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May 11, 2024
Mokke is one of the best slice of life manga that I've ever read.
The manga is about a pair of sisters in the countryside learning how to deal with their ability to see and attract supernatural beings like yokai, ghosts, spirits with the help of their grandpa. Their encounters with these beings are used to present a side of humanity that arises in a person or a group like anxiety or fear of failure, as they are attracted by our actions and thoughts. They are then exorcised by way of understanding them and performing the correct ritual, which are usually quite mundane like repeating a
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phrase or doing a move. This type of story has been done before in other manga, but Mokke's approach is much more subtle, grounded, and natural.
This is due to the manga's perspective. Instead of a knowledgeable wandering sage in Mushishi or (sort of) a chosen one in Natsume Yuujinchou, our protagonists are ordinary children who are reluctant and scared of their powers. Their supernatural abilities are treated as a difficult condition, something they must learn to live with. This feels much more natural to me because it's just like real life; you don't get to choose the cards you're dealt (read chapter 5). It also makes the sisters' struggles to help other people getting possessed feel much more genuine. The setting also plays a huge part in this atmosphere. The spirits are just there, out and about, ready to possess the nearest person. It's as if they're a part of nature's reaction to humanity and us humans have certain, detailed responses to these phenomena because we are also part of nature.
The spirits themselves are also chosen very tastefully from real myths and legends. I feel like the author really understands these myths and that's why they're incorporated so well into the characters' lives. There’s a sense of authenticity behind the references. It's especially impressive when the myths are combined with a parable. In other stories, it feels like the spirits were chosen just because they fit the author's story. In Mokke it feels like they just arise naturally (idk how else to describe this).
Finally, the characters are easily the best part. For something tagged only as an iyashikei, this manga has some of the best character drama I've ever seen. The main duo is perfect. The meek, feminine older sister who can see the spirits and the stubborn, tomboy younger sister who attracts spirits without being able to see them. They balance each other out very nicely like real sisters.
Their grandpa is also an integral part of the cast. He acts as a more realistic ‘wise old man’ character who’s willing to make hard decisions, providing tough guidance to the girls, sometimes forcing them to figure things out by themselves. This tough upbringing feels especially vivid when he refuses to help the girls with the spirits and we don’t know what kind of spirit it is. This is because some of them can kill you or put you in a lifelong coma, which creates a sense of risk that’s actually kinda scary even though I know the girls are going to be fine. Maybe I’m just too emotionally attached, but it feels like watching an actual kid treading through the dangers of life without any help.
My attachment can be attributed to the strong character development of the main duo. The sisters’ arcs are told slowly across a number of years and their growth stayed consistent despite the episodic chapters. The common formula of having an encounter with a spirit, relating it to the situation of the characters (or vice versa), then ending it with a moral lesson, is enhanced by the strong continuity and development of the characters. It never felt like the encounter was just 'another lesson learned' because there are subtle callbacks as the story goes. Their growth is not forgotten or prolonged without good reason. The lessons themselves aren’t always cut and dry, involving a degree of gray-ness which is where the parables come in. It’s not about good and evil, but about man and nature, which I guess is good and evil if you want to go deep into it.
Overall an amazing read for me. 9/10
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Oct 12, 2023
About the Movement of the Earth is a nice story about humanity's purpose told through the struggle for heliocentrism. It goes through the lives of its multiple main characters while they fight for this cause, each having their own personal struggles, covering different themes alongside the main one.
The themes are brought up thoroughly in long dialogue that are tied into the story itself. The characters talk A LOT about philosophical ideas in these blatant lecture-style ramblings (?). It feels more like the characters are having debates in the middle of whatever's happening in the story. But more often than not, it does feel quite natural.
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I'm not saying it's realistic but it does fit the manga's tone.
This does get annoying sometimes, and the lack of visual presentation does not help. I don't mind the 'ugly' drawings, but some panels are just bland or even empty. It makes it feel like I'm just reading a script for a play or something. Actually, the story is structured like a stage play. There's a bunch of characters explicitly ranting towards each other or to themselves, and the scene ends with one big moment. Idk if that's accurate but the plays I've watched are like that (I've only watched 2 of them).
