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I came across this anime by accident and starting watching it on a whim, but after finishing it, I cannot recommend it more. It appears to be a cute and childish magical girl show (and sometimes, it is) but there is so much under that surface that can only be uncovered by watching the whole series with an open mind and heart, and if you do so, you will definitely not regret it.

Story: 7/10 (good)

The story of Nurse Angel Ririka SOS is about a girl, Ririka Moriya, who finds out she is the legendary Nurse Angel destined to protect both Earth and Queen Earth ... (another Earth-like planet in the same universe, apparently). In order to do this, she must defeat the evil forces of Dark Joker and find the Flower of Life. Throughout the story, lots of different characters and situations show up that either challenge or support Ririka in this quest, and something I liked more about Nurse Angel Ririka SOS was that it had waayyy less filler episodes than Sailor Moon, which allowed the plot to stay mostly on track with few distractions. Without spoiling too much, I really want to say that the ending was super unexpected, extremely bold, and an overall emotional rollercoaster. It's worth watching the whole show just to fully appreciate (and be hit really hard in the feels) by that insane finale.

Art: 7/10 (good)

Some people don't like the style of old shoujo anime, but I personally love it, and the overall aesthetic of this anime was beautiful. It was simple, not too glittery, cute, and perfectly appropriate for the type of story it was used to tell and the audience it was targeted at. There were moments when the art could've been better, as there are with many anime, but there were also moments when it was stunning and it was possible to tell that the production team pulled out all the stops. The final episode is an example of this. Emotional, dramatic, and significant moments are always given more consideration and effort when it comes to art, but that doesn't mean the more everyday moments were badly drawn or anything. The art was, to my pleasant surprise, pretty consistent in its quality.

Sound: 6/10 (fine)

Nurse Angel Ririka SOS has a great soundtrack, and the opening and ending songs are too good to ever skip. The problem is that some music is reused too many times throughout the show and there are moments when the soundtrack seems out of place, but overall, it's not badly done at all. The first opening song was my favorite, but all the other pieces of music are pretty good. This is one of the only anime whose soundtrack is so good that I listen to it on its own sometimes. As I already said, the only problem is that it's repetitive and sometimes misplaced. The voice acting was also done well, and all the characters' voices seemed to fit them really well. I personally really liked Dewey's voice and I was surprised to find that he was actually voiced by a woman, but I think that was a good choice and her performance was impressive. The VAs for all the other characters also did well.

Character: 9/10 (great)

Characters are where Nurse Angel Ririka SOS really shone. All the main characters are developed SO. WELL. Let's start with our heroine, Ririka. She started out as carefree and a bit whiny, obsessed with her crush on Kanou-senpai and perfectly content with her trouble-free life with her friends. She was clumsy and irresponsible, but as the series went on, she changed gradually and eventually became selfless, strong, and a character I could easily get behind and support. Something I liked a lot about Ririka is that she actually has to THINK, unlike some other magical girls. The source of her power, the Green Vaccine, is in limited supply, and different attacks require different amounts of the Vaccine, so Ririka really has to be smart and think about which attacks she uses, when she uses them, and who she uses them against. There was even an episode completely dedicated to Ririka learning how to pay attention to her enemies and use their weaknesses against them instead of just attacking blindly. Her relationships with other characters, specifically Seiya and Kanou, were also really well-developed, and I liked seeing how she grew from being super dependent on Kanou and obsessed with him to being independent and fighting to protect him rather than the other way around.
Seiya started out as the annoying childhood friend with an obvious crush on Ririka, and I didn't expect him to be super important, but he also grew and changed gradually and became very strong and worthy of fighting by Ririka's side. Seiya was honestly one of my favorite characters in this anime and although it's hard to talk about his development without too many spoilers, I have to say that he deserves the title of Best Boy™ for sure. Another important character was Kanou, and even though he got on my nerves in the beginning because of Ririka's dependence on him, I eventually came to appreciate him and everything he went through just to protect his home and the people he loved. The final character I'll talk about is Dewey, and there are MAJOR spoilers related to his development, so all I'll say is that he became one of my favorite characters (after Seiya and Ririka) and the way he grew and changed is impressive and endeared him to me in a very unexpected turn of events. He's a pretty strong contender for Seiya's Best Boy™ title.

Enjoyment: 9/10 (great)

I really enjoyed this anime! I started watching it when I was suffering from a super intense sunburn and was overall not in a very good state, and let's just say that I was cured by Nurse Angel's magic. Nurse Angel Ririka SOS quickly became a comforting show I could turn to to unwind and get swept up in, and it took my mind off whatever pain I was in. It made me smile, made me tear up, and became unexpectedly important to me. I really had fun watching it and I plan to rewatch it sometime whenever I need a pick-me-up or just whenever I have nothing else to watch.

Overall: 8/10 (very good)

It's not a perfect anime by any means, but it's definitely amazing, and I highly recommend it. I just can't say that enough. So many good shoujo series, both anime and manga, get forgotten and overlooked, and it makes me sad to see how underappreciated Nurse Angel Ririka SOS is, so let's save it from being eternally forgotten, shall we?

