ShadowMountain12

Well I don't write many reviews let alone manga reviews. I will admit my anime viewing list may be long by my manga one I can count on my hand haha. My friend suggested this to me due to my slice of life background.

I picked it up and in a whole day went through an emotional journey filled with wonderfully laid of characters and a relationship which started as something awful, blossoming into something beautiful.

Koe no Katachi (A Silent Voice) is about a boy Ishida being bored with school and hating upon a transfer student Nishimiya. The twist is however she is deaf and he exploits that weakness to the harshest of extremes. She transfers out and the bullying then shifts over to him. He breaks down and isolates himself and years later decides to make amends.

I won't go into any of story details but the journey is sublime and well worth the read. The most impressive aspect of the journey were taken on is the characters themselves. Each person we saw was distinct and didn't feel tacked on. When emotions were high they were believable and that only made things harder for me to continue on.

By the end I felt angry, confused, upset, happy and amazed. I recommend this to anyone who loves slice of life or romance for that matter. It can be a tough read emotionally at points but it is so worth it.

Let me start by putting this out there: Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou is not only my favorite manga ever, it is my second favorite overall work of entertainment after the Suzumiya Haruhi series. So this will be a rather glowing review. However, I will do my best to express why I consider this to be an absolute masterpiece and talk about a few aspects which may prevent others from feeling the same way.

Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou is an award winning manga by Hitoshi Ashinano. The series follows Alpha, an android who runs a café by herself, as she goes about her daily life and explores a beautifully calm post-apocalyptic version of Japan.

Before I go into full-on “gush” mode, I’ll divide things into the category breakouts:

-----Story - 9 out of 10-----
Let’s start off with what will likely be the main category to turn some people off to the series. While I would personally put this at a 10 out of 10, I deducted a point because I recognize a few things that some might see as flaws. But first, the positives of why I love this story: Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou has some of the most subtly exquisite world building that I have ever seen in a work of fiction. If you want to experience a perfect example of what people mean when they say “show, don’t tell” in storytelling, read this series. There is almost no exposition and the narration that is present is usually Alpha’s personal thoughts and experiences with the world around her.

However, looking at things from another perspective, this meticulous and subtle world building can precisely be what turns other readers off. There honestly isn’t much of an actual “plot” in this series and it presents many mysteries about the world that are never explicitly answer. But as you read it, that doesn’t ever seem to be a goal of the story. It is more of an experience for the reader in its overall atmosphere than it is an intricate tale.

Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou has a bit of an “iyashikei” (healing) slice-of-life feel to it and if you go in expecting an epic, you are setting yourself up for disappointment. On that note, while it may feel like there isn’t much of substance going on, I’ve found the pacing of the series to simply be amazing. While the “nothing” goes on, the series never feels like a drag and its overall dialog-light nature makes it an extremely fast read. Some chapters actually have no text whatsoever. Even if you are a very slow reader (as I am), each volume can easily be finished in about 30 minutes while still fully absorbing every piece of wonderful art. Speaking of which....

-----Art - 10 out of 10-----
The art in this series is just plain wonderful. While it does use a simpler style than other manga that would be praised for their amazing art (such as the crazy amount of detail in something like Berserk), I can’t really understate how beautiful I find many of the compositions in Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou. I’ve literally been brought to tears by the art alone. Will the art be to everyone’s liking? Maybe not. It could seem a little dated to some as the series began in 1994 and the character designs might take some getting used to. Some may find it too simple compared to other manga out there. But regardless of tastes, I would be surprised if anyone can read this and deny the inherent charm of the art. I feel that the style is perfect for the story being told, a simple and calm kind of beauty that will absolutely pull you in if you let it.

-----Characters - 10 out of 10-----
There are really two main characters in this manga: Alpha and the world itself. Alpha is the center focus of nearly every single chapter of the series so it is important that she is a character that the reader can enjoy, especially with its slice of life structure. Luckily, Alpha is a very easy character to like or to even fall in love with. She is a cheerful yet grounded character who is always excited to experience life and explore the world. That excitement is then contagious so that, again, the absence of an actual plot never makes the story feel like a drag. It also helps to let the reader fully appreciate the world which is a character in its own right. The setting of Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou truly feels like a living, breathing entity. The landscapes, artifacts of the past, and mysterious creatures (the Misago in particular being a personal favorite) all feel like a part of the world as a character, interacting with Alpha and other supporting cast members in wondrous ways.

