Back to tabbycatcircus's Profile tabbycatcircus's Profile

Story would have been better if it didn't try to be a romance.

The two main characters and how their struggles parallel each other, executed well. The side characters were completely necessary and had well-deserved scenes.

So what's the point of the alleged romance?

In the first place I think this story is guilty of "romance is the ultimate form of love," having this girl fall in love with her manager because he was nice to her, just to preach about how "you don't need a reason to fall in love," like romance is this great, transcendental thing. Uh yeah, there's the physical attraction aspect, and in ... the beginning the manga makes great pains to demonstrate how unattractive manager-kun is by consistently pointing out and drawing his bald spots, how he keeps leaving his fly open, and the weird boomer sneezes he makes (despite me checking the characters page to confirm if the man was reasonably attractive). Doesn't help that how beautiful the girl is keeps getting shoved in my face, but this is what I was expecting from the female-focused cover. Yeah yeah it's "seinen" but i'm tired of this in seinen manga when shoujosei can portray female beauty just fine.

So now. The main issue.
A romance plot was set up at the beginning, however this is promptly forgotten about in favor of dealing with individual struggles regarding personal hobbies that the characters go through, which have really nothing to do with each other except for some vague parallels. This makes the ending even more offensive because it sloppily inserted the theme of not giving up on your passions into their relationship, which made absolutely no sense and made for a terribly unsatisfying ending.

Basically, this story should have chosen ONE:
a) if it was going to forget about the romance, there should have been no romance plot or premise set up in the beginning, where the two may or may not develop romantic feelings for each other over the course of the story that may or may not be confessed;
b) if it wanted to properly deal with the characters' romantic feelings towards each other, actually make that kind of angst progress throughout the story instead of making them forget about that in favor of their hobby angst.

In the end, this story seemed like it tried to go for "realism" in how it handles this premise but ultimately ended up being unrealistic and idealistic in the way slice-of-life can oftentimes be.

I wish I could rate this -10 this is the most disappointed I've been in a while.

FL is completely assassinated character-wise and due to this, the most contrived situation happens, namely "I need to maintain my professionalism as a teacher uwu" you fucker, then why were you so forward with ML in the original manga? And on top of that, ML was angsting in the original over whether she actually cared for him, which was resolved, and the same goddamn issue is brought up but completely forgotten about. Only when they reunite in a timeskip is there a hint of any of this being addressed. ...

Nonexistent nothingburger romance

It's a lovely slice of like anime that combines some relaxing cultural and cooking information with some wholesome elaboration on certain aspects from the main series, such as side character relationships and sisterly bonds.

I do not recommend first timers to the Fate series to watch this before consuming anything related to Fate/stay night: Heaven's Feel because this animanga spoils significant plot points (speaking of which, do not watch the DEEN anime or Fate/Zero prior to the HF movies. Or just read the goddamn visual novel, it's officially translated on Steam). Moreover, this anime makes a lot of references to Fate/hollow ataraxia, the visual novel sequel ... to F/SN. Viewers who have played both visual novels would get the most out of Emiya Gohan.

My only complaint would be the pacing. There are often pauses that feel way too long between dialogue, and it can get awkward to watch.

There are unfortunately some pedophilic undertones (warning: in my opinion). Episode three centers around "Child's Day" and it's an Illya episode (you know, the supposedly 18 year old loli who doesn't care for being seen as a child). At the end after dressing up and eating, Illya asks Shirou's opinion on her kimono, Shirou nervously replies "well it's cute I guess," then Illya hugs him; you can see that Shirou is noticeably blushing at this. On top of this, the three heroines were alarmed at this and Rin is like "h-hey Illya, what are you doing!!!" as if she were jealous. It was all very bothersome because Illya registers as unambigiously a child to me. But this is to be expected from the Nasuverse.

Short chapters compose the bulk of this manga, following a lot of different stories and making for a fun read. So this was more like reading 50 normal chapters.

