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Colorful Harvest wasn't disappointing, but that's because it didn't give me something to expect out of it since the beginning.

The story is just too simple for a non-H manga. The characters are too flat from the get-go and unfortunately didn't improve for the short 9 chapters it has. Some characters suddenly disappeared without a trace. Even if they didn't leave an impression on me, I was still saddened by their lack of closure. The only thing this manga excels at is on its artwork. It's clean but not impressive or alluring.

All in all, Colorful Harvest is something you must read if you want to ... bump up your mangalist. Outside of that, you're better off to read something at least half decent.

What's amusing with webtoons is that they are fully-colored. It lets you get more immersed into its world than any average manga/manwha out there. Couple it with a good story, pacing and characters and you'll get something similar to this series: a great experience.

Upon reading its synopsis, I got the impression that this will be again a so-so story with a so predictable outcome. I didn't bother reading it until almost a year later. After finishing the first chapter, I regret not starting it sooner. It didn't pluck my heartstrings nor made me scream "kawaii/moe" inside my head.. but it did made me ask the ... question how these two people, Da-Jeong and Min-seong, and the people close to them managed to endure their circusmtances. Min-seong is mentally handicapped. He is a 17-year old guy with a mind of 10-year old. And Da-Jeong is a 19-year old girl with a body of 10 year old. It takes a lot mental toughness to go through that everyday. Both of these characters want to grow up, but was robbed by fate to be able to do so. Min-seong's very reason for wanting to grow up is to not bring more problems to her mother. Despite his young mind, he understands that her mother sacrifices and endures a lot of things for him. Da-Jeong's reason on the other hand is to erase her insecurity. Even as an adult, she still wears children's clothes. She can't openly fall in love. It's hard for her to make friends of any age. She can't do things normal young adults do. She is basically being treated as a child just because of her mere appearance. This is where the series mostly shows its psychological traits. It pulls you in and without a doubt make you wonder about so many things in life.

As some of you might predict, these two people get along with each other. Da-Jeong takes the role of the sister and Min-seong follows unconditionally (though sometimes he fails), which shows how much he trusts her. Throughout the series, you'll love and enjoy the way they interact with one another - from the time they first met, through the times they go out shopping, playing and just idling around, and through the times they face their own problems. There will be a lot of moments when you'll scratch your head and wonder how these two people with a large mental gap get along so well. You normally won't get along with someone who is significantly younger or older than you. But these two people defied that norm and will defy many other things as you read further.

In a nutshell, this series is about unconditional love and partly drama. This is how two people care for each other despite their abnormalities. This is about normal people around them being able to love and sacrifice for these two. You'll encounter some people discriminating our duo which pains me to see as a reader. At the same time it also makes me wonder if in some point of my short life I made fun of such people too. The drama isn't there to pull you into crying or feel sorry for the characters. It is not a drama that will make you frustrated or irritated or rage because of how conveniently they make you what the author wants to. Nope. It draws out compassion from you not because of THE circumstances they are in, but because you simply LOVE them and you don't want them to be in that situation. It might sound the same, however the difference is heaven and earth. When you see a homeless guy, as a sane human being, you pity them and want to help them if you are able to. But you'll have a different emotion drawn out from you when you see someone you know become homeless. It is not the situation, but the person itself in that situation.

Da-Jeong and Min-seong's story is one of the best I read this year, and perhaps one of the best I read yet. They are truly lovable, admirable and fascinating to watch. Certainly, they aren't the only characters in the series, but just in case you end up not liking any minor characters, it is already a fact you will love these two. Trust me, that's more than enough. So drop now whatever cheesy shoujo you're reading. This is something you should put in your priority list.

It started with "What the hell is going on?!", in the midst will make you shout "What will happen next?!", and at the end will make you shout and cry "I WANT MORE!"

Note: This is not a manga aimed for lolicons ^^

Kure-nai started wobbly. If that's how the author intends it to be is something I wouldn't be able to figure out completely. Characters and terminologies pops out one by one without warning until it makes you say "No more, I want to drop this." But hey, hold your horses, because after a few chapters, a long flashback shall be introduced.

Kurenai Shinkurou is a dispute ... mediator. At the beginning, the series will throw you various random missions for Shinkurou that has nothing to do with the overall plot. Then a magical flashback will commence explaining things to you what the heck was going on. After those flashbacks, I tell you, you'll want more of what's to come.

The story is not that violent. Kidnappings, mass murders, suicides - they are at least mentioned in some small corners of the series, but it is not that dark as oppose to other "secret-agent" feel some series have. In fact, this series is funny at times. And when the harem time comes, it feels like your typical rom-com-harem moments.