Best part about this manga is its depiction of the value of human life in the pursuit of a greater purpose. There's something romantic about hundreds and thousands of people giving up their lives for a single cause or idea, especially when this cause ends up lasting an eternity (eg: the pyramids, any religion). The forgotten lives of the workers that built the pyramids might seem meaningless in the grand scheme of things, but the fact that they contributed to one of the greatest legacies of humanity, it gives their lives meaning.
The reality is that a lot of human greatness was achieved by the sacrifice of many. It's a theme that I rarely encounter in media. Most of the time the sacrifice of the background characters is not addressed at all in favour of the main ones. About the Movement of the Earth depicts this theme with a bleak honesty on the oppression and suffering experienced by our characters, but also a feel-good aftertaste since heliocentrism did eventually prevail at the end. The fact that every characters struggle ends up being useful, no matter how small it is, also gives the reader some semblance of relief. It probably wasn't as nice in reality.
Symbolically, the fight to prove that earth was not at the center of the universe represents the rejection of selfish individual greatness. The sun will keep revolving regardless of what happens to us, same as the lofty ideas that will outlive its famed founders. But the founders themselves are a product of a greater whole. The perceived greatness of Copernicus or any other great man was built on the works of a hundred lives, forgotten by time, just like everything else in the universe.
Overall a pretty nice manga. 7-8/10
note:
this is a weird review lmao
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Sep 13, 2022
Dual Kanojo is an average vanilla romcom with a very confusing ending.
The story's pretty simple. There's a girl with split personalities trying to get together with our MC. She's a basic tsundere that has her 'tsun' and 'dere' sides split into two different personalities. The split was apparently caused by her inability to be honest to our MC, which is why she bullied him when they were kids. This is a simple but effective way to create a seemingly dense MC, where the denseness is caused by a past trauma, which makes a lot more sense than the usual autistic MC that can't pick up
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any social cues.
Actually, Dual Kanojo's MC is pretty manly considering the fact that he was bullied by the main girl. He's fairly self-aware and confident enough to take action towards the girl he likes. He's great. On the other hand, the girl is about as basic as a tsundere could be. She's pretty extreme with her soft and harsh sides, that's where most of the comedy comes from. The dynamic between the two is nice and simple. So, overall the story is entertaining enough to have a good score, at least until the ending.
From this point on I will be discussing the ending, so spoilers ahead.
The manga ends with the MC getting together with the two personalities of the main girl and her maid (lmfao). First off, the fact that the girl still has two personalities is very confusing to me. The whole point of having split personalities as a plot device, is for them to ultimately integrate back into a single one at the end. Especially if the split was caused by a flaw in the character's personality that they want to reject. The reintegration is supposed to show that the character has grown to accept who they are as a person, kinda like in the Persona games. So, the girl still having two personalities, despite the fact that she already overcame her fears by confessing to our MC, doesn't make any sense. It just reduces the value of her entire character arc. The other personality is treated as a whole different person, which just means she's qualified to be a patient at a mental asylum.
Secondly, why the hell did the maid join in on the relationship? There was no indication that she was into the MC, besides the one chapter where they went to have some coffee. There wasn't even any romance in that chapter. And the way this whole thing was revealed was just wild. The MC and the maid kissed at the end to shock the main girl enough so that her personality was split back into two. It was at that moment that the maid revealed that she was into him. If that's not trashy, I don't know what it is.
So, I wouldn't recommend Dual Kanojo unless you want to be bamboozled by how a story ends. The whole manga feels a little pointless at the end, with unimpressive characters and unsatisfying arcs. Though I'm not too offended by the ending, just confused. If you want to read a better romcom manga about split personalities I would recommend Uwagaki, though it's less traditional in the way the split is shown.
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
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Aug 2, 2022
Pochi-Gokko is a very interesting look into the mind of a 'loser salaryman' in Japan.
I see this story as an allegory. It's a reflection of the salaryman's desire to escape society. A society that he does not have a place in. Though he tries his best, the fact that he is introverted, weak-willed, slow, unattractive, with no particular interest in anything, means that he was doomed to fail from the very beginning. He's overworking for a company he hates, a boss he hates, and of course he's getting underpaid even though he works overtime for his seniors (lmao). His only passions are gaming, anime, and
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manga. He has no sexual experience and he has zero plans to escape this life.
