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Jun 24, 2024
Nige Jouzu no Wakagimi
(Manga)
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The pacing of this series is absolutely awful. The illustration, characters, and overall story are fine besides some questionable choices. This really makes you appreciate the amount of time Yasuhisa Hara spends on the battles in Kingdom to properly build tension and suspense. This story feels like a grand epic that should take place over 500+ chapters to explore all the historical details and intricacies of ancient Japanese battles, but the story flies by at a breakneck pace with no time to breathe. This is the manga equivalent of the new Star Wars sequels. You have no time to process anything before the next sequence
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Aug 19, 2023
Eden: It's an Endless World!
(Manga)
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Oh boy. This one came highly recommended, and I truly do not understand why. The art is great, it's truly exemplary of the late 90s and early 00s in terms of its aesthetic. I understand what the author is going for with the story. He wants to impart the sense that the world is cruel and unforgiving, but he sacrificed the characters and a sense of forward progression in the story. Characters are introduced and killed off in the same chapter. The series is also full of sexual violence to the point that it borders on obsessive. The author cannot help himself. He must show
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Aug 16, 2023
Spy x Family
(Manga)
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Spy x Family starts off well with its core concept and strong cast of characters, but over time becomes bogged down in fluff and side stories that offer little substance. The main plot barely progresses and none of the main characters are ever in any serious danger, which deflates any suspense. It's a low-stakes series that most people can turn their brains off and enjoy, but the resolutions for any conflict become obvious once you become accustomed to the narrative decisions. The action is drawn and paneled well and the dialogue flows smoothly, but for a bi-weekly series the illustration isn't anything special and the
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Apr 28, 2023
Versus starts strong by flipping the concept of calling a hero from another world on its head in the most ridiculous way. Unfortunately, the premise is the only interesting thing about it. Combining multiple worlds that are all under siege from various types of "natural enemies" from demons to rogue AI sounds fun, but the series introduces the entire ensemble cast all at once and spends far too much time giving tedious exposition. The art is well laid out on the page and dynamic, but ONE has done a disservice to Kyoutarou Azuma by forcing all the characters to stand around a table to deliver
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Aug 21, 2022
Kaijuu 8-gou
(Manga)
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Kaiju No. 8 is an extremely formulaic shonen manga. I do not think that readers will be challenged or surprised by anything outside the initial premise. The story and characters are extremely basic and the primary antagonist is not interesting. In fact, he barely has any backstory or motivation for doing anything. He is a blank slate that looks menacing.
The art is also very basic. It is technically competent, but the flow of action between panels and pages is nonexistent. Pages follow a standard layout across chapters with far too many reaction panels. The author also overuses two-page spreads for impact, meaning that chapters fly ... 
May 22, 2022
Sakamoto Days
(Manga)
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Sakamoto Days is one of the best action manga out there right now. While the story isn't necessarily deep, complex, or innovative, you root for the heroes to succeed and the villains are consistently threatening without seeming incompetent. Everyone has a clear motivation. The characters are reasonably compelling, and everyone exhibits a level of emotional maturity that falls in line with the subject matter. It's campy and comedic at times, but not obnoxious or melodramatic. You also don't get huge mid-fight monologues that bring the pacing to a stand-still.
The real strength of this series is the fight choreography. I truly feel that Yuto Suzuki is ... 
Apr 19, 2022
Golden Kamuy
(Manga)
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What does it mean to give something a 10? I believe that a 10 represents perfection, the peak of the medium. Something you can return to after many years and still find enjoyment or new aspects to appreciate, or details that you never noticed on your first or second time reading it.
I truly believe that Golden Kamuy is flawless. You rarely see a series like this set up so many things over 8 years of publication and ultimately pay them off in an ending that is thematically and narratively satisfying. Most importantly, Golden Kamuy challenges the reader and trusts you to draw your own conclusions ... 
Apr 11, 2021
There are some series that I recognize as being a 10/10 due to the technical proficiency and the intricacy of the storytelling, such as Golden Kamuy. Kingdom is nothing like that. I recognize Kingdom as a masterpiece because no other series has ever come close to replicating the emotional highs and lows that this series has. Its huge cast of amazing characters, the hectic battles, and the truly epic scale of the story all work together flawlessly to create a story that has made me laugh, cry, and cheer while reading it. I binged over 650 chapters in a week or so, and by the
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Apr 11, 2021
Chainsaw Man
(Manga)
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Chainsaw Man is a very tight series, and I respect Fujimoto immensely for having the restraint to limit himself to just 97 chapters for this first part rather than attempting to drag the story out once it achieved mainstream success. The story has plenty of great setups and payoffs, some of which you only notice on a re-read. The art and battle sequences have some very clever integrations of sound effects that I haven't really seen in other series. No character is safe, but the character deaths don't feel like they're cheap, or done purely for shock value either. Chainsaw Man also rejects a few
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