From the beginning the way the relationship between the main couple is presented points to this idea on how, while puberty can make relations between the two sexes more exciting, there's also this poignancy and bittersweetness. Their interactions will always be framed to the casual observer by the fact that they are "man and woman" and since they are in middle school and romance is presumably not allowed, they must act accordingly and hide their true relationship. ... The innocence is gone, and there are so many things to be aware about. Even just going to each other's house is "improper" when only a year before, with their immature bodies, there would have been no problem.
And then there's how genuine their relationship feels. There was never any need for any dramatic confession scene, sometimes actions speak louder than words. They seek out ways to enjoy each other's company, get into arguments, and reconcile. And when they feel ready to have sex, they have honest discussions about it and do their research. They explore it without shame, which is so refreshing and heartwarming (because usually these discussions can be tinged with misogyny and puritanism). So I was genuinely happy for them when it came time. And after they've gone all the way, paradoxically they don't need to worry about what is proper anymore (at least in private) which seems to be a nice "bookend" to the aforementioned theme.

There are quite a few age gap romances in a story with a title like this. I don't care about the ages of characters in a romance as long as they don't register to me as little kids (because I like to swoon over the male characters), so I've hardly read any romances that take place in middle school because 14 year old characters are generally drawn as little kids.
The male student x female teacher did not turn me off, because the male student generally gave me the impression of a young man and not a kid so he was swoon-worthy. However I found the elementary schooler x middle schooler and middle schooler x office lady strange to read about.
Speaking of the male student x female teacher... it is very good, and probably better than the main couple. 10/10 dynamic and writing.

There's this gay character that was very annoying, because they seem to have the idea that they can "seduce" this other character of the same sex and interfere in their relationship (YOU FUCKER THAT'S NOT HOW IT WORKS) and they even get encouraged by another teacher in this aspect (who also pines for a same-sex friend)... And these characters keep appearing over and over (but I kept reading those chapters because I'm a masochist) and the narrative tries to make it so that they're such compwex characters uwu by exploring the "selfish desires vs making your loved one happy" inner conflict.
I just hate it when the gay friend is their friend who's already in a relationship/in love in a romance manga, because sure, romance is important to me, but I also want to see how platonic relationships of the same sex can flourish alongside that. On top of that, the object of this gay character's affections wants them to be closer, and is blissfully unaware, which really rubs me the wrong way especially given the drama that happens later on which causes significant loneliness and reliance on gay friend. Ugh.

At the very least, all these characters form a supportive general friend group with each other over time.

Frustrating but entertaining, it's the perfect length, it's good that it's so short.
It presents itself as serious at first, but then everything else that happens centers around comedy so much you forget that FL was raped. Even so, there are "serious" moments in the form of shouting matches between FL and ML; he justifies all of his boundary-violating actions (including relentlessly pursuing FL and invading her personal space and and kissing her) as him being a man in love. And also, that she "tempts" him; he frames her allowing him to be closer to her and her trying to be less afraid of him as ... some kind of torture because she's "just so cute"... it's insulting. Of course FL feels insulted and shouts back but doesn't do anything to address his actions and in the end the FL falls in love even while all those trashy aspects aren't resolved. And their relationship is still shit; she doesn't put any effort into the relationship but it's "comedic" because she's "cute"

Bitter Virgin does everything this manga does but better

*sobs*

Sometimes if you need a good cry you need not to read grand tragedies where millions of lives are at stake or a deeply philosophical narrative, but just to remind yourself of such a terribly common evil, with the added baggage of it mostly being done by men to women (and the misogyny that abounds because it's natural to blame women for everything). A very personal evil, as it also concerns how we come into existence. Maybe, no, it is certain that one of your ancestors felt like their child was a parasite, a topic this manga will not shy away from. All of this ... is just much to sad to think of, all that suffering throughout the millennia, that readers might be eager to cast out judgement and have narrow expectations, both for the narrative and the characters. But this manga sets its tone and its usage of tropes from the beginning, everything you need to expect from it is laid bare. There can be tropes that one may feel are "inappropriate" for a manga with this subject matter. However, this tonal dichotomy was established since the very beginning with all the contrived situations to reach the confession at the church and Hinako conveniently believing that Daisuke was a priest, and this tropey-tropeyness continues to the very end. And this didn't detract from the experience for me, in fact, it added to it. It made those tropes more precious. Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood had the same "problem," so if you were fond of the tone in that animanga, then this should be a fine read for you as well. As for the characters, they did their role well. They all have personality, even Hinako-- she does have a personality, it's just not one you might like. Her struggles and demeanor are indeed "informed by her trauma" but everyone is informed by something. We don't all live in a vacuum, and that's something this manga illustrates well. And more than that, other people suffer in different ways, and the way the manga expands on this through the side characters and their conflicts and how Hinako learns about this and reflects on herself does make her a compelling character.

