draagon's reviews
416 reviews

Getting Closer to You, Vol. 3 by Ruri Kamino

funny lighthearted relaxing slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I hate the brewing love triangle in this. I generally dislike love triangles in most cases, but this one where it seems to be coming down to whose muscles are more attractive... I guess it's a little funny in how outrageous the premise is, but it makes me less inclined to continue. I also don't like how forceful the male lead is being. I get being overcome by emotions and hormones, but pushing someone down on the bed, almost kissing them when you yourself are sick, isn't great behavior and not romantic in the least in my opinion. 

This Lonely Planet by Mika Yamamori

emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This volume really puts the age/experience gap between these two on full spotlight. Fumi is such a sweetheart stuck in a very hard position, dating the person whose house she lives in and whose salary she depends on. She can't really speak her mind or have her own space where she can feel completely secure due to these circumstances, and I really feel for her. I'm mostly angry at her father for putting her in this situation, but I also side-eye Akatsuki because he shouldn't have pushed starting this relationship out of his own desire. As the adult, he should've known better but that's not how things work in this mangaka's worlds -- no matter the age, characters are set on the same high-school-esque level of maturity which makes sense for some characters but can be quite frustrating for others, case in point in this volume in particular. 

Sakamoto Days, Vol. 2 by Yuto Suzuki

adventurous funny lighthearted tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

I think what I appreciate most about this series is just how genuine all the characters feel. They act like actual people instead of caricatures of stereotypes typical of the shonen genre. Sakamoto is such an endearing character how he supports Shin and Xiaotang's antics from the background, but will step in if things are getting too off the rails. His wife is also great at standing her ground on her boundaries, but also understands that Sakamoto's past will inevitably come with some baggage. I was a little surprised that I didn't remember the X plot had been introduced so early on -- it's certainly quite the train ride solving this one from here.

His Majesty the Demon King's Housekeeper, Vol. 8 by Saiko Wadori

adventurous funny informative lighthearted relaxing slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

This volume was entertaining just like all the others. It's nothing mind-blowing, and the mangaka is still teasing us with a potential Demon king-Sakura love story, but things are as slow going as ever. I like how secure Demon King is in his own body, flaunting himself whether dressed in more female or male-coded clothing. The insight into how he became the demon king was a fun read, and we can see the seeds of what would later be the core of his personality: a wish to be totally lazy. I do wonder what the gift that will satisfy Emelda is exactly.

Sakamoto Days, Vol. 1 by Yuto Suzuki

adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

I love how unique the battle sequences are in the series, starting right from volume one.  Fighting in a convenience store, on a bus, with the things just laying around. It makes for a very engaging and interesting read for a weekly shonen. The characters are also great. I love how Sakamoto figures out Shin can read minds pretty quickly and begins just communicating that way. I also like how he shows his displeasure with some of Shin's actions by killing him off in his head. It's quite humorous. 

Associate Professor Akira Takatsuki's Conjecture by Mikage Sawamura

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense 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

5.0

I didn't think anything could top that scene in volume two when Akira goes to Naoya's house to cook him dinner when he's sick. The gentle way the prose washed over me touched something deep inside that I didn't know even needed acknowledging. But this volume has, spectacularly, outdone that scene in more ways than one.

This volume starts with a bit of a lighter scenario in chapter one, with Akira and one of his first-years holding a 100-horror stories night, the kind where you blow out the candle with every story you tell until everyone's swallowed by the darkness and something supernatural is supposedly prone to happen. Of course, things go slightly awry and while eerie things do happen, Akira gets to the bottom of the mystery while the author drops some contemplative tidbits along the way. I think this is an interesting way to begin this volume in particular because it raises the question of to what extent our own fears give way to supernatural happenings rather than them existing on their own. Our fears create an "other," and that "other" becomes something to fear, a cycle that can expand endlessly. Is it because we believe these events are inexplicable that we link them to the supernatural, and does believing that hurt our understanding of how the world works? If it brings comfort and doesn't cause any harm, is it up to Akira or anyone to break another's illusion? As these questions are being softly raised in this first chapter, they linger in the background as the real meat of this volume starts in the second.

