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Apr 21, 2021
Haru's Curse is a manga that goes far past any forbidden romance or typical love triangle, and it oftentimes deal with familial relationships more than the romantic. This manga demonstrates how grief can affect people far after their loved ones are gone, sometimes even making it resemble a curse.
Natsumi, our main character, is dating Togo. The only problem is that Togo was Natsumi's little sister's fiancé up until her untimely death. Natsumi agrees to go out with Togo in exchange that they visit the places he and her little sister visited, as a sort of way for her to pan through her grief. Natsumi, however,
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doesn't realize Togo may be dating her for more than family obligations or as a way to deal with his own grief. Both Natsumi and Togo are forced to wade their way through the obstacles of a relationship, made so much more difficult with the burden of a lost loved one. It is also up to them to decide what they truly want, and whether this guilt is worth it.
If I had to sum up the storyline in one sentence while also completely butchering it, I'd say, "A love-triangle that surpasses death." Again, this is a horrible butchering of what is actually a heartfelt love story. Life doesn't always work out like in countless shoujo manga, and Haru's Curse really exemplifies this. People don't always casually bump into each other, but are rather thrown at each other in the most unexpected ways possible. Natsumi knows for a fact that her sister, Haru, loved Togo, so she's afraid to act on her own feelings. She's constantly thinking about what her sister would have wanted, and her day-to-day decisions are impacted by this. Togo, on the other hand, was born into a rich bloodline, so he's never been able to make a single decision for himself in his life. Even Haru was not his decision, as sad as that is, so it leaves the reader wondering what exactly it is that Togo really wants.
Haru's Curse is a mixture of romantic love and the love between sisters. It even demonstrates the maternal love between a daughter and mother, despite there not being any actual blood relations. I'd have to say Natsumi's heartfelt conversation with her step-mother really put this manga at a nine for me. The balance between themes in this manga was perfect, and I feel like the reactions were genuine.
The mangaka's art is pretty to look at, but I can definitely see how it has improved in her latest work, Raise wa Tanin ga li. The characters are handsome, but they definitely have more detail in her latest work. One of my favorite images was when Natsumi and Togo fell down, just because their faces were priceless.
I thoroughly enjoyed Haru's Curse, and read it in the span of two hours or so. It wasn't anything groundbreaking, but it was definitely the breath of fresh air I needed. Despite the gloomy topics it covers, the manga is genuinely uplifting, which sounds like it would be difficult to accomplish. It's about learning to live for yourself, because it may be the only life you have, and it might be a short one.
Overall, I'd recommend Haru's Curse to someone in the mood for a short, bittersweet love story. It's only two volumes, and the one I picked up is one, collected volume. I didn't even know it was published in English until I visited the store, but I was delightfully surprised. If it sounds interesting, please go pick up a copy!
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Apr 8, 2021
Please note I have NOT read the manga yet, so I will not be making detailed comparisons between the manga and anime...
Gokushufufou, or Way of the Househusband, is comedic in every aspect, including its animation. I've seen very many people critiquing Househusband for its lack of "quality animation," but this factor did not, by any means, ruin the anime for me. In fact, I believe the crappy lack of animation is intentional, much like in The Disastrous Life of Saiki K, which JC Staff also produced. While I feel that Househusband didn't quite hit the mark as well as Saiki K did, I can still
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appreciate the laughability of characters moving around like paper dolls while some weird gangster sh*t is happening.
Househusband is ridiculous, but I feel as though it has comedy that a lot of anime lack. It doesn't have to try incredibly hard for a laugh, because it's just naturally funny. I mean, what couldn't be funny about an ex-yakuza now living as a househusband? Antics ensue.
I'm not going to go on forever and get into hard detail, but if you're looking for a short, comedic anime with an intro that's kind of a bop, go ahead and watch Househusband on Netflix... or wherever it's available to you. If you end up not liking it because of the animation, I dunno, watch Attack on Titan? I heard Jujutsu Kaisen has great animation, even though I haven't watched it yet, lol.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Apr 1, 2021
WHAT THE FRICK.