As someone who's interested in drawing shoujo manga as a future career, this manga caught my attention as was quite enjoyable to read. The characters make the information presented enjoyable and memorable, and the examples used add a bit of comedy, which is also helpful for making them memorable. In only eight chapters, this manga managed to explain the basics of drawing manga - panels, characters, screentones, effect screentones, background, text bubbles, tempo, tools, and more - in a fun and appealing way that is attractive even to beginners.
Since this manga is educational and not meant to have a plot, the ... characters aren't very important, but they still manage to have recognizable personalities that affect their actions and how they present information throughout the manga. The FL, Reika, is a spoiled rich girl who just wants a fast and easy path to manga stardom, and the ML, Seba, is her butler, who is a strict and passionate teacher in the way of manga. Each chapter includes Reika wanting to learn how to do something, making spoiled assumptions, and Seba explaining to her the proper way to do something, often with the appearance of his favorite item, an important side character: the whip. It is important to acknowledge that no Reikas were harmed during the making of this manga and that the whip is used for metaphorical and comedic purposes. Also, Seba is a pretty attractive-looking guy. You can't have a shoujo manga without an ikemen, right?
The only complaint I have about this manga is one of the points Seba made while explaining characters. He said that the male love interest is more important and should be more memorable than the heroine, and I find this point outdated and even offensive. The FL should be memorable since she's the main character and is the one the whole story revolves around, so she should be able to be her own character and make her own impact. Why would readers want her to end up with the ML if she's just a cardboard cutout? There's no reason for the FL to be purposely less memorable than the ML, except maybe sexism, which is a common reason in the manga world.
Overall, this manga is perfect for people interested in the process behind the creation of manga, but if you want a developed plot, this is not the manga for you. If you're like me and want to know the basics of shoujo romance manga (since those are the examples used in this manga because that's what Reika wants to draw), definitely check this manga out and use it as a starting point for more in-depth research and practice!

This manga is SO. FLIPPING. CUTE!! Not only is it sweet and fluffy, but it also has a pretty good message about not hiding yourself and accepting others for who they are, so even though it's really short, I'd definitely recommend it!

Story: 7/10 (good)

The story is follows our heroine, Tsumugi, an otaku obsessed with her favorite otome game character, Tokki, and her developing relationship with a real-life Tokki lookalike named Tokio, who claims to be allergic to otaku. The premise of being an otaku with a passion is super relatable, and I loved seeing that represented. However, once Tokio confesses to Tsumugi, ... she feels the need to hide her true nerdy self from him in order to not make him mad at her, until the secret slips out... The story isn't as well-developed as it could be, but it definitely wasn't bad, even though some minor characters (like Renren) just come and go. The ending was sweet and heartwarming, too!

Art: 7/10 (good)

The art style for this manga was really cute! I loved how the mangaka drew the characters' eyes and the various outfits were drawn very cutely, too. Tsumugi was definitely drawn more expressive than Tokio, but his expressions were still done decently. The proportions weren't too exaggerated, like shoujo manga sometimes do, and the more active poses didn't look super stiff, which is always good to see. I did think the use of screentones could've been better (yes, Tokio is a sparkly guy, we get it), but overall the art was really cute and fit the vibe of the manga well.

Character: 7/10 (good)

When I say the characters were good, I'm talking about Tsumugi in particular, even though Tokio's development wasn't horrible. I liked seeing how Tsumugi coped with her first-ever 3D crush, eventually fought to stay true to herself, and learned a bit about love and honesty on the way. At first, she hid her otaku-ness from Tokio to not make him mad, but as the story goes on, she finds she cannot build a strong relationship with him or be happy about any of her own decisions if she continues to hide the truth, and eventually comes clean. I liked seeing her slowly gain the bravery to be proud of being an otaku. Tokio, the love interest of the story, starts off very prejudiced against otakus because of an experience from his childhood, and harbors many of the negative stereotypes held against otakus and anime/manga/game fans not only in Japan, but worldwide. However, as he falls in love with Tsumugi, he eventually comes to accept her for who she is and tries to learn more about the truth about otaku culture. Their romance was also cute, even though they're not one of my all-time favorite manga ships.

Enjoyment: 8/10 (very good)

This manga is really fun to read! It's short, so it's easy to finish in less than half an hour, and the story and art are fun and easy to understand.

Overall: 7/10 (good)

Overall, "2.5-jigen Kareshi" is not super deep, even though its messages are definitely meaningful, and the romance, despite its cuteness, isn't anything extremely unique, so if you just want a simple and fluffy romance, this is the manga for you! Don't expect too much from it, and it probably won't end up in your favorites list, but it's a good manga to pass the time with and make you want more husbandos (be they 2D or 3D). You can never have too many of those, right?

First of all, it is impossible for me to believe that this is a shounen manga and not shoujo or josei. Second of all, this is yet another manga that had so much potential but totally fell short. Let's get on to the review.