I'm sure this isn't the first time you've seen a loser MC who hates himself. Where the story just ends up being an escape from that life (eg: any isekai). This manga is mostly the same, with a high school girl picking our MC up and making him her pet, dehumanizing the self. The lack of female contact and a yearning for the purity of a high school girl has led to the creation of the perfect premise. This is the dream scenario, the one life changing event that came outta nowhere, an escape from the mundane.
He then stays in a house with three sisters (including the JK) whose parents are apparently dead. They take care of him in a mostly wholesome way, praising his 'high quality' housework. You know what they say: "Let's start small, get your room in order, do your chores, focus on what you can do". I mean, this is what you say to someone who just stays in their room all day, it's like the first self-help therapy session for NEETs. It's literally a dream where doing the simplest of things is revered by a bunch of young girls.
Luckily, our MC here has a very competent brother, who is the reason he even has a job in the first place. This is probably why MC has an inferiority complex. That brother also happens to be a narcissist asshole who cares too much about appearances, social status, etc. But think about it, isn't that a bit too convenient? The only person who's pushing you to become a working member of society, also happens to have a terrible personality. It's almost as if it's a way to justify leaving society to be a dog.
I'm not saying that the brother is a good person, I'm telling you to ask yourself; "What purpose does this character serve in the salaryman's escapist fantasy?" If you view the whole manga through this one question, it becomes infinitely more interesting to read. I would call it a distorted fantasy, similar to something like Gakkougurashi, where reality isn't what it seems. The difference is that in Pochi-Gokko, the curtain is never lifted.
7/10
notes:
- I actually like this manga. Escapism in a story ≠ bad.
- This is basically Welcome to the NHK but even more depressing in a way. NHK is the redpill, Pochi is the bluepill.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Jun 23, 2022
Sayounara Minasan is a love story. An odd one for sure.
We follow a highschool girl named Mina-san who gets fired from her part time job after rejecting the manager who asked her out on a date. She then has a series of encounters with a bunch of different characters, all of them male btw. These meetings are told in a very expressionist way, preferring to use metaphorical imagery and indirect dialogue. Each encounter tells a different story, which is mostly just the guy showing off their character flaws to our MC. They either complain about their own life, or they project their insecurities onto
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her.
So, you might be wondering; why is this happening to her? Well, the reason these guys are even approaching her in the first place is because she’s a very nice girl. She shows unconditional love to these strangers (not in the romantic sense). And because of that love, these guys pour out their feelings to her to seek comfort or understanding. But sadly, they are met with confusion or rejection, because our MC here is a little dense.
This 'dense' part of her is the main conflict of the story. She needs to be able to recognize ‘real’ love, not be afraid of it, and learn to accept it. Though, due to her airheaded-ness, this is not an easy task.
The manga portrays her struggle very well. A lot of her issues come from her inability to understand the other characters, and their monologues are as equally confusing to the readers as it is to her. The guys express themselves through metaphors and symbolism. One of them even reference a classic Japanese story (No Longer Human). The art helps them immensely, going for a more cartoony style to allow for a more natural feel when abstract symbols are used.
We, the audience, will spend the bulk of our time trying to infer all the ‘hidden’ meanings in this manga. Which can be annoying, especially if you don’t even have an idea of what’s happening. I honestly felt lost for 3 of the 9 chapters. It does take a few reads to understand.
However, the story can still be followed, as the ending alleviates most of the confusion I had. It ties up everything pretty nicely. I started really enjoying it on the 2nd read. Though, I’d understand if the ending might feel a little too on the nose for some people. But seeing how it ends with her accepting other people’s help, I think it fits pretty well.
7/10
SPOILERS BELOW
notes:
- Forgot to say that Mina is actually a very compelling character imo, she’s not emotionless and even rejects some of the guys hilariously. Comedy actually plays a big part in this manga, even if it's not that funny.
- The title ‘Goodbye Everybody/Minasan’ refers to Mina saying goodbye to being passive to everyone, just going through the motions, keeping to herself a little too much, and not accepting other people’s help. She’s saying goodbye to her old self (Mina-san) and to everybody that bothered her, moving on, leaving them behind.
- This passive attitude is symbolized by the teddy bear in chapter 1, comparing her reaction to conflict if it was done by a bear and a human.
