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kwichris's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I found this at the library and decided to pick it up on a whim. For the first entry in this series, it was a very emotional, funny, and educational read. The writer actually took the time to research and bring in as much practical knowledge as possible to make this agricultural school believable. The characters are built up slowly, but in a way that is believable to the reader and to how an outsider would likely react in a group of people more attuned to each other. If I can find the other volumes, I look forward to reading more about Hachiken and his journey of discovering what he truly wants and how this new world will shape him.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia, Animal death, Body shaming, and Excrement
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Blood, Medical content, and Sexism
Minor: Death of parent
maddie_reads_stuff's review against another edition
4.0
"Blue skies... noises of Mother Nature... over-familiar calves... no cell service... Where am I???"
Hachiken deals with culture shock in his first semester at an agricultural high school in rural Hokkaido.
My first full manga in Japanese! やった!!! It was recommended to me by one of my students at our crafts high school in rural Hokkaido. He said that could relate to the main character. Let's see... Obscene rural-ness? Check. Over-excitement about Genghis Khan? Check. Warning signs for bears? Check. Abandoned statues of Colonel Sanders? Umm...
A cute look into high school life in rural Hokkaido. (And really, it's written by the same mangaka as FMA, so how could you go wrong?!)
"'Is this the mountain of combustible garbage?' 'What do we do with the Colonel?' 'Try burning it. If there are unburnt bits, it's non-combustible.'" I'll take your advice, wise students. :)
Hachiken deals with culture shock in his first semester at an agricultural high school in rural Hokkaido.
My first full manga in Japanese! やった!!! It was recommended to me by one of my students at our crafts high school in rural Hokkaido. He said that could relate to the main character. Let's see... Obscene rural-ness? Check. Over-excitement about Genghis Khan? Check. Warning signs for bears? Check. Abandoned statues of Colonel Sanders? Umm...
A cute look into high school life in rural Hokkaido. (And really, it's written by the same mangaka as FMA, so how could you go wrong?!)
"'Is this the mountain of combustible garbage?' 'What do we do with the Colonel?' 'Try burning it. If there are unburnt bits, it's non-combustible.'" I'll take your advice, wise students. :)
mehsi's review against another edition
4.0
I saw this anime back when it aired, and with no news of a third season I decided to read the manga.
And while I did enjoy this volume, it was just too familiar. Most of the things that happened in this manga happened in the anime, and I just have to say that I liked it being animated a bit more. It just brought the atmosphere of the manga to live. Now it felt stagnant and a bit boring. Of course, I am delighted that the anime followed the manga this closely, but it does give a problem if someone wants to read the manga.
This manga tells us about Hachiken, who started at an agricultural school while he doesn't have any farm experience or anything. Which is cause for several hilarious scenes where Hachiken finds out that going to agricultural school isn't the easy go lucky thing he thought he could flee to. In the first chapters we can clearly see him thinking that it will be super easy for him. Oh ho ho, he finds out the hard way that this school is practically a camp, more like a hell than heaven. Waking up a 5 am to help out with the chickens, having to join a club (and most of them are sports), and then I am not even talking about the physical test they have to take. He also quickly finds out that just joining a club isn't going to be easy.
Seeing this volume it also reminds me of what will happen to Hachiken later in the series. You can see the little hints in this one too. Taking on too much tasks, volunteering for a lot of things, studying and doing too much. On the one hand I dread it when it will happen, on the other hand, thanks to that Hachiken learned a valuable lesson.
The manga is also really interesting as it talks about the farming stuff in great detail. Yes, it might get just a bit boring, but luckily most of the time it is done with added comedy and hilarious situations. Like when Hachiken finds out where eggs come from.
It was also interesting to see Hachiken's reason for going to this school again. I hope it will be elaborated some more in the later volumes, just like it was done in the anime.
There are various side characters which made the book way more awesome and interesting. They each have their traits and personalities and I love how they interact with Hachiken.
I just had a laugh at the last part of this volume. I remember this part from the anime and it was just great to see it back. Especially knowing what Hachiken will be doing. :)
The art is so-so. It is decent, but I expected more from the mangaka who also made the gorgeous series Fullmetal Alchemist. I do hope it will improve as the story progresses, because as of now, I am not entirely impressed with it. For some reason the animals look good though, but the humans.... :\
All in all, I will be reading this manga further, and hopefully I will find some new material in this series. And I would recommend this series to everyone.
Review first posted at http://twirlingbookprincess.com/
And while I did enjoy this volume, it was just too familiar. Most of the things that happened in this manga happened in the anime, and I just have to say that I liked it being animated a bit more. It just brought the atmosphere of the manga to live. Now it felt stagnant and a bit boring. Of course, I am delighted that the anime followed the manga this closely, but it does give a problem if someone wants to read the manga.
This manga tells us about Hachiken, who started at an agricultural school while he doesn't have any farm experience or anything. Which is cause for several hilarious scenes where Hachiken finds out that going to agricultural school isn't the easy go lucky thing he thought he could flee to. In the first chapters we can clearly see him thinking that it will be super easy for him. Oh ho ho, he finds out the hard way that this school is practically a camp, more like a hell than heaven. Waking up a 5 am to help out with the chickens, having to join a club (and most of them are sports), and then I am not even talking about the physical test they have to take. He also quickly finds out that just joining a club isn't going to be easy.
Seeing this volume it also reminds me of what will happen to Hachiken later in the series. You can see the little hints in this one too. Taking on too much tasks, volunteering for a lot of things, studying and doing too much. On the one hand I dread it when it will happen, on the other hand, thanks to that Hachiken learned a valuable lesson.
The manga is also really interesting as it talks about the farming stuff in great detail. Yes, it might get just a bit boring, but luckily most of the time it is done with added comedy and hilarious situations. Like when Hachiken finds out where eggs come from.
It was also interesting to see Hachiken's reason for going to this school again. I hope it will be elaborated some more in the later volumes, just like it was done in the anime.
There are various side characters which made the book way more awesome and interesting. They each have their traits and personalities and I love how they interact with Hachiken.
I just had a laugh at the last part of this volume. I remember this part from the anime and it was just great to see it back. Especially knowing what Hachiken will be doing. :)
The art is so-so. It is decent, but I expected more from the mangaka who also made the gorgeous series Fullmetal Alchemist. I do hope it will improve as the story progresses, because as of now, I am not entirely impressed with it. For some reason the animals look good though, but the humans.... :\
All in all, I will be reading this manga further, and hopefully I will find some new material in this series. And I would recommend this series to everyone.
Review first posted at http://twirlingbookprincess.com/
sunnyd76's review against another edition
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
captwinghead's review against another edition
3.0
This didn't grab me the way Arakawa's Fullmetal Alchemist series did. It's a completely different vibe and I was hoping, if the story didn't grab me, the humor would. There are some funny moments, but it wasn't as enjoyable because none of the characters stand out all that much to me yet.
The premise is interesting and it's clear Arakawa knows a low about the different avenues of farming discussed in the series.
I will say, there's animal cruelty in this. What you'd expect from a book about farming, but it was still a little rough. Also, the unnecessary fat jokes about one of the female classmates was upsetting.
I have volumes 2 and 3 from my library, so I'll try the next one and see if it grabs me more.
The premise is interesting and it's clear Arakawa knows a low about the different avenues of farming discussed in the series.
I will say, there's animal cruelty in this. What you'd expect from a book about farming, but it was still a little rough. Also, the unnecessary fat jokes about one of the female classmates was upsetting.
I have volumes 2 and 3 from my library, so I'll try the next one and see if it grabs me more.