Story: 3/10 (poor)

Story? What story? There is no story. Well, to be fair, there is a basic skeleton of a story, but it's a hot mess. We start off with our protagonist, Eri, struggling with school and medical problems in her family, and when trying to save a mean girl, Meari, from a train, gets hit ... by the train and isekai'd into a place called Britannia that is populated solely by men because a witch has caused all the women to fall asleep. Hailed as the Goddess of Light, Eri and her knights plan to defeat the witch and wake up the women again. This sounds like an interesting premise, even though it's just your basic reverse-harem isekai premise and nothing original. It starts off promising, but suddenly the author added new characters and new events that went nowhere, were never explained, and wasted time, and the real problems were never resolved. The fact that nothing was ever explained bugged the heck out of me. How did Eri's family and friends react when she got hit by a train? Why did Meari hate Eri in the first place? Was it just a coincidence that Sir Richard looked so much like Eri's crush in her world, Hayami? Why did that IT company lady look like she was about to have sex with that sleazy, abusive knight guy whose name isn't even worth remembering? Who's the real Goddess of Light? DID THE WITCH EVER GET DEFEATED??? None of this is ever explained and the plot goes absolutely nowhere. Heck, there's not even a real ending!

Art: 10/10 (outstanding)

The one and only saving grace of this manga is the art. The artist, Kira Etou, typically draws josei romance stories with a "European nobility" sort of aesthetic, so this manga would definitely be right up their alley, and the art is STUNNING. It's so detailed, the expressions are done really well, the characters' hair flows so dynamically, and one of the only reasons I kept reading this manga (besides hoping against hope that the plot would improve) was so I could drool over the magnificent artwork. The style seems to follow the more recent trend in shoujo manga to lean more towards realism than in previous eras but still include the exaggeration and elegance that characterizes shoujo manga art. Yet again, I find it impossible to believe that this manga is targeted at boys, but that's a story for another time. Back to the art. I can't explain how beautiful it is. Aside from the detailed linework and attractive character designs (and I mean VERY attractive! The guys are absolutely simp-worthy and the girls are really pretty, too!), the artist is definitely a master of screentone, and uses a combination of basic screentones and effect screentones effectively. The art is the only thing that saves this manga from being a complete and utter waste of time.

Character: 5/10 (mediocre)

Just like everything else in this manga, the characters had potential. The main protagonist, Eri, seems responsible, brave, strong-willed, selfless, and hardworking, and I was looking forward to seeing her get developed more in-depth because I loved that she wasn't completely helpless even though she had a bunch of knights to protect her, but unfortunately, the trashy writing of this manga tore that chance away. It's not like she was shoved aside or anything, but she was never fleshed out much beyond her initial characterization, and that's what hurt all the other characters, too. They were flat and stagnant, with no depth or development to flesh them out and present them as real, multidimensional people. They just make decisions with no real motivations and rather than driving the story or affecting their world, the world and the story (well, as much story as one can say even exists in this manga) just push the characters along like toys. It seems like the characters are just there to look pretty and say stuff. One of the only redeeming points of the characters is that they all have recognizably different personalities, even though they're all basic reverse-harem isekai archetypes, but at least they're all different from each other and aren't just carbon copies of each other. Meari, who hates Eri for no real reason and eventually joins Eri's group after being saved by her and her knights, is one character who had potential to be an interesting character, but because we never see much of her backstory or why the heck she does the stuff she does, she's what comes to mind first when I think of "characters who were a waste of potential." Oh well. At least they're all really good-looking.

Enjoyment: 6/10 (fair)

As a lonely shoujo romance addict who would love to be surrounded by hot knights who worshipped me like a goddess, this manga was, if nothing else, a cheap form of fantasy-fulfillment, and was therefore enjoyable enough to get me to read it to the end. It could have been a lot better and I would love to see a better writer take up this story and turn it into something worth calling a good story, because it has lots of potential and the gorgeous artwork is wasted on the story as it is now. If you're bored and have absolutely nothing to do and you decide to pick up this manga, that's fine, and it'll at least keep you occupied for some time, and you might enjoy it, but it won't be the most exciting manga you've ever read, and unless you've never read any other manga, it definitely won't become your new favorite.

Overall: 5/10 (mediocre)

I'm being generous here. That's all I've got to say. I really don't want to hate this manga, and even though the plot was a mess and the characters were boring, I find it hard to say that the whole manga sucked. It had good moments, and it's impossible to hate anything with art as beautiful as this, and with more chapters, more character development, a better-structured plot, and actual explanations for stuff, it could've been so much more than it is.

I'll be completely honest here: I wasn't expecting to like this manga. After reading a few shoujo sports romance manga, I was looking for some more and came across "Saotome Senshu, Hitakakusu" and almost dismissed it. I was so used to seeing female athlete characters being sexualized and fetishized in manga targeted at male readers and I didn't think this would be any different, but I was pleasantly surprised. "Saotome Senshu" is probably one of the best manga I've ever read, and I managed to binge it in two days.

