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Dec 23, 2021
Don't listen to the naysayers - this is an excellent manga, though likely goes over the heads of a younger crowd, as many of the depictions in the story rely on the reader having a full life experience that allows them to contextualize many of the events. This manga is short, and thus, condensed, and like many pieces of media in this form - your mileage will vary based on how much you have lived and seen.
My Broken Mariko touches on the subjects of abuse and grief. It handles these subjects tastefully, without forcing anything.
The way the story unfolds feels like you are watching a
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human going through their grief, and it does not feel like a crafted story.
It is about the simultaneously aimless yet driven experience of the early stages of grieving a precious someone suddenly and unexpectedly lost to you - about all of the wild emotional and mental swings that accompany it, and the desperate need to have some form of goal to pursue blindly in the futile attempt to hold onto the person lost through this pursuit.
This is a painfully human story with little to no "point", something which makes it more relatable than expected.
The subject of abuse is handled in a realistic way - from intimate knowledge, I can say that many of the aspects hit the nail on its head. The powerlessness, the self loathing, the belief it is all your fault, and the draw to it, all depicted in one way or another in this story in a tasteful way.
The depiction of the grief feels very tangible, if reserved. Apart from the occasional break down, which themselves are very held together, the protagonist Shiino is doing her best to keep it together while falling apart at the seams, and to anyone who witnessed how real people act in grief, will hit painfully close to home.
The only aspect of this story I wish was better was the ending, which could have been a little more fleshed out.
While the ending is as all things in life - it simply is, neither bad nor good - there could have been a little bit more to it, as I wish we could follow Shiino just a little bit more into her life, since, in reality, that short point after the story starts is when she will get the opportunity to truly start mourning.
Art:
The art is brilliant. It's kind of rough and tumble, a style which could look poor when done by an unskilled hand, but is clearly done by a very skilled hand in this manga.
Characters:
There aren't many to note, and the "second" most important character of the story, Mariko, is only shown to us through the flash backs and daydreams of Shiino. There's really only one character that is depicted and explored, and that one is done very well.
Story:
The story is well put together. It feels natural, things happen, some things have a pay off, other things don't, like in life - "a series of events with no mastermind".
Because it feels so real, the story hits even harder.
Overall:
This is an excellent manga, and a great pick for anybody looking to explore its themes.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Dec 17, 2021
Wow, what a story.
None of this started in the way I was expecting, or developed in the way I was expecting. None of the characters was what I expected either.
The protagonists is fantastic, what a powerhouse of a character, and right away my absolute favorite character in many manga as well as in this one.
The character development and growth, and the story progression are both completely subversive of all expectations, but in a completely natural way. And from the starting point it all slowly progresses towards a much more correct version of these characters and their interactions, and towards a satisfying end that
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made me happy.
It's like everything starts off upside down, and gradually rotates towards the right side up, but it's also like there is no right side up in any real sense.
I really don't want to spoil anything so I'm trying to be as abstract as possible while maintaining a a tether to the actual work, which is really high quality.
The only two things I'd have wished were a bit better were the length (I feel it needed at least two or three more chapters to be truly satisfying), and the art (which is good, but also very plain, causing the story to go by much faster without much art to pause at and appreciate).
But these are really small things, this work is Genuinely really really good.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Nov 28, 2021
This is just so nice. So very very nice. It's funny, sweet, silly, weird, completely ordinary, and yet special as well.
It's a perfect brain calming manga, one that makes you feel nice all the time, has no drama or pressure, nothing to rack your nerves, and yet it's never boring and always keeps your interest by making even the most mundane situations engaging, all thanks to the brilliant characters, their dynamics, and the simple yet expressive and fun art.
The situations in this manga range from completely ordinary to wacky and goofy, but nothing ever crosses the border into bland or into stupid.
It's not demanding,
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it's effortless to read, it's always rewarding, and no matter your mood - it will always improve it in a sincere, casual, and unobtrusive way.
Probably the best way to express how I feel about it is that I like it, a lot.
Like, a lot a lot. The kind of like you'd feel towards a friend whose company is never unwelcome.
And that's what Soredemo Machi wa Mawatteiru is like - a pleasant experience of the sort that is never unwelcome.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Nov 11, 2021
This is a very old manga, and the art and support are very unrefined.
That said, it also feels like a very human story, with characters who have flaws, make mistakes, make rights, remove, cry, are lonely, are together, everything without drama - with just human experiences, behaviors, and thoughts.
That's why I enjoyed this manga so much.
It's fairly short, and is an easy read. It's difficult to find, being quite old and obscure, but the effort is worth it, and you will be rewarded with something heartwarming, comforting, and wholesome, kind of like a cup of hot chocolate, but one that is enjoyed outside on
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a cold evening, after the rain washed the streets and while the traffic lights reflect off the wet road.
It's a little gem - nothing revolutionary, nothing life changing, just another little unique experience that you can remember fondly every now and again.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Nov 2, 2021
This is a brilliant manga. Story, art, writing, everything is done really well.
The titular character, Reiri, grows and develops greatly throughout the unfolding events, slowly changing her view on existence and life, and despite the bitter sweet ending - it fits her growth, and mirrors her origins well.
Difficult to put down, beautifully illustrated, and masterfully paced - Reiri is evidently a work of great skill and effort.
Art - Beautiful and refined. A blend of realistic and stylized, with aspects of it feeling gritty and tangible, at times horrifying, and others feeling light and distilled to the essence, it's one of the prettier mangas out there.
Story
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- An interesting story that keeps you glued to the pages, wanting to find out what happens next. A mix of personal character growth and broader historically inspired intrigue, it is well paced, and focuses on just the right scale to make everything completely engrossing at all times.
Writing - From dialogues to the progression of the story, everything is great.
Characters - A strong point of Reiri is the characters in it. They are of equally great quality as all other components of this manga, and turn the experience of reading it into one of the more immersive historically inspired reading experiences out there.
If only there was an official English release as well, since there's nothing I'd want more than to own the entire physical set of this.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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