This manga is still not without some glaring issues. For one, the author seems to aware of how tropey everything is, and sometimes her attempts to make them more meaningful are filler at best and backfire in an insulting way at worst.
There's an instance where the protagonist protects Hinako from a guy who's confessing to her, as she is very scared and runs to him for comfort. A couple dozen chapters later, the guy who was about to confess appears and harasses her, grabbing her fucking wrists against a wall, and now it's all about how his feelings got hurt because he felt like a predator :( :( :( shut the fuck up. There's being hurt by being rejected to, that's understandable, and there's getting so angry about it to the point of borderline assault and the narrative bending over backwards for this unnamed guy, and for what? Just to add some forced complexity to how Hinako relates to others?

Despite some issues in trope execution, if you're going to read this, just have an open mind.

A provocative collection of short stories. The first three were my favorites in no particular order.

The first one is Iguana no Musume, which is the story you see in the synopsis and cover. It's a narrative that flows seamlessly and does a good job of portraying the protagonist's complex and even expands on her view of the world and how that changes. Beyond that is how it addresses death and new life. There's just so much in this story that makes it so thoughtful and lovely.

The second one has a male protagonist. I like how the story concerns friendship between a man and a woman ... and addresses the idea of how not everything of that sort has to be romantic, it's a refreshing idea that the protagonist directly addresses, with a satisfying end for the protagonist.

The third was stunning. There is so much to work with regarding the misogyny of late 20th century Japan, and seeing two generations (and the one between that) unwrap that was truly impactful in its execution, all the way to the ending. There's also the element of self sacrifice, and the idea that the mother protagonist was. She had so many chances in life and in the story itself to change things, yet didn't, and now her daughter who actually stands up for herself outwardly (instead of relying on someone to dig those things out of her like with what happened with the mother) gets appreciated for those things and rewarded with a more fulfilling life. I can't explain this in its entirety as it resonates with some personal circumstances, but some people, especially parents in a nuclear family, hole themselves into a position where the things they've learned in life actively benefit others, and that's just their role. They can only cope with what they've built for themselves, whether out of willful ignorance or not.
My only complaint is how the relationship with her ugly husband was handled, because despite what I stated above, it was filled with unnecessary resignation. Most especially it was unnecessary given the conversation with her daughter where she calls her out on that. However this was all quickly wrapped up because the couple shared camaraderie that was never shown until the very end? Really. Given what her daughter said there would be no problem in the mother choosing a more peaceful life for herself.

The fourth story did not resonate with me as it was way too gimmicky with the "everyone is now unrecognizable," how that situation began, and how that was executed psychologically with its resolution. Kind of boring despite being wacky.

The fifth was just your standard BL dynamic and I'm not into BL. Good thing it was the shortest.

It’s a nice read, but no masterpiece.

The premise is intriguing and the way it was initially executed does a great job of developing the romance for the main couple, establishing familiar, impactful side characters, and setting the tone for the rest of the work. The emotional moments are executed with great weight expected and deserved. However that’s all there is to talk about regarding this manga’s praises.
There are some simple yet compelling conflicts regarding class and how it affects the main couple, but nearing the end they are resolved abruptly and poorly, as the story attempts to distract you with chapter upon chapter ... of side character development which is all wedged in after a heated argument the ML has with his family. Yes it was fun to see those side character points resolved, but it left me thinking in the end that it should have really been about the side characters as a whole, not forcing me to read about Emma and her husbando; that's because the end was very underserved and came out of nowhere: everyone reunites in some cheesy, anticlimactic wedding, and given all the narratively useless side characters that only ever seem to set a light tone for a work that claims angst, the main couple and the story as a whole leaves an underwhelming impression.