One thing that I really liked about this manga was the characters and ... how their development (both personal and relationship-wise) stays true to their established character. The FL, Yae, has a serious and awkward personality, but she is very strong-willed and dedicated to boxing, and even after developing feelings for Satoru and starting her relationship with him, she doesn't lose any of those strong traits or her passion for boxing, which makes her much better than some FLs in other sports romance manga. Rather, being Satoru's girlfriend and training partner helps her grow stronger and helps her become a more well-rounded person. The ML, Satoru, is also very passionate about boxing and is a dedicated admirer of Yae despite his own weakness compared to her. His skillset is more theoretical and support-based than Yae's, which isn't very common in sports romance stories (usually it's the girl who's stuck on the sidelines, supporting her boyfriend) and was a welcome change. Over the course of the story, Satoru and Yae use their unique skillsets to complement and strengthen each other, making for an amazingly healthy and supportive relationship, and they help each other develop their skills, being equally supportive of each other. I thought it was very refreshing and sweet to see a ML who's so supportive of his girlfriend and who isn't ashamed to be in a support role when it comes to the FL's sport activities, as well as to see a FL who doesn't immediately rely on her boyfriend as a source of all motivation. Yae and Satoru's entire characterization and relationship dynamic was so refreshing and I hope other manga creators can take note. The side characters were also interesting and unique, and the little side story that kind of went on throughout the series about Yae's brother's "first love" was pretty cute, too.

The romance aspect of this manga was done pretty well, I'd say. I like that there wasn't much drama and that the main couple could have plenty of cute and sweet romantic moments without any love rivals or melodramatic angst, and the fact that both Yae and Satoru were completely lacking in experience with romance just made their love story so much cuter. Just because this manga is seinen and not shoujo doesn't mean it can't have its fair share of adorable, heart-fluttering, and blushy romantic scenes! Plus, as mentioned before, the whole relationship dynamic was healthy and enjoyable, making it even better. I thought it was neat that Satoru saw Yae as beautiful just the way she was and he didn't expect her to become "more feminine" or anything. He loved the tall and muscular girl that she was, and she loved the short and skinny boy that Satoru was, and no stereotypes or negative pressure were involved in their interactions. Boys, take note! Be the type of guy Satoru is!

The sports aspect was also surprisingly well-done, and balanced out the romance aspect very well. Yae is one of the most famous young boxers in her region, and she's aiming to compete at the Olympics, and Satoru's goal is to be by her side all the way there. The training and fights in the manga are drawn well and are pretty exciting, and it was cool to see the other strong female boxers that Yae's up against at the training camp she went to. All of her opponents were skilled and dangerous, and they all helped her (and Satoru) improve and grow stronger. There were plenty of matches and tournaments for the characters to participate in, and they all led up to the finale, which I won't spoil, but I will say that it was definitely satisfying and was a fitting conclusion for both the sports story and the love story. The fights were all drawn dynamically and the art quality added to their excitement.

The art of this manga was pretty good, and even though there were obviously moments where the creator obviously put in more effort than at other times, it was still pretty consistent and I really liked it. The creator definitely has their own unique art style and it's a really good-looking style in my opinion, and that made the manga even more fun to read. I especially enjoyed the colored extra drawings in the final volume.

Overall, "Saotome Senshu, Hitakakusu" is a better-than-average sports romance manga with great characters, a healthy and sweet love story, exciting boxing matches, good art, and a high enjoyment factor. It's definitely binge-worthy and I'm looking forward to re-reading it soon, and I definitely recommend it. If you're wondering whether or not you should read this manga, go for it! It'll be hard to find something to dislike about it, I promise.

"Fly High!" is pretty average, and there's not much more to say. I got excited when I saw a one-shot manga about a girl who plays volleyball, but the fact that the manga ended up focusing more on her relationship (which was kinda weird) with her coach was disappointing.

Story: 4/10 (decent)

Story? What story? Asuka, a member of her school's girls' volleyball team, spends time undergoing extra training under the supervision of her coach, Nagano, a university student. Asuka admires Nagano and kind of has a crush on him, and he seems to have a special connection with her, as well, but that's ... about it. There isn't really much plot in this, even though that's kind of expected since it's just a one-shot. Sure, Asuka gets a bit better at serve reception and Nagano starts being a bit nicer to her, but nothing really HAPPENS.

Art: 6/10 (fair)

The art was one of this manga's stronger points. The volleyball scenes were super intense and pretty fast-paced, which I liked, and the actions of the players were drawn relatively realistically and fluidly, which is, unfortunately, pretty rare in shoujo sports manga. The character designs weren't super unique, though, and they were just average. Asuka's appearance was a nice mix of cute and strong, and Nagano wasn't exceptionally attractive, but I could definitely see his appeal.

Character: 5/10 (mediocre)

Asuka was fine as a character, but it kind of annoyed me that so much of her motivation was related to "catching up" to Nagano rather than improving for her own sake. It's OK to be inspired by someone, but it doesn't make sense to be involved in sports if you're not doing it for yourself, and it's a troublesome trope in sports manga that the female athlete characters' motivations are, quite commonly, related to a man that they are following or trying to "catch up" to. Asuka's determination was nice to see, though, and made the manga interesting to read, even though I already knew what the results of the matches would be, but it was good that she never gave up, even when she was hopelessly outmatched. I still thought it was weird that she had a crush on a guy 5 years older than her. That guy, Nagano, was a pretty bland and boring character, and there's not much to say about him except for the fact that his actions toward Asuka were kind of creepy and weird. He didn't really flirt with her or anything, but he was always so close to her and the way they acted together would've been fine if they were closer in age. 5 years is just a pretty big age gap, especially when it's a high school student and a university student. That's a pretty big gap and for Nagano to be the way he is with Asuka is just weird.