- Pretty obvious, but the bike symbolizes love.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Apr 21, 2022
Even If I’m Not Fifteen is one of the rawest, most visceral depictions of a man’s downfall into degeneracy.
This manga is a story about two people licking each other’s wounds and bringing themselves down in the process. A very self-indulgent tale that thrives on going all the way, not holding back. Everything in this story is highly exaggerated. From the unbelievably stupid decisions that the characters continue to make, to the somewhat bleak, unhappy world that the manga depicts. This over-the-top approach is what makes this manga work, as opposed to other, edgier stories. Since, with those stories, they tend to present unbelievable situations with
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a serious tone, which does not work very well. The solution to that would be to make the story more believable, OR to just ditch the serious tone and go for a ‘lighter’ tone, to not let the story take itself too seriously.
And that’s what Even If I’m not Fifteen does very well. The story has a certain simplistic quality to it that compliments its tone. That simplicity, coupled with the exaggeration, creates this quasi-comedic tone despite the fact that the manga deals with some heavy themes such as depression, familial breakdown, alienation, and pedophilia (I think). Not that these are necessarily unique themes, but this manga has a very dark depiction of said themes. It’s more about the primal desires of humanity and how people will succumb to it when driven into a corner, mainly focusing on the sexual aspect of it.
But again, it doesn’t feel hacky, it manages to be very raw and authentic. This is mostly thanks to the art, which I think is the best part of this manga. It's littered with expressionist visuals to accompany every moment of insanity. When the characters are at their lowest point, the art morphs into distortion, as ugly, black scribbles cover the page. The girl’s beauty is emphasized by zooming uncomfortably close into her face, revealing the hypnotic nature of her eyes, leading our main character into ruin. The art carries the whole manga. Honestly, if this manga looked like Domestic Girlfriend, it would’ve been a 4. That’s how good it is.
Now, despite all the praise for the tone of the manga, the story doesn’t feel like it’s going to go anywhere. What I mean is that it’s a very simple, straightforward story and I don’t think it will bring up any deeper themes besides what you get in the first 10 chapters, which is perfectly fine. It’s great for what it is. Personally, this isn’t my favorite type of story. Though, to be fair it’s only been 10 chapters, so I hope I'll be proven wrong.
8/10
shoutout to JUM for scanlating this!
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Dec 31, 2021
Although it was axed real early, I still believe Elf Deck is worth reading. There are a lot of standout qualities that gives this manga so much character.
The MTG system feels surprisingly at home in an isekai. I really didn't think a hard, detailed-ish approach to the battle/world system would work, but the personalities of each card, the 'meta' counters, and the inclusion of other card users makes it feel like a very well-thought-out system.
The themes that are briefly presented, such as the MC's past and philosophy in relation to the nature of the isekai world that he is in, is actually one of
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the most interesting things I've ever seen in an isekai. The talk about god and whatnot was the standout for me. Sadly, it does feel VERY rushed so I understand if it comes off as a little heavy-handed or forced. But the fact that these ideas are even there in the first place, makes me very curious as to how it would be fleshed out given the time.
Compared to the duo's other work, which seem pretty successful, Elf Deck is by far my favorite in terms of premise and execution. If you like MTG, isekai, and oddly philosophical mangas, definitely check this out.
note: - the MC is also pretty interesting. He didn't have time to develop tho.
- why did this get cancelled 😭
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Mar 20, 2021
Believe it or not, this manga changed the whole trajectory of my life.
I first read Fukukiru back in 2017, just as I entered the eleventh grade at the ripe old age of sixteen. And if you know anything about teenagers, they care A LOT about their appearance; fussing over every little thing that has to do with their image. I was no different. Despite already watching shows like Evangelion, Gurren Lagann, and countless other films about finding yourself and being confident, there was always something missing. I understood the message that was being sent through these works, I even had the self-awareness to realize
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that I wasn’t going to be 100% confident since I was right in the middle of puberty. But as I walked through the school hallway, puffing up my chest in the hopes that I would impress the girls, I knew that THEY knew it was fake.