-----Enjoyment - 10 out of 10-----
Surprise, I really enjoyed this manga! For me, everything talked about above creates a perfect package of a beautiful, calm experience that transports me to this world with Alpha at my side. Was that too cheesy? Well, the subtle sense of adventure as this strange post-apocalyptic world is traversed is right up my alley. It is a delightfully easy yet fulfilling read that is able to just make me feel good and immersed while also providing a sense of wonder that I haven’t experienced in any other piece of entertainment.

-----Overall - 10 out of 10 (Conclusion)-----
For my tastes, this is really the full package: wonderful art, great characters, compelling world, and perfectly paced. While there are questions left unanswered, it feels like a complete story that is just the right length for what it is trying to do. Since it is such a fast read, I would recommend at least reading the first volume to absolutely anyone. Even if you don’t usually get into slice of life stories and especially those with an iyashikei feel, this still has potential to be an exception for you.

But that’s not to say this series is for everyone. I remember once there was someone from an American manga publisher (I think it was Vertical) who was asking for license suggestion on a forum. I suggested Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou and it turns out that he REALLY doesn’t like the series. Oh well. Again, the questions left unanswered could end up bothering some people as can the general lack of a plot. Also, as this series has quite the large amount of praise out there, the hype of the series could potentially raise the expectations of new readers to unreasonable heights. If you do try the series, please do your best to go into it with an open mind. While I personally feel that Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou is one of the greatest pieces of entertainment ever produced, that is definitely not a universal opinion and should be taken with a grain of salt. But if you are able to let yourself get absorbed into this world, you are definitely in for a treat.

Do you think including sex in a story makes the story mature and for mature audience? Then might enjoy this manga, as that is exactly the target audience of this smut.

The only reason why I kept reading this manga is to try to discover why everyone seems to like this series. I regret to inform you I have failed in this task. For a manga that claims to be about romance and friendship, it surely doesn't have much of either of those. Sure, there are relationships, but actual displays of romance or friendships are scarce. Mostly it's just conflicts, harlotry and playboys - who slept with who, who got cheated on, break ups, new relationships... honestly if that's enough content for you, just ask the nearest teenage girl in your vicinity to tell you the latest gossip and you'll get exactly that. The problem with Nana is that all of it feels empty. We're supposed to feel like there are some feelings between those characters, but it lacks displays of actual affections, like it’s something that only happens off-screen and we only get to see the aftermath of unhealthy relationship. The reader constantly gets spammed by this youthful imprudence that only makes me want to shout "Just grow the fuck up already" at the pages.

The characters are unsympathetic and uninteresting. Trendy designs are the only thing they can offer, and even that is already outdated. Same as I don't need a manga to tell me that water is drinkable, I also don't need a manga to tell me that teenagers tend to not be exactly the best at making life decisions. Especially one that doesn't look like it has any conclusion or interesting overall meaning in mind and yet takes up so much volumes. Sure, some of the characters get their sob story and background info, but that still doesn't change that their present version is just not interesting. Reading Nana just feels like reading a generic chick lit. Well, now that I think about it, it is actually a chick lit, so it's nothing not something that should have surprised me.

There is one good thing about this manga though, and that is the art. Even as someone who generally doesn't enjoy the shoujo style of illustrations I liked it, and while it didn't make the manga good as a whole, it certainly made reading it slightly better.

I feel like the target audience of Nana is mainly those at the age of protagonists and similar still with the mindset that spending their teen years indulging in sex and relationship drama while smoking cigarettes is so much cool and oh would it be so interesting if it were me. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone that wants something beyond a telenovela-tier content.

This is a very good series. Its a short story of a boy who gains the powers to fight through and intergalactic war. It is a very action packed series but it does fall short by both definitions. Due to the short time the characters that are introduced towards the end become very generic and i couldn't care less what happened to them. There is no define ending this series got canceled early in its run so it is unfinished. It is still worth a read if you can find it!

