow the capital, and the price that the citizens of Amberground pay for the artificial sunlight.

Art: 8/10
Studio Pierrot has done a pretty good job with the animation. All the colours look very comfortable and eye-pleasing, with fabulous openings and endings.

Sound: 10/10
I really like the music in Tegami Bachi because it really adds to the story. Each piece of music was carefully planned out and they really suit the setting of the story.

Character: 7/10
This is where I really think the story is lacking. Lag is an annoying crybaby who really, is nothing more than annoying. Niche, Lag's dingo, does incomprehensible things almost every episode. Gauche is the only one who has a relatively deep character, that enables you to understand his thoughts and motivations. The occasional flashbacks do help explain Gauche's character, but in general, you can't really relate to the characters.

Enjoyment: 8/10
The light mood mixed with the dark undertones make a nice blend.

Overall: 8/10