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I took me several years to finish reading this manga. The main reason I was attracted to it and kept going was the connection between the female and male leads. However nasty the story got, every time they were together there was such a soft and light atmosphere around them, I find it exceptional that the mangaka could create this distinct chemistry between her characters.

As a josei manga, this work explores two clear and mature topics: cheating and motherhood. The story itself is unapologetically sordid and overly dramatic especially towards the end. I think overall the mangaka does a good job in character development and ... in tying up everyone's story, but I personally felt things became too complicated in the last three volumes and I would have preferred more restraint.

All in all I would recommend this to people who are comfortable with these topics, not because I enjoyed the revenge aspect of it, but more for the character development. I think reflecting on the consequences of their decisions comes like an afterthought in this story but to me this should have been the main appeal, not the drama and scandal.

Watch it!

It took me about 10 years to get around to watching this. For a very stupid reason... Orange is my least favourite colour, so somehow I avoided looking it up or even reading the premise, although I knew it existed.

About 5 minutes into the first episode I realised two things: that I should have watched it sooner, and that it was going to be excruciating.

After finishing it I can say there's absolutely nothing I would change about it. I guess it's a trait that sometimes surprises me in mangas, how some authors manage to deal with difficult and painful topics with such consideration.

Worth it! Might not meet all your expectations, but has striking visuals and is overall enjoyable.

I am usually very happy when I see a new anime movie in the cinemas, and I was very excited about going to see this one. However, just the night before, I started reading reviews and scores on MAL, which seemed to me at the time to uniformly span the range from 1 to 9, so I started getting worried.

I guess any Mamoru Hosoda movie comes with a heap of expectations, as The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is probably on many people's favorites list. Well, I personally felt Belle ... had nothing in common with it, but did have some elements from Summer Wars and The Boy and The Beast. My overall score would be a 7.5, just a tad below the latter.

What did I like? The art and animation are beautiful, and although it is more CGI heavy than I normally like, it was smartly employed, as it kind of works for the VR environment. Music is a central theme in the film, and it did not disappoint, I was honestly impressed with several of the songs. Characters were beautifully drawn, likable, and voice actors did a great job.

So what did I not like? As many others have already said, the story is a bit confusing. It just suffers from the "too much" syndrome, making it seem muddled. Maybe there are just too many characters, and too much is going on, so it's difficult to keep up, and to relate. It does help in making the ending less predictable, which I appreciated. But there are topics such as loss, love, abuse, mistrust, trauma, family, friendship, some of them quire heavy, and it's difficult to process it all in just 2 hours.

I'd like to make a special note regarding the content. I felt there were a lot of good ideas in this movie. Like in some of Makoto Shinkai's films, connection is an important theme here, and it's very well conveyed. Other topics, such as privacy, the negative and positive influence of the internet, social media and hyper-connectivity, especially on young people, are hinted, but not sufficiently developed. The VR world itself is interesting, but not very immersive, and more could have been done there. Although the visuals compensate, and at times very loosely reminded me of Paprika. Finally, the fairy tale elements weakened the film in my opinion, as they did not seem all that original nor did they bring much too the story. There were also some dubious choices in terms of story line towards the end, but I can't get into it without spoiling the ending. Again, a lot of it is good, but it's too much for one film and the final message lacks clarity.

In many ways this is an amazing anime and I am happy it exists. I guess I am being overly critical as many others have been just because that is the plague of great directors. But I certainly recommend seeing it!

Lots of history, lots of drama and a tiny bit of romance.

Personally I did not trully enjoy reading this, but to some degree I found it interesting. As a historical drama in its own right, it focuses on the life of a female character from a prominent family in a time of intense strife in Japan. I think the story tries to follow historical events more or less accurately, thus there are many many characters and many locations and it gets a bit tedious. I did not find reading it to be pleasant because most events are quite tragic, but I think it gives a ... glimpse into how those times were. There are a couple of moments were you can enjoy some romance, but they are brief.

The story failed to convince me that the main character, Gou, was trully influential in the political outcome of the conflicts. To me most of the time she seemed tossed around by fate and the will of others like most other characters in this story. I agree she is strong and brave to some degree, but I do not consider her to be inspiring, at least not based on the dialogues in this manga. I am though being harsh, because if this manga teaches you one thing, it's that just staying alive in those times was very difficult and you cannot judge them by current standards.

The art and the character design are very beautiful, although I did not find them innovating in any way.

If you like historical dramas, give it a go, but don't expect warm fuzzy feelings nor female emancipation.