Art-wise, the character designs are consistent yet too simple for a cast this large, to the point it’s hard to tell anybody apart, as they have the same potato-face as FMA Hiromu Arakawa’s art yet notably less expressive, something that stands out when you have to read five successive pages containing no dialogue (which does happen often).

As a side, there are just too many naked women.
There are so many bath scenes and shots of undergarments and ladies getting dressed but absolutely none for the males, female nipples are often shown yet you are lucky to catch a glimpse of skin below the neckline on a man, which is very tiresome, especially since the mangaka is female. Blah blah blah it’s “seinen” demographic magazine but no, that’s no excuse. Men should be seen sexualized, especially in a story that gives much weight and focus to both ML and FL, especially for a heavy romance where they show much desire for each other. It's not some self insert slop that relies on some gimmick in a modern setting and draws out the romance, nay, the main appeal is the period setting, so it was so jarring to see female nudity all of the time. And it's not only bath scenes and clothing changes, but also scenes with a woman and a man. The man is fully clothed and hardly attractive as he is old and with facial hair, while the woman is butt naked (and perfect shape after birthing 5+ children). It's like the manga is saying "yes, women are the ones who are desirable by default in their natural state, any desire a woman might have towards a man in a ROMANCE genre be damned." Women receive this messaging all the time about women’s beauty and as a result, seem so keen on sexualizing themselves all of the damn time in every demographic, in so many shoujo romances, and they don’t complain about it, so why can’t there be more male form appreciation in their own demographic, why can't we all go back to admiring Greek male forms? For instance, in the afterwords after every volume, the female mangaka will not stop sexualizing women and talking about bunny suits. What male mangaka does that towards men? Why are so many Japanese female mangaka like this? To make another Arakawa comparison, at least she draws the hot males shirtless with nice battle damage often for a manga in the shounen demographic.

I guess it will be a long time until I consume anything else set in a time period of a country like this again, because really there’s too much focus on what makes a woman appealing (and the idea that men don’t have to look appealing to women) something which continues to this day, so it’s only natural it would attract female mangaka like Mori who are so often meme’d into fetishizing other women. What what I expecting?

Overrated, edgy, and misogynist tryhard take on the magical girl genre.

So the initial premise and worldbuilding is good and interesting and the aesthetic, art, and music direction certainly helps make this world memorable.

However once certain developments pass you begin to see the edgy writer Gen Urobuchi's obsession with meaningless misery. For instance, one of the "plot twists" is just these middle schoolers reacting drastically negative as to the location of their soul, a metaphysical concept they have never thought about once in their majority-atheist-country, middle-schooler lives. On top of all of this is the reason why only girls are selected to be magical warriors, which ... is an extremely misogynist take that amounts to "girls are emotional lol" which stands out in an anime that has quite the air of subtlety and promise of nuance around it. Then there's the ending. There's nothing explicitly wrong with it, except for the execution in how the anime is very clearly trying to make you feel. It's supposed to be bittersweet, yet the fault lies in the protagonist. It's her fault that she's in the state she is in, because despite the power she was constantly hinted to have, she just had to solve the story's problems in the most convoluted way you can imagine, which of course worked and now everyone eats this anime up, hailing it as a masterpiece.

While the very strong, carefully-crafted atmosphere does indeed hide a lot of the show's flaws, it's these things that add on top of each other that reveal how superficial this anime and its "deconstructive" aspects are, especially when there was a lot of potential for expansion of feminist themes, such as the exploitation of women and the general misogyny of society all across the world; naturally, these potential thematic points all get handwaved away because Madoka Magica and Urobutcher ultimately skew in favor of shocking plot twists and shallow character archetypes.

At least the ending makes the bare amount of sense despite the emotional discrepancy, something a lot of works fail to achieve.

The romance (how their romantic feelings develop) and relationship writing (how they become attached to each other) is believable which is impressive in such a short manga, but the conflicts nearing the end are just so terribly contrived. MC isn't sure she likes him even though he makes it so obvious, and then what, she doesn't attend his concert that he invited her to because some random plot device character who appears once said she's a normie? Also the "second" ML (who doesn't play much of a role in the story) has some awkwardly shoehorned in moments that really mess with the pacing.

The art isn't ... anything to write home about as a lot of panels are very wonky.

Still pretty good if you want something quick to read.