Enjoyment: 6/10 (fair)

"Fly High!" is one of those manga that are great for passing the time and keeping you interested when you've got nothing else to do. It's interesting and enjoyable enough to keep you reading until the end, but it's not worth re-reading or really getting into. I enjoyed it, but that's about as far as my feelings for this manga go.

Overall: 5/10 (mediocre)

This manga and Asuka, especially, had potential. There could have been (and probably should have been) more focus on how Nagano taught Asuka and what she learned from him, and how his teachings helped her improve, rather than their feelings about each other. I would have liked a more in-depth backstory for the two of them, and you can never say no to more volleyball action. Also, the age gap was weird, but despite these shortcomings, "Fly High!" did what it intended to do and did it decently, and the art was pretty good, so it doesn't deserve a really bad score, but it didn't do anything more than expected, so it doesn't deserve anything higher than "mediocre." It might be worth reading for someone trying to read as many female-led sports manga as possible (that's the reason I read it), but that's honestly about it. Not awesome, not terrible, just mediocre.

At first glance, "Matsuri Special" doesn't seem like anything special. The summary makes it sound like a melodramatic romance against the backdrop of wrestling competitions, the art isn't outstanding in any way, and the series itself only goes for four volumes. Why, then, did I give it a rating of "very good?" Because "Matsuri Special" is the rarely depicted story of a girl's journey to embracing her strength and using it not only to protect those she loves, but to discover herself. I will now go into more detail.

Story: 7/10 - good

The plot isn't anything breathtaking, but it isn't bad, either: ... our heroine, Matsuri Hanyuu, has grown up in the world of low-level professional wrestling, and is pushed by her father to become a professional wrestler. Matsuri, however, just wants to be a "normal girl" and works insanely hard to conceal her family and her physical strength from her classmates, and even hopelessly chases her crush, Wataru, until she meets a new transfer student, Shigematsu, and has to use her wrestling skills to defend Wataru. From that point, she flip-flops between wanting to become a better wrestler and wanting to become more cute and delicate (her idea of a "normal girl") and gets involved in some crazy situations while trying to come to terms with herself and save her father's gym. Sounds like a typical crazy shoujo plot, right? Wrong. It's handled quite well, honestly, and there's isn't the overabundance of crying and forced drama that there usually is in shoujo romance manga. Some parts feel a bit rushed, but overall, the pacing is decent, and it's definitely not bad.

Art: 5/10 - mediocre

Out of all the things I could rate about this manga, the art got the lowest rating, and for good reason. Matsuri and Mimi Maru, the two main female wrestlers in the story, are often referred to as "muscly" and "built" by their peers, but their bodies don't look any different from the rest of the girls. Their arms, which are apparently really strong, look like typical Shoujo Sticks™ (my name for the unnaturally skinny arms that are so common in shoujo manga), and their so-called "built" thighs look just as skinny as those of the other characters. It feels like the artist was afraid to make these girls as far from the "cute" beauty standards placed on Japanese girls, which seems hypocritical, especially considering the themes of the manga. Aside from that, the fight scenes are also quite stiff, which is lamentable, because other than the sub-par art, they are quite exciting fights. There is also inconsistency in the colors used for some characters, specifically Matsuri: in some color images, her hair is colored brown, but in others, it's jet-black. The artist really just couldn't decide.

Character: 8/10 - very good

I was really pleased with the characters of "Matsuri Special." The main character, Matsuri, struggles with conflicting expectations: the society she lives in expects her to be a "normal girl" - weak, submissive, cute, and in need of protection - but her father and the community she's grown up in expects her to be tough, strong, and fierce. Matsuri also appears in need of appreciation and validation from someone else, which she seeks from her crush, Wataru, and later receives from Shigematsu, Mimi Maru, and even her father. She has to embrace her strength and make it part of her identity rather than working to squash it and conceal it, and this makes for some admirable character development for her. Matsuri really is a strong and cool heroine! The other characters, like Shigematsu, Wataru, and Mimi, also have unique personalities and development of their own, and they each discover their own type of strength over the course of the story. I did find that the main boys (Wataru and Shigematsu) were a bit blander than I had hoped and that the girls (Matsuri and Mimi) really stole the show when it came to compelling characters, but even they had something to add to the story and something to learn for themselves on the way.

Enjoyment: 8/10 - very good

I definitely enjoyed "Matsuri Special." It was exactly the kind of empowering girl-power sports manga I wanted, and even though it was quite short, I found myself silently cheering for Matsuri and becoming invested in her journey to self-acceptance. It was refreshing to see that Shigematsu and Mimi (and even Wataru, eventually) saw her for she really was - a girl who is cool and inspiring because of her strength - and encouraged her, each in their own way, to reach higher and dig deeper into the way she saw and presented herself. The wrestling fights, aside from the lackluster art, were exciting and more dynamic than expected from a decently old shoujo manga, which made them pretty fun to read.