Character-wise, Kure-nai introduces a lot of interesting casts. While the main cast overshadows the minor cast tremendously, the harem members of Shinkurou are lovable to the extent you wouldn't mind that it is a harem. If you are not fan of the cliche harem scenarios, treat this thing differently. It doesn't force the romance vibe this series have down to your throat. Actually, I would love to see more of this harem moments if possible.

Most of the characters were fleshed out and extremely enticing. You'll get attached to them so fast. And if you are annoyed in seeing whinny and weak protagonists, good news for you, Shinkurou may not be the strongest guy out there, but he is certainly not the guy you want to punch because of his annoying complaints and misfortunes. And don't forget the other characters too, not all of them are combatants, but everyone has their fair share of showcasing their strengths throughout the series.

The art style was pleasing to they eyes; it wouldn't strain you. Some manga has so much clutter especially on these type of stories, but this one diverts from the norm. It may not be worth praising, but it is definitely something you'll love for a while.

The story arcs were all interesting and gives more value not just to Shinkurou, but also to the rest of the cast. Unlike some series wherein they just add story arcs to prolong the story, each story arc here has its own value and may change the whole outcome of the story if not included. There were also some mini filler arcs, but you wouldn't even notice them as something unimportant.

Overall, Kure-nai was an enjoyable ride. It may not be a page-turner, but it is still worth your while during your vacant times.

This manga was recommended to me. At first, I was a bit hesitant in reading this, but when I started to read the first chapter, I was dragged into reading more.

Oyaji is a story about an oyaji (old man/father), a badass oyaji that is. While the cover screams of something gruesome or uninteresting, don't be fooled.

The story is told in almost a linear format. The whole series tells a story of a single night where the oyaji came back home after 10 years of disappearance. There were some flashbacks here and there that speaks of how our characters were from before.

What makes Oyaji stand out ... from the rest is its drama despite of its initial impressions. We've got yakuzas, blood - lots of 'em, flying body parts, etc. and while those elements are mostly seen in dark, psychological and tragic series, what we got here is a very dramatic and touching experience - something that'll definitely change something within you.

The characters, oyaji and his family, have realistic personalities and experienced realistic events common in Japan's lower society. Each may be annoying at first, but as the pages go by, your love for them will grow. And if you may ask, oyaji is a badass. You'll love every single bit of him regardless of your hate or love for rowdy and violent archetypes.

The artwork is just like in every dark seinen out there. Weird faces and dark tones, it delivers the situation and atmosphere the author wants to. If you are reluctant on seeing those kind of artworks, please, I beg you, just give it a try.

All in all, Oyaji is a series that's very hard to drop by the very moment you read it. It is entertaining, it is emotional, it is badass.

Kotonoha no Niwa is one of Shinkai Makoto's work. To be honest, I haven't watched any of his works as of now except for 5 Centimeters per Second, and because of that, my expectations for this short movie is quite high. "Will my expectations be met or will I be disappointed?", that's the question I was asking myself during the times I was hesitating to watch. And the answer to that? Well, the very purpose of reviews is to answer such question in segments, so here we go.

Story:

Given its length which is 45 minutes, none can expect a very good story to come out ... of it nor a story that will keep you awake for the night, thinking and reminiscing its beauty, generally speaking. So is this movie part of the majority? Frankly, yes. The story is about this young boy named Takao meeting a woman whom he has no clue about - age, name, and position - in a Japanese-style garden. The catch is, he only meets her during rainy morning days for some reason. Now, you're gonna ask me "is that it?". Of course not, but telling more about of the plot will just ruin your enjoyment of the show.

For a huge chunk of the show (maybe around 20-30%?), the narration style is - silent. Yes, no dialogues and monologues. Body languages, shots of different places, and an awkward silence between two people created a mysterious calm atmosphere within me which monologues and dialogues can never give to me.

The structure of the story was just like I expected. It started calmly, with almost nothing happens, then the character development starts, and soon enough, you can probably see it approaching miles away, the drama kicks in. The resolution is quite short, but that is expected.

To summarize, there's nothing too special about the story but it doesn't mean that it is bad or better off not watching, it definitely surpasses many romantic shows out there by a hundred-fold.

Art:

In this category, all that I can say is "wow". I'll be rampaging and cursing my life if the art and animation isn't good as it is. The character designs are definitely good and fitting for each character. The background art is really something. There were times that I actually paused for a moment to appreciate its beauty. It is so detailed and sharp. The animation is smooth and I can find no fault in it. If we'll be talking about camera positioning and panning or whatever they call it, it is perfect. If you say otherwise after watching it, please tell me so I can consult my ophthalmologist.

