Some say that a library book belongs to you if you keep it long enough. I wonder if that also counts for threads? I dug deep on the female front (note that high amount of adult leads) and settled on a format. The mentioned Plastic Memories anime derailed pretty hard after the 2 opening episodes.
Shoujo Bambi to Dhole 8,5/10 Some of the school life stuff is the usual song but the actual characterization and the very serious main themes are well done. Not necessary what you usually get to read in a youth manga.
Itsuka no Haru 7,5/10 Too short and the setting/logic are whatever but i would have liked to read more as this is her first manga i cared about.
Niji no Tani no An 7,5/10 Went into scanlation the right time and is set later in the timeline but not a romance so start at the start with
Akage no Anne (8,5/10). It is a worthy adaptation of the classic and i hope that the later skipped books won´t be left unadapted when all is said and done.
Ohayou, Ibarahime 8/10 Multiple personalities is a problematic topic and a bitch to write but i was intrigued from the start and the twist in ch.4 (the supernatural genre is by me) was unexpected. The art has a lot of variety and the fairy tail analog started to become a plot point. I would also love to read the debut one volume tale by this talented new voice.
Sekihan-chan to Sumomo-kun 7,5/10 is a less complicated high school version of Nicoichi and is a cleanly drawn take on the Gender Bender genre that almost never works. This is her first truly good series btw.
Tokimeichatte Gomen ne? 8/10 Hikikomori also need love and something interesting is done with the dead trope. The humor works very well and the pacing is fast which may mean that it isn´t long for this world as the rest if of her work. Let´s hope not as this is her best. Try out her short Ore no Kanojo ga Stalker na Ken of equal quality too and her second best Kimi ni Koishite Ii Desu ka. is about to end in scanlated form if you get hooked.
Toshishita no Otokonoko (HIRO Chihiro) 8/10 There isn´t much story as of now so i need to see more but i will praise the romance. It´s nothing new but it moves along and i get why the characters are attracted to each other. The calm art is way to well directed for a beginner and i could see the series or the author take off as the amount of translated languages available is high so early in.
Josei Ginban Kishi 8/10 Is comparable to my previously posted Kiss & Never Cry but more straightforward and with all the darkness taken out. Yayoi´s art further excels at movement and anatomy yet she started her career as a hentai OVA producer... This industry makes no sense.
Haru wa na nomi no 7,5/10 The (highly realistic in RL) teacher x teacher romance variety isn´t that common so why not and the cast is working well so far. This is her first mass-market series after more than a decade of Yaoi so the series is weirdly professional and kind off not as a result.
Katsu Curry no Hi 7,5/10 A deliberately frustrating age gap tale about the futility of arranged marriage. Her´s Otoko no Isshou is a similar enough story and she is a weird/frustrating author herself.
Koudaike no Hitobito 7/10 The author´s stories tend to peter out over time so let´s hope this one doesn´t as it is her best. The humor works and the multiple protagonists keep things fresh even if the over-reliance on happily ever after endings are predictable. I like how calm and not flashy the art lastly is despite some stylish character designs at times.
Love Rerun 7,5/10 A bit predictable but this variation on a dead theme has good ideas and feels adult targeted at times. A pretty clean debut work too.
Seinen Gunka no Baltzar Gaiden - Yuukoku no Liebknecht 7,5/10 Is quite distant towards the reader but so is the main narrative. Knowledge of it will help and the somewhat cold romance may end in tragedy with that general mood.
Minna! Esper da yo! 8/10 The author´s main work started strong but burned out over time. Let´s hope that such a mistake can be avoided here but this is another rare win for the ecchi camp as it got a clear comedy for once. Just don´t expect something sexy and a version of
Ike! Inachuu Takkyuubu instead.
Mizu no Iro Gin no Tsuki 7/10 This isn´t the borderline masterpiece the "prequel" Natsu no Zenjitsu is and the characterization is a bit off due to the lack of experience at this point. The second volume was written at a later date it is more rounded and better drawn but a true ending to all of this will be needed one day.
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Came back from the dead 😀 :
Let´s start with a Ryo Ikumi round as i list her in my signature and a lot of her works started or resurrected recently:
Anata no Koto wa Sorehodo 8,5/10 Adultery is very hard to write but Ikumi as she has a knack for fresh takes on dead tropes or making themes work that lesser talent can´t. Her very serene art is also of high quality and the finishing touches on the scanlation of her more mass market-friendly Principal stabilized too.
Kiyoku Yawaku 8/10 Is an interconnected episodic tale about relationships that change moods and style depending on the protagonist and it took me a while to get in. The series won an award and i was reminded of her comparable
Kano Hitoya Tsuki 8,5/10 that jumps less between protagonists and focuses on perspective shifts on previous events. I would love to see that one get resurrected.
Taiyou ga Mite Iru (Kamo Shirenai Kara) 9/10 This fairly new work reminds me of her earlier efforts that used to be equally emotionally ambiguous. I can´t imagine it pleasing the masses is the narrative becomes draining and not that pleasant to read after the first volume even if it ultimately boils down to a school life drama. The story isn´t further about a romantic relationship and more about the notion of romance so prepare to be surprised and frustrated. The manga should have been published in as josei and I wonder if the equally complex
Torch Song Ecology 8,5/10 will get a romantic subplot? Ikumi round over.
Inugamihime ni Kuchizuke 8/10 Kouji´s storytelling is improving and the series can be compared to the just finished Ran to Haiiro no Sekai. A dog-girl instead of the usual cat-girl. This makes way more sense!
Jisatsutou 9,5/10 An unknown group did an entire volume and the series is a romance in the same way Gantz is as such narratives are vocal and drive the plot by an even higher degree. Don´t expect a feel-good tale and read my lengthy review for more information.
HoneyComb 7,5/10 The manga is more quirky than anything but there is a lot of flirting so it counts. It´s actually way more funny and fresh that such series tend to be and the author is improving too.
Kidou Senshi Gundam MSV-R: Johnny Ridden no Kikan 8/10 The amount of releases is amazing and the amount of sub-series is crazy too. Sunrise sure knows how to commission good manga but UC knowledge will be needed. Don´t ask me how deep the romance will go.
Kidou Senshi Gundam Thunderbolt 8/10 also came back and now has multiple romantic subplots but it is even less of a real romance and very dark in tone.
Oyome ni Ikenai! 8/10 The far-fetched setup is nothing special or new but the execution is clean and the characters are charming.
Rokudenashi Blues 8/10 This is one of the better (or few good) delinquent manga and the amount of romance subplots is pretty high for the sub-genre. Not that it is good to reduce female characters to love interests but it works here and i wonder why a punk like Maeda would go for a mousy girl. Imagine a version of Angel Densetsu with a real delinquent as a protagonist and you are set. The old school meets realism style is greatly appreciated and the translation is back after stumbling in 2014.
Six Half 7,5/10 ML moved the translation along big time and cracks are showing up. I know that Rikako hates her reader at times but well thought out psychological anguish is starting to turn to angst only and none are now remotely likable to a degree of surrealism. There have also been way too many fake-outs and highly convenient encounters and no way would a Japanese (or any) school openly cheer on one of their students to become a lingerie model for men magazines and throw her education. (How many AKB48 girls went on to do a bit of porn and then nothing else btw?) The series a good drama overall but my score may fall in the end as Johnny Drama ain´t my kind of writing.
Last edited by residentgrigo at 5:39 pm, Jan 19 2020________________
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