Overall: 8/10 - very good

Anyone looking for a good female-led sports manga with an awesome heroine, a supportive female friendship/rivalry, a wholesome romance, and a positive and empowering message about embracing your strength, loving yourself, and being the kind of girl YOU want to be rather than conforming to anyone else's expectations? Look no further than Yoko Kamio's "Matsuri Special!" It has its flaws (like Matsuri's lowkey toxic father and the so-so art), but then again, what manga doesn't have flaws? The pros definitely outweigh the cons in this series, and I definitely had fun reading it and was left with a positive and empowered feeling after each chapter, so I highly recommend it. Pick up the special series "Matsuri Special" and you will not be disappointed!

Edit: apparently this is listed as shounen??? Hard to believe, but OK. It really does seem 100% like a shoujo series.

Ao no Hako is a sweet one-shot manga I wasn't sure about starting at first, but eventually, I decided to just go for it. And that was definitely worth it! I don't usually like romance manga, but this one was different, and I'll explain why.

Story: 8/10 - very good

The story is one of the reasons I liked this manga so much. It was fast-paced but cute at the same time. The characters were developed and the plot didn't seem too rushed, even though it's a one-shot. The plot is pretty simple: the main character is a boy named Taiki Inomata, ... who plays volleyball and is really passionate about it. He practices every day in the gym, alone except for one other person - a member of the girls' basketball team, Chinatsu Kano. They each practice on their own, but they still have small moments together and they get to know each other and start to fall in love. Sounds cute and a little cheesy, right? It might be, but it was executed wonderfully. I didn't feel like there was anything being forced onto me, as the reader, and everything flowed well. There was none of the typical shoujo drama, which I much appreciated, too.

Art: 8/10 - very good

There wasn't anything too unique about the art, but I like how it looked like a mix of the typical shoujo and shounen styles. There was none of the over-the-top glittery bubbles and flowers accompanied by huge, glowing eyes and blushing spasms that shoujo romance manga tend to have too much of, and there wasn't that overabundance of action lines like some shounen manga. The characters were drawn beautifully, too, and I appreciate how Chinatsu actually looked serious, capable, and dedicated, instead of the stereotypical "moe" anime girl. Taiki looked pretty typical, but with just the right amount of cuteness to make him attractive to Chinatsu. The mangaka definitely did a good job of designing these characters and drawing the scenes of their story.

Character: 10/10 - outstanding

I rarely give something a 10/10 rating for anything, but I think Ao no Hako’s characters deserved it. The manga only has two main characters, Taiki and Chinatsu, but they’re amazing and it’s easy to get attached to them and want to see their relationship develop more. First I want to talk about Taiki, and then I’ll discuss Chinatsu (who, by the way, is one of my favorite female manga characters ever now!).

OK, so - Taiki. He’s full of passion and energy, he’s loud, dedicated to volleyball, gets distracted easily by Chinatsu, and jumps to conclusions pretty fast (and they’re not always right). He’s persistent and determined, too, and he never quits at anything, be it volleyball or love. I really liked that he admired Chinatsu not just because she was pretty and kind, but because she was dedicated to her sport and practiced the hardest out of all the girls on her team. This shows that he’s not as simple-minded as he first appears, since he’s able to appreciate her for who she is, and not just her looks. He’s a pretty sweet guy, too.

Now, Chinatsu, the girl who broke the mold of delicate, love-obsessed girls who shed all their independence once the guy they like even so much as looks at them. This girl is NOTHING like them, and I love that! She’s dealt with lots of losses in her basketball career, but even when she’s crying after losing an important tournament, she still puts in the necessary hard work to practice her shots and become better and stronger - a form of character development typically reserved for shounen protagonists. Even during the development of her romance with Taiki, she never loses the independent, strong, resilient, determined, competitive, and driven personality that defines her character. She’s skilled in basketball, too, which makes her a great match for Taiki, the boy who loves volleyball. Chinatsu is written to be more than just a love interest, although this IS a romance manga; she’s her own great character and I LOVE her!

Basically, Ao no Hako has unique characters that actually seem like real people and are relatable and believable. This is a very character-driven story, after all, so they have to be good!

Enjoyment: 8/10 - very good

Ao no Hako was fun, cute, fluffy, but emotional, and it wasn’t just that. It made me really want to root for Taiki and Chinatsu not just in their developing relationship, but also in their sports. I wanted Chinatsu to win a basketball tournament and see that her work and tears paid off. I wanted Taiki to become a starter on the volleyball team and be able to finally show off his skills. I wanted them to be able to give each other a big, teary hug after it’s all over and be able to say that they were finally satisfied. That never happened, of course, since this is just a one-shot, but if it ever did continue, I’d be excited to read more!

Overall: 8/10 - very good

The score probably isn’t higher simply because I’m not a big fan of romance manga, but don’t get me wrong - I really liked this one! Everything about it is very good, so I definitely recommend it to anybody looking for a short but emotionally packed manga about two student-athletes who grow their love for each other as they grow their skills in their sports.

In my search for a good sports anime with mainly female characters that would actually be worth watching, I came across "Ayane High Kick" and thought it sounded fun. After searching and searching until I found both episodes (dubbed in English, no less!), I finally watched it, and I thought I might as well explain this obscure anime about a kickboxer girl.