It feels almost unfair to compare Samurai 8 to Kishimoto's previous work, but, well, when your previous work is one of the most popular manga of all time, comparison is eventually inevitable. As such, Samurai 8's rushed pacing, abysmal power level balancing and visual clutter really reveals what Naruto's editorial oversight protected us from. Conceptually - NEET samurai kids with talking dog-vehicles - very cool! But the series really suffers from an inability to set a coherent tone early on, and so Samurai 8 ends up feeling like a generic shonen series instead within 10 chapters, which is when I decided to drop. Going to go reread the Chuunin exam arc again instead, see ya.

This manga is just....bad? There were so many unnecessary scenes that felt like they were added for shock value or something, in reality it just made the story suck. In my opinion the story was so rushed and boring, it's like the further you got there were more stupid 'plot twists' that got added last minute. Sort of as is there was no real idea as to where this story was going and stuff was added as it went on. Oh and another thing that happened a lot just as you feel like you're caught up on everything all of a sudden you get hit with a characters dark past that somehow is only know affecting them because that totally makes sense. I don't know read it if you want but beware they ending really sucks and is predictable yet not really?

I am a Hero in Osaka is a side story of I am a Hero, which is one of my favourite Sci-Fi Horror Mangas of recent times. I was reluctant to read this because I didn't want my experience or enjoyment of I am a Hero to degrade in any way. Eventually, I started it and realized that this manga wasn't bad at all.

Story:
It represents its own story and events, not related to any of the characters of the main Manga. It depicts the story of some other ordinary guy, this time in Osaka and his girlfriend who is stranded in a plane at the airport. The ZQN epidemic has just started, the city was going freaking crazy, and it is upon him to save his girl and be her Hero. The story isn't unique in any way. However, I find it good enough for being a side story.

Art and Characters:
The art was not bad. Zombies were not as creepy as in the parent series. The Manga art was nice and not very inferior to the main series.
The amount of character development was also good considering that it has only one volume.

This Manga is recommended for those who liked the main series.

WARNING: BIG DENOUEMENT AND MANY READERS MAY FEEL UNSATISFIED

The story starts off slow and then takes off...

Overall, everything was a bit all over the place, but I really like the idea and some of the back stories of the characters. Bur it could have been told better with improved pacing, etc., etc.

Really, this review is more like a big warning sign for the denouement. After reading the last chapter I totally thought that there was more until I researched and found out there wasn't....

This is one of the best vocaloid songs and it could have made a fantastic manga, but this just wasn't developed well. The art is gorgeous, but there's so many loose ends in story and character.

What in the world is going on with Kaito's backstory? I don't even know where to begin asking the questions. His father stabbed him as a child and he forgot about this up until now? It adds nothing really to the story and I just didn't get this.

The love triangle is very, very complex, and everyone seems to have a different story and a different take on what's going on. It makes for interesting storytelling, but three unreliable narrators in a book that's only a little over a hundred pages can get tedious and difficult to understand after a while.

The ending is extremely ambiguous and not really much of an ending. It would have made more sense for Miku and Kaito to have died, and Luka to have killed herself afterwards. The ending is a very unclear cliffhanger that just didn't make sense in the context of the story. We still don't know who Kaito chooses.

Miku slowly going mad was a really cool thing to see though, and I always enjoy a dark, twisted one-shot. I just wish they had spent a little more time on this and done more editing so it would make more sense.

I'm so in love with this manga! There are currently only 3 chapters out, but I can't wait to read more! It's a ery cute and amazing story. Sachi, the main character, is absolutely adorable! Some people may not like Asami at first (I loved him from the start, though), but he's actually a very lovable character. I'll admit, it's a bit of a cliche, but it's absolutely marvelous nonetheless! The fact that it's so cliche is what makes it so great, honestly. And the art is so cute! It's simply beautiful. I love Chika-sensei's art style with a passion, and I think most people will enjoy it, too! I highly suggest giving this one a read, it's great. It's humerus and romantic and I think most shoujou manga lovers would enjoy it just as much as I have.

I admit, the age difference is pretty big, but I just see it as another anime trope. I mean, age differences that big or bigger in shoujou mangas are /everywhere/. Honestly, though, don't read if you're bothered by a difference of 11 years. I, personally, love it, though. I really would suggest giving it a read!