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LITERALLY A CHINESE CARTOON!

Yet, surprisingly not terrible. In fact, some of the animation (see the opening) is pretty damn good. Definitely a different animating style than most anime--if you can even call it that--and you can see the resemblance to other Chinese children's animated series (stuff like RotTK or Journey to the West).

Look, it's a harem--if you're coming in expecting anything besides unrealistic love stories and walking tropes, you have only yourself to blame when you leave disappointed. As far as harems go, this one's above average in my opinion. The general premise itself would be a mild spoiler for episode ... 1, so I'd rather not reveal it here. What you get is a bunch of girls, one guy, and some ecchi fun. Each episode is only 10-12 minutes long, and the overall storyline is therefore incredibly fast paced. The Chinese voice acting is pretty decent (with the exception of the main girl... I personally can't stand squeaky female VAs). The OST is nothing spectacular but definitely works. Art quality is inconsistent but can sometimes look very good. The animation is on par with what you would expect most romcom harems to have. Some bits are surprisingly well animated, though the studio isn't particularly adept at hiding the low-budget backgrounds and effects.

Regardless, I found the hour or two I spent watching all the available episodes (6 at the time of writing this) to be very enjoyable. It has good humor, if a little cliche, and a refreshingly fast-paced harem plot. There's also the other plot that it has a lot of, though that's what we're here for to begin with....right?


Solid 7/10 ecchi harem. You can catch up in an hour or two, and there's some novelty in the fact that it's Chinese-produced.

Part of what makes this manga extraordinary, in my opinion, can be described by the age-old literary proverb: "show, don't tell." Yes, your 2nd grade English teacher told you this, as did your 5th grade and 8th grade English teachers. All of your English teachers, in fact (each subsequently more and more worried about your continuous failures in essay writing... no? just me?).

"Show, don't tell!"

Ran to Haiiro no Sekai, or "Ran and the Grey World," is a low-fantasy (fantasy set in a realistic world) coming-of-age story. Put simply, Aki Irie tells a beautiful story in a ... wildly imaginative fantasy setting without ever needing to explain how the magic works or explicitly convince you of a character's feelings and convictions. You are immediately thrust into a strange world where sorcerers hidden in the human society can transform into beasts at will and flora and fauna spring into existence at the snap of a finger. And yet, the mythical creatures, magical powers, and character interactions all feel completely natural.

The narrative is surprisingly fast-paced. Background stories (flashbacks) are short and sparse but wholly satisfying, and no chapters feel like they detract from the overall pace. The characters seem intimately human; their responses to dialogue and crises never feel contrived. It's also quite funny when it wishes to be. The author plays around with some common tropes but has a great sense of humor. The manga does venture into ecchi territory at times, but not for the sake of fanservice. The artwork is lovely and the showing of skin imparts a unique sense of style. Above all, it is magical in both its storytelling and in its ability to convey its message: "don't rush, take life in stride--one step at a time."

With that said, my given scores in the MAL rating format would be:

Story: 8/10 - a little lacking but still solid
Art: 10/10 - gorgeous!
Characters: 10/10 - likable and interesting, with amazing development
Enjoyment: 10/10 - shed a not-so-manly tear at the end
Overall: 10/10 - one of my favorites of all time

The lacking--and I use this term with some reluctance--plot is not so much a weakness as it is a side effect of a particularly character-driven story. The exact events that unfold are not the point of the manga; it is Ran's emotional development, her brother's attitude and evolving methods of dealing with her, her parents' struggle to balance community and family obligations, and a tightly-knit society's display of resilience in the face of overwhelming danger that make this manga so incredible. The real magic is not in the objects and animals Ran or her mother whimsically bring forth, but in the beauty of each character's growing understanding of themselves and one another, along with the life lessons to be learned through the story's charming and cathartic resolution.

I so dearly wish more chapters awaited, but am perfectly content accepting Ran to Haiiro no Sekai as the amazing (and all-too concise) celebration of life it is.

TL;DR: It's pretty damn good, go read this right now.