Wonder Egg Priority started out magnificently. You had no idea what was going on, but in a good way. You were suddenly thrust into this dreamland with the main character, except it was more a nightmare than anything. You actually wanted to figure out what was happening, and the story had so much potential. It even reminded you of a somewhat more realistic Madoka Magicka... maybe even a better version of it. BUT THEN, after episode 7, it turned into you not knowing what the hell was going on, in a very, very bad way. It became nightmarish, unintentionally, and you were lost
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in the worst way possible.
Wonder Egg Priority started out with amazing writing and fantastic characters, but in the second half, the writing became on-level with Sword Art Online, or something comparably bad (IF YOU'RE BUTT-HURT OVER THAT COMMENT, YOU DON"T UNDERSTAND GOOD WRITING. I DON'T CARE IF SAO IS YOUR GUILTY PLEASURE.) --sarcasm
I understand the studio had some setbacks, so the story didn't exactly turn out how they wanted it to. I also understand that there's going to be a special coming out in June to officially wrap up the series. However, I am only basing my ratings on what these twelve episodes are by themselves. I plan on watching the special when it comes out, and maybe, if it's somehow so miraculously amazing that it explains everything, I might think about rating the series as a whole. Or I might rate the special by itself, so as to not drag its own rating down.
Anyway, I don't understand how some people are still giving this series a 9/10. The whole thing with the Sensei was just kind of left up in the air, and then it was suddenly thrusted back into our faces two episodes after it was last addressed... still with hardly any explanation. Not to mention the flash-back episode that's just kind of thrown into the series. It incorporates a whole load of garbage into the story, trying to add depth, but, in the end, I just ended up caring about the characters less. THEIR INTENTIONS DID NOT MAKE SENSE. You turned two of the most mysterious characters in the series into puppet-heads that just did things to do them with no real reasoning. AGHH! Plus, what I forgot to mention--why is there a fourteen-year-old CEO?? Just. Why? If this was supposed to be an anime that broke all rules of logic, why did it have to reel me in by starting out so strong? I get that it isn't exactly "realistic," but I guess it would make more sense if the nonrealistic things stuck to the "dream world."
In the end, if you want to watch this series, feel free to watch the first seven episodes and then drop it! Episode eight is just a recap, and then it's all scrambled eggs after that. A lot of you won't understand half of this review unless you've actually watched the show, but if you decide to watch it, I hope this helped give you a fair warning!
First, The Promised Neverland Season 2, and now this? Pardon me, while I go cry in the corner. Maybe I'll rewatch Brotherhood or start the second season of Kaguya-Sama as some sort of therapeutic treatment for my loss of trust and good faith.
I'd also like to note that this review is very satirical. Some people have been offended, but I just want you to know that it doesn't matter if you like SAO or whatever. Like what you like, because it's what you enjoy. Don't be offended by someone who's writing a sarcastic review. I have my own taste, just like you have your own.
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
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Mar 27, 2021
Koroshi Ai, or Love of Kill, is the perfect manga for someone who wants a more adult shoujo story with badass characters and a splash of questionable romance, which I will soon delve into with more detail. It's not often I can find a josei that is both entertaining and well-crafted. Oftentimes, they reel readers in with unbuilt relationships and too much intensity from the very first chapter. While these josei stories are good in their own way, Koroshi Ai is a slow-cooked stew that makes you wait for the full flavor. And d*mn, is the resulting dish good.
First off, Chateau Dankworth is worthy of
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her name. She is not your typical doormat character, and her job is to freaking hunt people down because she's a bounty hunter. Yes, Ryang-ha may be stronger than her, but she is formidable in her own right. She was doing well for herself before he showed up in her life, which I find to be incredibly important. She was never a character who waited for her prince charming. However, when he does finally appear, it certainly is not in the traditional aspect.