Sound:

Piano pieces, raindrops, silence - they are all placed in scenes where I see them most fitting. They brought the atmosphere the director wants us to feel. If it's a calm one, he prepared us the sound of the raindrops on a normal rainy rain with the sound of the pedestrians walking and chattering. If it's monologue and a dramatic event, a piano piece will be played with the right tempo and key for the right mood and time. And if it's the very important conversation between our 2 main characters, the silence treatment is given. (well, sometimes there's a music being played) The music pieces played are not top-notch or memorable, but the genius placement made up for its lack of musicality.

The voice actors have done a wonderful job in performing on their own respective characters. The emotions that should well from each character for the given scene are wonderfully brought out. Nothing feels too irritating or out of place. In fact, I can listen to them speaking all day long without losing my head.

Characters:

Akizuki Takao, a 15 year olde highschool student and Yukino Yakari, a character that will be explored on the later parts of the movie, starts their relationship from being a "seatmate" in that little "hut" of theirs, to peers talking about their most random things to come to their minds, and to something everyone expected to happen in a romance genre. For 45 minutes, those transitions between their different relationship didn't feel slow nor fast. It was right on track, and thinking about it now, I hope I can pull-off that kind of character development in the stories I'm writing. (If you want to read it, sorry, it's written in my native language).

About the characters themselves, Takao is not your average wimpy romance MC found in almost all romance anime. He actually had done something that I wouldn't even dare to. He also has dreams of being a shoemaker which was followed consistently throughout the movie.
On the other hand, Yakari is the mysterious one. The viewers and Takao's only knowledge about her is that she's older than him. She doesn't talk about herself except for her confession about her skills in cooking. Don't be disappointed about this, as her character will be widely explored during the later parts.

Of course there are also side characters like Takao's family and friends. Except for his 2 friends who became a plot device, none of these side characters are truly important and none of them are worth writing for.

All in all, my reason for writing such short descriptions about the characters is either because any further statements will ruin the show or I actually don't have anything to say about them.

Enjoyment:

Personally, I enjoyed it, but not that much. I was not awestruck-ed nor felt trolled.

Overall:

Love it or hate it. It didn't met my expectations but I definitely didn't regret watching it. If you are a fan of Shinkai Makoto, this is must watch obviously. But if you're looking for something that will bawl your eyes and shatter your heart, please look for another one. The story is short, not complex. It is something that you'll forget sooner or later.To be honest, it had left me a bit hanging in the end. I didn't feel satisfied on the conclusion. It looked to me like nothing happened. As for the art, it is something that I will remember for ages and one day hope that this kind of art will be a regular standard for regular TV anime shows.

Wouldn't be awesome and fun to watch a 10 year old kid deflecting nukes after nukes with his supreme powers that is meant to blow his hometown into smithereens? I guess it is indeed fun for those who want to watch an action-packed anime. But what if the cause of this said event was never explained? What exactly happened to Guilty Crown was exactly like that.

Things happened without any warning and explanation.

The story is about Shu who has an ability to draw out Voids (a person's heart that materialized) from any person. A Void could be a sword, a kettle, a bandage, or whatever ... that best represents the person's heart. While the logic of this phenomenon can be left without any explanation, the one thing that bothered me is that when Shu draws out a Void, he is able to obtain flashy movement skills. He began to learn how to jump high, run at incredible speed etc. How exactly these things happened when he just equipped himself with a Void was not explained, or if it was explained, the explanation was lame and had no impact to the viewers to be considered as an "explanation" at all.

A lot of events and key points have not been explained especially near the end of the end series. Things just happened for no reason. Who in the world anyway wants to watch an action story filled with randomness? If this is a comedy show, maybe I'll let this pass, but it is not. The plot was very vague, it picked its paced half-through, and then it went down to the core of the earth near the end. It was a directionless plot.

Leaving the "no-reason" flaw, I will commend Guilty Crown for having a lovely soundtrack and beautiful animation. The placement of each soundtrack was alright; it brings out the mood that needs to be brought out from the viewers. The OP and ED was also awesome. I rarely watch the OP and ED every episode but this series made me break my rules. The animation as I said earlier is beautiful. It becomes flashy when it needs to be. It presents the battle as very intense one. Despite the pointlessness of some events, the battles always puts me on the edge of my seat because of the well done animation.

For the characters, some of them are absolutely annoying. May that be a good point or a bad point for the series varies.

Of course, being annoyed for the characters that brings illogical philosophy and that tries to destroy the human race is worthy of our emotion. There were also events that will make you frustrated because of those character's action towards the protagonist. I think these are good points. On the other hand, having a clichéd whinny protagonist is just... annoying.. (oh boy, how many times did I say that word). Some characters are ripped-off and many of them are "empty". Dwelling into this more deep will just be pointless. I guess any reader of this review will get what I mean.

To end my first review (or rant) here on MAL, I can say that Guilty Crown is a very fun series indeed. It has flashy battles, great soundtracks, awesome powers and a somehow great voice acting. Though this may be the case, it failed as a story.