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The community for this manga isn't very active on here so I thought I'd do my bit and promote this manga by writing the first review.

The story itself isn't novel, it starts off normally in a cliché manner with two war orphans who dream of becoming the greatest generals in all of China. The appeal of this series isn't due to originality but more to do with the investment you feel with the characters.

There are a number of characters that have been introduced so far and had their pasts explained in some detail. This is definitely a series where a lot of focus ... has been placed on character development and this aids immensely with the story telling. Each arc that goes by sees not only the main character mature and develop but it also provides an opportunity for other characters to be put under scrutiny and more information about them to be brought to the fore.

This is a manga about a kid who wants to become the greatest general in all of China and so as you would expect the theme of battle is heavily prevalent throughout. These battles are fascinating to read about and there is a large amount of strategy involved which always keeps you on your toes regarding the outcome and the direction the story will turn. This isn't just a case of one overpowered enemy beating another and through some magic the character suddenly powers up like a typical Shounen title but the characters have to earn their stripes. The battles are where the personalities of each character really shine.

Of course one has to suspend a certain amount of belief when reading any such title as you would constantly think that how would such and such survive in this situation but then by the same token reality is often stranger than fiction and I would say one of the reasons I really like this manga is that it is a lot more realistic and believable although exaggerated at times.

The pacing of the story is done well and each chapter so far has been good value. This series is extremely solid in that the story told might not be original but the way is fantastic for the genre.

The story and characters can only be put to life through the artwork, and I have to say that the artwork for this is very very good. Everything is drawn extremely well and cleanly, battles (which a lot of the manga is focused around) are extremely enjoyable to read and there is absolutely no issue understanding what is going on from panel to panel. This is the highest compliment I can pay to any series as this is my biggest problem with a lot of other manga with difficult if not impossible to follow battle scenes which really detract from the overall experience.

I really quite like the art style of the author with realistic character drawings, really cool drawings of large battles and a good range of characters with variations.

I'm really excited about this series going forward as the character development, the potential direction the story is going to go in and the upcoming battles all leave me on the edge of my seat waiting for the next chapter in anticipation.

This reminds me heavily of Feng Shen Ji although that is more the fantasy route but I became addicted as soon after a few chapters in and this has become one of my favourite series which I am always checking on updates for.

This is definitely one of those series that just needs a bit more publicity and thoroughly deserves it's high rating on here.

Bored one evening I saw the high rating of this manga but not many reviewers so thought I would give it a try. I can't believe this manga isn't more popular.

We'll start off with the story. The main character isn't some sort of tragic hero, he is somebody that you actually start off disliking straight from the bat. His arrogance, weakness and selfishness are somewhat irritating when compared to the other characters, this however doesn't last very long.

The protagonist doesn't suffer from some cruel fate or poor upbringing and become a hero overnight. There is a long journey ahead of him and many hardships. ... This is where Feng Shen Ji differs from a lot of typical battle manga, heck the only thing he has to rely on for a long time is his brain. The story develops amazingly, the narrative is extremely well timed and the authors have this down to a fine art. Each volume leaves you on tenterhooks until the next but never are you unsatisfied with the amount of information that is provided in each volume. If you do manage to buy physical copies of these you certainly won't be disappointed with the value for money.

Moving on to the artwork, each page is drawn in beautiful colour. I pay more attention to the artwork if the manga is in black and white, with this drawn in beautiful colour there is so much to take in. Each page is beautifully drawn with colours that are really catching. The battle scenes are some of the best I have ever seen, you can follow what each character is doing with ease and it is not often I can say that about manga. As much as I can't wait to see what happens next and am ready to turn each page I am always hesitant as I survey the page one last time to take in each detail as this is drawn so well.

Readability for me is important but so is the potential to come back to a series in perhaps a years time and wondering would I still enjoy it. This series I can wholeheartedly give a definitive yes in answer to that question.

Overall if the battle manga genre with a not-so-typical male lead is something that interests you then Feng Shen Ji should be top of your pile to read. It has instantly put itself into one of my favourite series and I cannot wait until more volumes have been translated.

I don't often write reviews but I was thinking of the best way of promoting this manga because this to me is a diamond in the rough.

I picked up the Fairy Tail anime before the manga and reading some of the reviews complaining about the differences didn't therefore bother me as I wasn't aware of what they were talking about. Having both read the manga and the anime, I feel that the anime is fantastically done and the manga although a little different is equally great in its own right. Now, on to the review.

Unlike the majority of anime that I have seen so far, I loved Fairy Tail from the first episode. The pace of the anime, although slowing down somewhat later on, for me seemed to be a perfect ... contrast to the majority of anime I currently watch. The slow trickle of information on a week-by-week basis on other shows (I'm looking at you Bleach) leads to fatigue if trying to catch up and may seem to drag on for those watching weekly. Fairy Tail throws all of that out the window and has the perfect pace.

There are quite a few characters in the anime, and going on the manga the author has spent time delving into at least a few of the characters pasts thus far. This character designs are well drawn and animated, and the voices are great. The actual story arcs are enjoyable and again going back to the pacing, not tremendously long.

The chemistry between the characters is another aspect that is very enjoyable, there is a lot of comedy but also some tragic pasts and emotional moments which lead to great understanding between guild members who consider each other as family.

Although there are only 48 episodes out at the time of writing, I can safely say that I will continue watching this anime for a long time to come, and long may it remain. As for who I'd recommend it to, to me a major draw of this anime is its universal appeal and I'd definitely recommend it to anybody looking for a new anime to watch, especially those seeking a break from the arduous wait endured with other manga/anime.

Where to start with Monster? The overall impression after watching is that it is a fantastic anime that deserves to be watched at least once. The premise the story is based on is a fantastic blend of morality and ethics. The opening was great and the pace leaves the audience on tenterhooks throughout.

The character development meant that the audience really feels for each and every character, from the villains to the good guys. The background story and changes that the characters go through reveals a lot about human nature and you often feel sorry for even the worst natured characters in the end.

I had ... a lot of free time on my hands and was considering which anime to watch next, and browsing through the forums on here I found Monster. I'm glad I did, I was looking for a drama and not something farfetched from reality and judging by the reviews Monster seemed to tick a lot of these boxes. However, I do feel that it does fall short in some aspects.

*Possible Spoilers*

The main antagonist, Johan, around whom this anime centres, seems to have some attributes that are too removed from reality in some parts of this anime. I understand that he is portrayed as a genius of sorts but there are some holes in the plot that do not sit well with me. For instance, how would a boy who has just come out of brain surgery be able to poison the candy that the hospital director then goes on to eat and share?

As well as the candy, his information gathering on many of the families seemed a bit too unrealistic in my view. The manipulation aspect was overplayed in my book and need not have been stretched so far, in fact, it seemed to lose a lot of its sheen due to overuse. At first it seemed cold and quite unnerving how Johan could manipulate people but some of the scenarios weren't quite as realistic.

In my view Monster could have been cut down a few episodes and I am disappointed at the portrayal of Johan as superhuman like which is a recurring theme in many anime which I was specifically trying to avoid, in fact it had stark resemblance to Death Note at times.

The bottom line is though these gripes of mine are there because I really wanted Monster to be an anime that deserved a 10 score, and I feel that if this was fixed it would fully deserve it and more.

Would I recommend Monster? Definitely. If you're a fan of anime then I think it is a must watch at least once sort of anime. It is a bit long, not because of the number of episodes but in terms of where I feel the story seemed to be stretched out. My complaints may seem numerous, but please remember when making them I am not comparing Monster to any other anime I have seen, I am comparing it to the perfect benchmark.