Ryang-ha is mysterious in every sense of the word. He looks the part, (hot) and he's even more lethal than our lovely Chateau. When he suddenly shows up in Chateau's life and attempts to gain her favor by helping take down targets, she lets him. She waits to see what his game is, what he has to gain. How he knows her, and how he knows things she can't even remember about herself. Also, when you find out how Ryang-ha knows Chateau, man, it explains everything--even Ryang-ha's questionable actions--while also being depressing as f*ck.
The characters are amazing, obviously. Chateau may seem stiff at first, but that's because she thinks things through thoroughly and gives us a female lead that's realistic and more relatable. Ryang-ha is the character you desperately want to figure out, and as the chapters go on, you're left wanting more and more. I suppose this manga could be considered a psychological thriller in a sense, especially as you get deeper into the story.
I want to note that the side characters are interesting and full of depth as well. Indian-Kun will forever have one of my favorite character designs, despite it being stubbornly simplistic. It matches his personality, which makes it even better.
My enjoyment for this manga is a 10. I mean, it's one of the best ongoing joseis out there, in my opinion. Not only does the story progress at a stable rate, but you don't lose interest because everything isn't revealed all at once or not at all. You're given just enough to keep coming back for more, and the action scenes are nail-biting as well. Some of the scenes had me making dying sounds out loud, or practically falling out of my seat.
Overall, this story is just so well-crafted compared to a lot of other stories out there right now. Please read the first volume or two before deciding to continue with it or not. In all honesty, for some reason, I didn't get sucked into the story until my second try at reading it. I often look back at my younger self and cringe, especially seeing how my taste in manga, or really anything else, has changed. Also, in case you live under a rock, Koroshi Ai is being turned into an anime, and the first two volumes are coming out, in the US, on the 30th of this month and May 18th. I suggest buying them if you want to support the mangaka and a second season of the anime!
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Jun 11, 2020
First off, I'd like to mention that I've never read any yaoi before, this being my first one. After hearing so much about Killing Stalking, and being enticed by its, say, 'edginess', I decided to give it a quick gander.
I finished this series in a day.
Being a typical shoujo/fantasy fanatic, this series was different from my usual cup of tea. But might I say, damn was it good. The psychological elements really just had me going. I kept thinking certain characters were redeemable, that they could start over again anew through true love... but then they murdered another victim and stored them in the basement.
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Ah, well. A shoujo fan can dream.
Now, when I'm saying the characters are f*cked up, I mean they're completely off their knocker bat-sh*t crazy. Imagine someone with an extreme personality disorder. Someone who acts differently on a day-to-day basis, and you have to walk on eggshells around. Yeah, that's love-interest numero uno. And, well, the only love interest, really, as the main character is obsessed with the man, even resorting to stalking him. (*Ahem* It's in the title.)
This love interest not only is verbally abusive, but he also beats the sh*t out of just about everybody. Literally. There's, like, two characters this guy doesn't mess up. Anyhow, despite his abusiveness, the main character is head-over-heels for the guy. Our man character, Bum, is so entranced by this serial killer that he still finds the man attractive even after seeing him kill many a people. There's tension, in more ways than one, and that's what leads to the series' ending in which all hell breaks loose.
Now, as for the yaoi aspect of this series. Well, there's a lot of it. Imagine me, a yaoi virgin, stumbling across this particular series only to read what may be the most unhealthy romance I've yet to lay my eyes on. Now, I'm not saying I didn't want their relationship to work, but it's difficult to want two people to be together when it's so obvious they need a shrink more than each other.
Yeah, well, that's about it. I'm sure I forgot to add some stuff but whatever. Read Killing Stalking if any of this sh*t sounded appealing to you. It was good, but read on at your own risk. Or go back to browsing your Sailor Moon collection, I really don't care.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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