Story: 6/10 - fair

It wasn't BAD, I will say that. I actually kind of liked the idea of a girl who wants to be a wrestler but just can't make it in that world, so a kickboxing coach who sees the potential ... in her strong and flexible legs decides to start training her to enter the world of competitive kickboxing. Sounds really cool, right? Well, the anime didn't develop the story as well as I had hoped it would, and everything just seemed kind of rushed and sudden. Like, Ayane fails her wrestling tryout. Boom! Suddenly a guy wants to train her. She trains. Bam! Suddenly a famous hotshot kickboxer gets mad 'cause Ayane stole the spotlight. Just snap your fingers and something new is happening - that's how rushed the two episodes were.

Art: 6/10 - fair

Since this anime is really, really old, I can't really judge it with the same standards as I would a more modern show, but I will say, the animation wasn't as jerky and awkward as I had expected it to be, considering how old it is, and I actually thought the character designs were pretty decent. All the characters are drawn in a thickly outlined, high-contrast sort of style, with blocky highlights on their skin and clothes and VERY exaggerated hair (for the female characters). Their exaggerated facial expressions and designs, though, are part of what I kind of liked: it was easy to tell how a character was feeling just by looking at them. Overall, I think the art was nothing too special, but it was tough-looking enough to fit with the theme of the show and fun-looking enough to fit the tone of the show.

Sound: 4/10 - decent

The sound was probably the worst aspect of the show, but it wasn't completely and entirely terrible. I watched the English dub, and the voice acting was pretty bad - all the characters besides Ayane and Kunimitsu (and even them, too, but for them it was the least annoying) sounded very robotic and fake. The VAs didn't put much emotion into their voices and it was really obvious they were reading off a script. It was impossible to feel the hype of the fight scenes or the tender emotion of Ayane and Kayoko promising to graduate together because of the so-obviously-fake voices. I did manage to find the first episode in Japanese, and the voices were definitely better in that version (probably since it's the original), so I didn't rate the sound "poor" simply because of that.

Another aspect of sound in the show is the music. The anime creators did better with the music than with the voice acting, for sure, but even the music was pretty forgettable and not very interesting or exciting. I've watched some anime with soundtracks that make fantastic emotions swell up inside me and that make me visualize the scenes in my mind even if I'm not watching the anime (Haikyuu!! has one of the BEST soundtrack - if you want an anime with good music, be sure to check it out!), but Ayane High Kick didn't have that. I don't know much about how music works, but I do know that the soundtrack to this anime was pretty boring and only had a couple minutes that I can recall that were actually done well.

Character: 7/10 - good

Despite the bad dub voices, I actually liked the characters. I loved Ayane's strong spirit and competitive energy. I liked how sweet and loyal Kayoko was to her best friend. I liked that Kunimitsu pushed Ayane hard and helped her train just as he would have with a boy. Ayane and Kayoko's classmate (I forgot his name, sadly) was also quite fun, and I liked that the anime didn't push him into a romantic relationship with one of the girls, because that would have added yet another new event and there wouldn't have been as much focus on kickboxing. Ayane's little brother was one of the most realistic characters in the show, and I thought he added a bit of cute comedy to it. The vice-principal was annoying because of how "evil" he was made out to be, and I think everything would have been much better off without him. The worst character was Sakuragawa (I think that's what her name was...), the blond, high-ponytailed "princess" kickboxer. She was one of the most cliche characters and was just so unrealistic in her behavior that it made the whole story even less believable. Overall, the characters were not too bad, and if anybody does watch Ayane High Kick, do it for the characters. The spirited Ayane is a good protagonist, who, no matter how many times she's hit and kicked and thrown to the ground, never gives up and keeps fighting.

Enjoyment: 6/10 - fair

It was fun. It was a little bland and it failed to get me hyped up, but it was nice to see an old anime about a mostly-tough girl and her discovery of a new sport. It wasn't a very exciting anime, but if it got a modern remake, I would definitely want to see it. There were a few funny parts, and a few sweet parts, and some potentially interesting fight scenes, so it wasn't that bad.

Overall: 6/10 - fair

As I said before, it wasn't too bad, but it's not the hidden, magnificent gem of ancient, obscure anime. It makes sense why it never gained much popularity, but it had some potential. It had its good points and its bad points, so I can't say it was fantastic, but it wasn't horrible. "Fair" is the best description for Ayane High Kick, an anime with potential that never managed to make it far enough. And that's a shame, since the story could have been fleshed out more and the characters could have been developed so much more. My main takeaway from this anime is simple: the only person that can force you to stay down is yourself. That's why Ayane kept getting up. She never stayed down because she was in charge, meaning she could always choose to use those legs of hers and pull out another "Golden High Kick."

After watching and reading all of the popular volleyball anime & manga Haikyuu!!, I decided to delve deeper into the forgotten volleyball mangas of the world, one of these being Junjou Karen na Oretachi Da!, a three-volume manga about a self-centered setter named Akira who gets kicked off his team and is left on his own to find a new team that will accept him.