Knowing that you should be confident isn’t enough, you NEED something to be confident in. And the only things I had were my looks and my humour, I was kind of funny and somewhat attractive. But these are qualities that I never worked for, and it felt as if I couldn’t take pride in them. Also, there was nothing really going on in my life, at the time the only thing I did was play video games and watch anime. I wasn’t any good at sports and my grades weren’t the best, I needed something concrete. Though, it wasn’t as if I was looking for anything in particular. I didn’t even have this realization until college.
It just so happened that one day in 2017 I stumbled upon this manga, and it was a complete paradigm shift. Prior to reading Fukukiru I considered fashion to be inconsequential. Yes, I did care about my appearance, but as a fan of hip-hop seeing all these rappers wear unbelievably tacky outfits, I thought the only thing you needed was confidence. Which is true to an extent. I also shared the same opinion as the MC in the first chapter: “A man who does more than shave and look into a mirror before he goes out, is like a narcissist!” Most men think that putting a lot of effort into how you look, anything above the bare minimum isn’t manly. But I, as did the MC, realized that is completely wrong.
In the first chapter the manga lays out its thesis statement with the first rule of the so-called ‘Rules of Fashion’: “You don’t need a sense of fashion to look good.” In other words ANYONE can look good. Why? Because there is a constant set of rules that determine whether or not you dress nicely, such as silhouette, color coordination, or how making your head look smaller is great. And by simply following these rules, anyone with enough money to buy a few pieces from Uniqlo can look great (sometimes I think the whole manga is just a Uniqlo advert). And that’s exactly what I did.
After reading the 30 available chapters, I did a ton of research and immediately went out to Uniqlo. As I arrived at the store, I scrambled to find all the pieces I saw from the manga, along with the ones I researched beforehand. From jeans, khakis, cardigans, vests, I kept trying clothes for over an hour, losing myself in a fashion-crazed trance. I even made my mom wait for me outside the store, which has never happened before in the history of buying clothes. Simply put, I discovered my love for fashion, and from that point I began to dress really well. Everyone started to compliment my outfits, girls started to talk to me about my clothes, guys asked for tips on how to dress better, even my parents asked me for advice. Needless to say, I was brimming with confidence, and with that confidence I was able to get into my first relationship, do better in school, and ultimately; be happier.
The MC of Fukukiru follows a similar trajectory. He starts off as an average salaryman who doesn’t have much going on, and ends up being a fairly fashionable man; becoming confident in the process. The only difference is instead of a manga, he learns from his sister. The relationship between the two is supposed to mirror the reader and the manga, a classic teacher-student trope that’s used in many other ‘educational’ mangas. And it executes that trope perfectly by taking a simple, down to earth approach. In fact, simple and down to earth would perfectly describe the whole manga.
In the first chapter we are introduced to the main message, that anyone can look good by adhering to basic principles. Then, in the following chapters we are taught how to look good, as well as why should you look good. Each chapter is used to discuss a single topic or even a single piece of clothing. These concepts are presented in a simple, humble way with enough charm to not feel like a whole lecture. Also, the art is perfect for the manga. The simple, clean aesthetic of the characters, clothes, backgrounds, and panels; combined with the expressive, exaggerated faces of the characters make Fukukiru a pleasant, delightful read.
Fashion is often associated with art, and art is associated with talent. I remember in high school when I started learning how to paint on a whim, I splurged way too much money on equipment, I made the house smell like oil for days, and my mother used to yell at me; “You’ll never be a great artist like Picasso!”
Well, that doesn’t mean I can’t draw a cool ass mountain.
The point is that you shouldn’t be intimidated by fashion. Fukukiru invites us to learn how to dress well by following the ‘Rules of Fashion’ along with the MC. It aims to teach us that dressing up is simple, affordable, and that becoming fashionable doesn’t necessarily mean you’re trying to impress anyone. You dress up to have that confidence in yourself, because just like self expression, wanting to look good is human nature. So, no mom, just because I picked up painting doesn’t mean I’m trying to be a great painter (Granted, I did spend money I wasn’t supposed to, so her anger was justified).
In conclusion, Fukukiru is a cozy ‘educational’ manga for people who have an interest in understanding the basics of dressing up. Who knows, maybe if you recommend this manga to someone it might change their lives dramatically, probably not. Just don’t forget to read the title to them.
Please note:
- Idk what to call this manga so I called it Fukukiru.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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