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Oh boy the story really was a big trainwreck. It really did feel like a slice of life with the plot being such a giant mess. It did become confusing especially at the end. I get what the author was trying to do but the way it was carried out in the story felt too awkward and to some degree forced. Other than that, it was enjoyable seeing this group of individuals all being around together for no particular reason other than the company. It felt nostalgic, like spending time with friends but not something like going to the mall. It struck me ... as doing something memorable with people close to you, something you'd never usually do like hiking or (cough) going to Antarctica. It's only in those times where you all are experiencing new things together and you see each other not as someone you grew up with or met at school but as who they are with their own distinct background and personality. It's a raw feeling.
I really admire omoyo's style of art and the main characters are adorable. It's a pretty minimalistic and simple style like most webcomics so there's nothing to really critique.
The characters are amazing. I truly loved how the author displayed how each character dealt with each problem, confronting them and running away from them. They're all human like with good aspects about them alongside traits that conflicted with others. Their interactions with each other felt human and not an artificial cliche.
I did enjoy this series, even now after rereading it and getting the story fresh in my mind once more. Overall, Salty Studio was heartwarming and heart wrenching at the same time.

This was a very quick read so there wasn't really much time to thoroughly develop the plot and characters, however, since the story is so straightforward with only one main conflict development can be rushed while still keeping a decent pace. There isn't anything particularly special about the plot rather than the fact that it is realistic. It portrays how hopeless one can be under the idea that they're in love. It's pretty deep and downright sad but in a way it is realistic, showing the pressure some of us put on ourselves. My only complaint is that the plot, because of how ... straightforward it is, lacks any diverse development. It's not a plot that branches out with different outcomes and takes many twists and turns, just a story to read when you've got some time to spare.
The art doesn't come of as pleasing too much with a very minimalistic style. This is just the artist's style but it felt rough and unfinished with few detailed backgrounds. Eyes aren't drawn which is what makes it feel the most incomplete since I find eyes are the facial feature that expresses the most emotion.
The characters are few and the only development is really focused on the main character. Supporting characters aren't really there to help move the story forward, mainly just to help with fillers and some degree of comedy relief. I would like to see these characters more flushed out and hold more diversity.
This comic didn't fail to give me something worth reading in my free time. It wasn't one of the best comics I've read but it wasn't that bad. At times I did get bored of the dragging on of the plot but managed to keep reading with the driving force of finishing it.
Overall, the most memorable part of this was just the "lesson learned" throughout the story. It was a realistic plot considering the way characters had reacted when put in certain situations. Even then, the main character was a fool and suffered from it in the end.

The storyline is fairly complex with it's own separate stories being told through different perspectives. I thought the concept of the storyline was actually incredibly nice. I enjoyed how distinct each character's story was and how their relationships changed over time. I definitely shed some tears feeling close to what the characters went through.
The main three characters go through several struggles, the conflicts felt real and the problems weren't cliche. It was as if each character was real and had their own thinking process. You can see it in the way they respond and take in certain events. I did, however, ... get lost at times since the story constantly switches positions from one character to another. In a way, I felt like the stories were too separate for me to follow along. It was as if the only thing connecting all their stories together was the fact that the main characters were friends however they don't interact with each other that much after the exposition.
The art was pretty cute I didn't mind the simplistic style at all. Of course, it would be hard to express much emotion in the visuals but the dialogue makes up for it.
The characters are very distinct including what form their relationship takes. They are the classical types of characters, the "tsundere", happy dense one, and the "kuudere". A pretty good mix of variety. Since the storyline covers an immense amount of time there is some degree of character development but I was hoping for a bit more noticeable change.
Honestly, it did take me a while to finish this mainly because at one point I put reading this series on pause because I was getting bored of it. There isn't any noticeable moving on the storyline in filler chapters and I might've read it continuously if there was more contact between the main characters with their stories.
In the end, The Stories of Those Around Me was a good way to pass time and I found myself relating to their struggles and happiness at times and found reading it a pleasant experience. I'm not actually that good on critique however and then again this was just how I comprehended the story :^)