Omoshiroi!!! One of the most interesting animes I've seen this year. It does not only successfully manage to quickly create an interesting plot line, but it also keeps you guessing until the end.

This anime has two strong features: interesting setting, great characters. The school and the points system immediately got me sucked into the story, because it really seems like a good idea, focusing education not only on traditional learning and individual success, but forcing the whole class to act together, making students responsible for both their individual and joint decisions and behavior.

Also, many of the characters have either a deep dark secret or a ... hidden personality, so you never stop asking yourself who they are and how they got into this school or what special talent do they possess. Ayanokoujj is certainly one of the most intriguing characters I have encountered in a long time.

Art, animation and music all seemed average to me, but it did not affect my enjoyment of the show. I must say though that animation quality really hit rock bottom right on the last episode, with distorted heads and facial expressions, even in the last scene.

I for one really enjoyed this show. Some light novel readers said it deviated from the original story and did not make the best selection in terms of which arcs to exploit. I can imagine that being true (you do get some typical and uninspired clichés like big boobs and bikinis), but it is still a very good anime. I only regret its brevity (alas, the ongoing curse of 12 episode seasons for really good shows) and the fact that I am not a LN reader.

I'll throw in my 10 cents about this anime (excuse the pun), because I already suspect it will be my favorite this season. Ever since I read the synopsis I was instantly attracted to it and it has not disappointed since.

What do I like?

First of all, the story. This is not the first anime related to gaming that I have heard of, but what makes it stand out is the very realistic approach it takes to it. You get all the fantasy and adventure that the game has to offer, but you also get the real-life drama and obstacles that a pro-gamer has to go ... through. I think this very human approach to it is what makes it so good and also relatable. And although there is real conflict and intensity within the story, they manage to lighten the mood enough with the occasional comic relief.

Second, probably the characters. The main character is perfectly likeable and down-to-earth, although he always keeps an aura of mystery about himself, as he did during his 10 years as a pro-gamer. Thus it is difficult to spot his true motivation or his overall game-plan, and I say this after watching more that half of the episodes. There are a lot of side characters, a lot, I feel that none has been intensely developed up to now, although many have something to do with his past as a pro-gamer. So whenever a new one pops up, you feel the plot thicken. I do worry about how they will all tie in by the end and how much actual human development or human relations we will get to see. Even so, it all still feels very interesting.

Last thing I like, the music. Both opening and closing themes seem really good and I enjoy listening to them every time. About the sound, obviously this anime is in Chinese and that might be something quite new for most fans of Japanse anime, it certainly is to me. But with adequate subbing it can be decently followed. I really like the main character's voice, but am not crazy about some of the female voices.

Now, about the art and animation. Well, you will read that it's good. And it is, by what I call "modern standards". I personally really appreciate all scenes related to the game, Glory, those really are impressive. But I have a couple of bones to pick with 1. the character design, too many characters have similar faces lately and it sometimes gets confusing, 2. when showing scenes from the net-café ("real life"), I always have this sensation that some do not look quite right, that they are too similar to what you would see in some computer games, like gunner perspective or simply the animation all of a sudden looks really different. I tend to believe they do this on purpose, maybe because they want to define their own style of animation or maybe because such tricks tie in well with the subject matter, but I don't like it nontheless.

Anyhow, I really enjoy Quan Zhi Gao Shou, I think it's fresh and fun and has a lot to offer and I hope to like it even more by the end. I would also like to mention here that I don't think one has to have much knowledge or interest in actual gaming to enjoy this, maybe just a little curiosity, and that it does show-cast how amazing an experience gaming can be for people who are really into it, an experience which to me seems similar on some level to watching anime.

EDIT: Although I still stand by everything I said before, as the story advances, I want to say more, namely I really want to emphasize that this show is truly beautiful and special, it's real and honest and not cluttered with any needless tropes or background noise. Their feelings and circumstances are extremely believable and everything is treated in a very gentle manner. And up to now I have loved every single episode I have seen.

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I wouldn't normally follow a story about middle-schoolers, however I am not sorry I started watching this. It delivers an overall sweet and considerate story, and is the only decent ... romance anime that this season has to offer us.

The story is very down to earth, boy meets girl, they gradually get closer. Although the pacing of the anime seems slow (in terms of how the scenes are constructed), I would say that (at least by shoujo standards) things are actually evolving pretty quickly. I like the story because it feels authentic and earnest and because the characters inner life plays a big role. In this age of lolis, anything human and real is to be appreciated.

The art and animation are of perfectly good quality by modern standards, nothing spectacular, but I feel that lots of attention to detail was invested.