Story: 7/10 - good

I wasn't quite sure about the story at first, it seemed very similar to the backstory of Haikyuu!!'s Kageyama: self-centered genius setter whose teammates eventually get fed up with and leave behind, who then finds a short but ... high-jumping spiker and they learn to work together. The story seemed a bit rushed at times, with not much development or world-building done, but I liked the basic plot of an underdog team working hard to rise to the top. Simple inspiring stories like that can never really get old.

Art: 7/10 - good

Honestly, I wasn't quite sure about the art for this manga, even after finishing volume one. The main team, Johnan, was drawn pretty well and they looked like realistic (and very fit) high school boys, but the Seiryoh team (the main opponents) looked like full-grown men who were also bodybuilders or something. No high schooler has a back that broad, okay? That aspect of the drawings made it a little hard for me to take the manga completely seriously at first. The art style looks like a generic sports shounen manga, with plenty of dramatic moments, flying sweat, and a lifetime supply of action lines, but each character looks unique and their appearance matches their personality, which, as someone very interested in character design, is a great thing for the mangaka to have been able to do. Overall, I think the art was nothing special, but it was great nonetheless.

Characters: 9/10 - great

This manga has two main characters, Akira and Katta. Akira's character started out very focused on himself and expecting too much of his teammates, who weren't on the same level of skill as he was. Akira is very focused and takes lots of notes and makes predictions about volleyball matches, working hard to turn everything to his favor. I think it's a bit of a stereotype in volleyball manga that setters are self-centered, manipulative, and calculating geniuses, and although being smart and being able to quickly collect data on the other team is a great skill for a setter to have, not all setters are jerks.

Katta is a short (compared to the other guys), curly-haired "delinquent" from Okinawa who doesn't like setters and just wants to play volleyball "his" way. He's wild, rebellious, likes to roll up his sleeves really high, and some of the girls at Johnan think he's cute. He's got lots of energy, doesn't like to follow orders, and is a little bit simple-minded. As a Haikyuu!! fan, I would compare him to Hinata. He even said something like, "I may be short, but I can jump!" Katta follows the volleyball manga stereotype for spikers - loud, energetic, strong, and with a disregard for authority.

The rest of the Johnan team is a little bit off the beaten path when it comes to stereotypes, and everyone seems a bit like a mixture of them. My favorite of them would probably be the buff and tough libero, Mori. He may be short, but he's probably the toughest member of the team once he got over the idea that Johnan's current team was weak and could never rise past being in eighth place. His character design is one of my favorites, too - he's strong-looking and has a little more chubby face than the other players, has a chipped tooth, and wears his thick, dark hair in a messy, short ponytail. Simply imagining that gives off the impression of a very tough, yet short, volleyball player.

Another point about characters I'd like to make concerns the manga's female characters. There are only two main girls - the cute female manager, Sango, and the coach, Kiriko. Sango first met the boys when she flying-kicked Katta out of the way as she ran to the interview to become the soccer team's manager, and Kiriko was sent in as a substitute coach for Johnan's first game. Although Sango is short and cute, like a stereotypical anime/manga girl, she still does her best as a team manager and comes to really care about the team. She understands volleyball quite well and gets along with the boys, and when Kiriko isn't paying attention to the match, Sango takes over as coach, since she understands the rules and is able to make decisions on her own. I was pretty happy with Sango, and I like how she's able to have a sweet relationship with Katta without being pushed into the role of love interest. Kiriko, on the other hand, seems a bit boring, since her first appearance involved listening to radio reports of horse races instead of paying attention to the boys' game, but after she noticed how serious the boys played, she started to take her role as substitute coach more seriously and even interacted with Sango. Neither of the girls were the subject of fanservice-y scenes and their bodies were drawn quite realistically in contrast to many other shounen manga, so that was yet another great point in relation to characters. These ladies have their own distinct personalities and their own goals, so I was happy to see some female characters in a shounen sports manga that were actually involved the way they should be.

For such a short manga, I'd say the characters are developed quite well, and each have their own distinct personalities and their own ways they improve. They have different challenges and grow in different ways, and that's why I think the characters are probably this manga's best point.

tl;dr: each character is unique, but obviously built on stereotypes. good guys. feminist-friendly.

Enjoyment: 8/10 - very good

This manga was fun, if nothing else. It was short and simple, making it a breath of fresh air after being confronted with long, over-20-volume manga. I came to care about the Johnan boys and I was happy when they *SPOILER ALERT!* won their match against Seiryoh, and I liked seeing how they let go of feeling inferior and worked to reach their full potential. It was a great feel-good motivational story and definitely made me smile. The volleyball scenes were drawn quite well, too, and as a volleyball player myself, that definitely made it easier to enjoy JunKare.

Overall: 7/10 - good

Not the best manga I've ever read, but it was quite good and definitely deserves more attention than it gets. One of the hidden gems of forgotten volleyball manga, for sure. There are many things that I think could have been done differently, but those things don't detract from the overall goodness of this manga too much, so I'd definitely recommend JunKare to anybody looking for a short yet good-quality volleyball manga! Don't go into it with really high expectations - this probably won't become your new favorite manga, it probably won't get you super invested in the story & characters, but it's totally worth a read.