I'm a sucker for these types of manga, where you have absolutely fantastic art mixed with what is functionally an XXX rated muscleman action movie. It is ridiculous on purpose, being both entertaining and absurdist at the same time - as such it has an undertone of comedy to it all. There isn't going to be character growth or emotional heart felt scenes - just action, sex, and madness for 43 chapters.
Ikegami is one of the best in the industry, and at a more critical level that is really what shines through here. His characters all look different, ever panel has a level of detail
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Oct 9, 2024
Overall, really enjoyable. It doesn't follow some of the standard story archetypes we see in manga like scaling power levels or character growth, though one or two characters do change throughout - we learn more about who the characters already are rather than seeing them change.
The art is fantastic. My only complaint visually is that the text bubbles can sometimes be confusing about who is talking, so you have to inference. In scenes with multiple people and an ambiguous line - that can be very difficult. I wish more had been explained about Kei towards the end. Without ruining things, there is a ramp up ... 
Sep 7, 2024
Kouishou Radio
(Manga)
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Out of all the easily accessible horror manga in English, this seems to be the only one that can actually give you "that feeling" when reading it. This is more common in the first few books, and the later half of the series (if we count where it is on hiatus as the end) being a bit more of a standard formulation of the scary concepts flirted with in the first books. The first half of the series as such is much better. Overall, enjoyable to read and a superior horror experience to Junji, Umezz, Hino, etc. Those are sometimes more stylistically interesting as a
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Jul 31, 2024
Queen Emeraldas
(Manga)
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I read this last of the three semi-linked Matsumoto stories (Space Battleship Yamato, Captain Harlock, Queen Emeraldas). Just like the other two, this one has a very loose story t it which ultimately does not wrap up or really go anywhere. This may be even more true than with the other two, where we just get one small story that we follow along with.
I found this the least appealing of the three. I was hoping it would wrap up some questions we get in Captain Harlock, but it doesn't really. We do get to see a cameo or two in it, but nothing that ... 
Jul 18, 2024
I really wanted to like this manga more. I enjoy the art style, though it a masterpiece it is really enjoyable with interesting character designs and some well-done panels. Continuing on the positives and art topic, paneling is easy to follow, and action does not get confusing even with a lot of events unfolding.
The story is pretty straightforward and generally, just fine. The main character has a (to me) annoying catch phrase, which is often repeated, and overall is just defined by brooding. That isn't necessarily new in manga - in matter of fact that is the issue. If you are just going to be ... 
Jul 7, 2024
Samurai Crusader
(Manga)
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I can see this not being for everyone or some people not rating it as highly as I have if they aren't sure what to expect. If you go into this like someone goes into watching a 80s-90s action movie you will enjoy it more. It is not serious and not meant to be serious, it is absurdist action for the fun of it.
Ernest Hemingway is the pivotal character's sidekick. The main character wields the sacred semi-divine sword of the three legendary Japanese treasures. Ethereal brings are summoned for assassination attempts. Those are all awesome and corney in equal measure. If that appeals to you ... 
Jun 23, 2024
As with so many Junji Ito stories, it is more a "silly story with horror elements" than a real horror story. Tomie is no different, and while the first 2-3 and last 2-3 stories try their best to form a beginning and end narrative, the whole thing feels like so many other Junji Ito stores - half baked. Overall - it is okay. Generally interesting enough, and some of the panels are really well done and fun to look at. As with other Junji Ito works, it suffers from character design (so many characters look the same both within this story and to other books)
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Jun 22, 2024
Andromeda Stories
(Manga)
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I would rate this a 7.5/10 if I could.
Compared to To Terra, it is not as good. However, in a vacuum it is still a fun story with old-school manga art and a few interesting ideas and twists. Unlike To Terra, the story has a lot of mystery into what is going on woven throughout it which keeps quite a bit of the suspense and character interplay interesting as you want to know what happens next. I found most of the paneling to be easy to understand, though there were a few times I had to recap a page to fully grasp what was ... 
Jun 22, 2024
Übel Blatt
(Manga)
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I really enjoyed my time reading Ubel Blatt. I think if someone goes into it expecting a dramatic masterpiece - they could rate it far lower than I did. However, if you go into it expecting an interesting story, fantastic artwork, and fast paced action it will nail all of those marks. I found the paneling easy to follow, the characters generally likeable if many stay a bit one-dimensional, and some truly wonderfully drawn and dynamic art. I often find flashbacks a bit annoying in manga, but this story does a good job of keeping it informative but brief - allowing the main story to
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Jun 12, 2024
Uchuu Kaizoku Captain Herlock
(Manga)
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I read this after Space Battleship Yamato and the two feel very similar. I love the art which is equally as good in this series. Throughout there is fun humor and an interesting but rather surface level story. The characters are enjoyable, though I think I liked the characters in Space Battleship Yamato a bit more. Some of the themes of this book are repeated a bit too much (which would work better in weekly distributions but in one book it can get a bit much), but it is easy enough to skip through the same dialogue now and again.
This book has the same underlying ... |