The characters portray what you would expect from a (no frills) 14-year old. They are discovering the world, dealing with their emotions, interests, desires... they are also quite sweet and shy :)

I personally am enjoying this series more and more, I find it sincere and refreshing and feel swept into the characters' emotions. If you like this genre of anime, I encourage people to give it a try, the first two or three episodes should convince you.

Why is Scum's Wish such a terrifyingly good anime?

A. It's better than the manga. I do not deny the mangaka's merit in creating the story, and the characters and the general flow of things. But the creators of the anime took that and gave it added value. The anime tells the same story, but with a huge attention to details, trying to always convey the characters' actual mood and emotions, removing some of the ambiguities inherent to the printed material and giving everything more depth and clarity.

B. The story feels real. Not in the sense that this would happen to you, of course not, ... it is fiction and far-fetched at best. But the feelings and thoughts of the main characters feel real, they feel like what you would actually expect from 16-year olds, maybe what you feel or felt at that age. They are deeply involved in their passions, as youth would naturally dictate, but they are also imperfect, they make dubious decisions, they question themselves, then go back and forth between what is good or what is good for them at that moment. That's what adolescence is all about, knowing and defining one's imperfect self.

C. It's different. The main reason why some would think that it's different is the more mature content, which I still think shocks some people, although we are all just being hypocritical about it. I don't know if any of the content could apply specifically to Japanese high-schoolers, but I do think it can apply to high-schoolers in general. It does not sell you an easy, sugary story that you want to see but will never actually live through. Up to now it also does not sell you an overblown drama. It just shows life, in its pure and inconvenient form, with people being people, and lets you play judge and jury if that's what you fancy.

D. The art. In general. Not only how the characters are drawn or animated, which is good, but nothing unheard of. But the use of symbols, still-frames, music and other such props. It's beautiful.

It's not that I wanted to enjoy Scum's Wish, but I feel my self liking it more with every episode. I am not even crazy about the manga. When I read it, it felt like it had some poisonously addictive quality about it. But I do like the anime. I relate more to the characters, I like how it's made, I find it interesting. We'll see how it goes from here.

I cannot believe this doesn't have a review yet! What you should know right of the bat about this manga is that it offers much more than the synopsis or the prequel (which I do not even recommend) would lead you to believe. And in general I think the author really hit a goldmine with this, compared to her previous works that I have read.

Although set in the world of the AV industry, it is in most cases sensual and never overly explicit, as one might expect. Also, the way it portrays the industry and the main characters' jobs is in my opinion almost ... professional and generally the tone of the story is a serious one, with slight comedic touches, like Masaya's cousin.

The two main characters are beautifully drawn, have excellent chemistry and are very intense, and their fears and motivations are gradually explored and revealed. The overall progress of their relationship is slow, but probably that is what makes it so good. It is that type of story where you can actually get drawn in by the characters' passion and personality and you just keep reading.

This work is still in development, it was on hiatus for a some time but now it is back apparently. I of course do not know how it will develop past the 12 chapters that I have read so far or if the mangaka will manage to keep the level up or she even will finish the story eventually (I think it was initially planned as a three volume work), but I must say that what I have read so far has been both intriguing and satisfying and it only left me craving for more, so give it a try :)

I have to say this manga is like none I have read so far. And it's really, really good in my opinion.

The setting might seem typical shounen ai at a first glance - high school boys dealing with their feelings for each other - but it is not. There are two main characters with alternating point of views: one struggling to understand his sexual orientation and to find a way to be genuine both towards his friends and towards himself, the other that discovers his classmate's secret and slowly observes and comes to understand and appreciate him.

There are no clichés here, it's truly an original ... slice of life manga, focused on self-discovery and growth. I must confess I have no idea in which direction things will go, if it will finally be focused on an adolescent's rite of passage towards adulthood and emotional and sexual self-awareness, if it will be about friendship or it it will shift more towards romance. With the six chapters I have read so far all these possibilities are still wide open and that's all the more exciting.

The characters are all interesting and have depth. There is a lot of dialogue and I believe the author tries her best to treat the subject seriously and to project the character's inner feelings onto the reader, mainly through conversations. The art work is good, a hell of an improvement from some of the author's earlier mangas, so kudos to her in that department.

I myself gave it a 9 because I am extremely picky, but on my global scale of manga a 9 is truly what it's supposed to be: great. I might even go higher depending on how it develops, given that it's still publishing.

I wholeheartedly recommend people who think they might find it interesting to give it a shot. There is another good review for this already, but I felt like leaving my own input just to give people another point of view on it and thus maybe encourage more readers to pick it up, it truly is worth it, it really was a pleasant discovery for me.