The crew arrives in Naoya's grandma's old town, which has been shrinking rapidly as time passes. The people are suspicious of others more than ever, but luckily Naoya has an in... until he accidentally reveals his abilities, and then things get super eerie. The author does a really great job of building the atmosphere in this chapter, you feel like anything could jump out at any moment and cause all sorts of mayhem. Climbing an isolated mountain, getting warned about snakes slithering about ancient rocks contained by a single rope, the sounds of drums from far away. It's fantastically unsettling.

And then... the scene I was referring to at the beginning. Naoya is lost in the darkness. He has followed the wrong hand in his haste and gotten stuck in a seemingly totally dark void of no escape. He panicking, keeps getting ransacked by all the hurtful memories of his past that were caused by that one night when he was ten and made that fateful decision and... it's exhausting. He wants to give up. He's tired of fighting this battle without end, tired of people misunderstanding him. Tired of this loneliness that encompasses him. He just wants to close his eyes and sleep. But... a seemingly nonsequitur scene from that first chapter comes to mind. After all the mayhem of the 100-horror stories, everyone had gone out to light sparklers, and Akira had playfully lit his own using Naoya's. That soft glow, the comfort of being surrounded by people relieved that they've survived a big scare, the camaraderie of being surrounded by people who accept you despite your flaws. That soft glow flickers in Naoya's mind, and he remembers. Akira is out there. Kenken, Nanba, and others are waiting for him. It hits him: He's not alone. He's not alone. And then he hears it, a voice in the distance. He desperately follows it, and there's Akira, lit up ethereally in a way that doesn't seem possible. He is Naoya's lighthouse out of the dark that had been slowly suffocating him for all these years. This is a simplified version of something so beautiful, it's hard to summarize.

There's more that happens of course. A huge bomb dropped at the end of the volume that has to do with Akira's own mystery that I can't wait to find out more about. But that scene in the forest... like all cases in this series, it's more than the climax of Naoya's mystery, though it is also that. It's about human connection, finding a light out of the dark, a way to continue living on despite the pain. The way these two things weave together so seamlessly is magnificent, and I don't think I can ever give due explanation to how warm this series truly is.

Getting Closer to You, Vol. 2 by Ruri Kamino

lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I continue to be conflicted by the premise of this series. I like how the female lead's obsession is being used for good, that she's using all of her knowledge to help the basketball team become even better, and even that she's realizing that each person needs their own personal fitness plan. It's great character growth that's separate from any sort of romance plot, which I always appreciate in a high school romance story. I find the romance itself to be a bit dull, and while I love stories where the guy falls first, I don't like pushy leads whether they be female or male. I'd rather the person with the (as of yet) one-sided crush to marinate in the background and keep their feelings under wraps. But that's just my personal preference.

Bride of the Barrier Master, Vol. 3 (Manga): Volume 3 by Kureha

dark funny lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I pretty much like everything about this series except for the male lead. Saku is just so pushy with Hana and I wish he would give her the time and space to develop feelings for herself if that's the path she chooses. Other than that, it's a pretty funny volume with Hana being an absolute magnet for trouble and others' ire. I love how quickly she jumped at the chance to get 3 mil in exchange for a divorce -- kinda wish it could've gone through!

Snow White with the Red Hair, Vol. 26 by Sorata Akiduki

adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective relaxing slow-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

Such a short volume! While it was great to see how the events of last volume are playing out, I was quite surprised to see the pivot from the shiny flower distribution mission. I thought it would continue for a while, going from area to area in the north and trying to convince various members of the nobility to allow the flower to be planted there. But that is quickly over once Eisetsu agrees, and now Shirayuki is summoned to work with Zen's uncle in another castle. I'm keen to see how this develops, but it just felt a little abrupt. I definitely enjoy the development of Kiki and Hisame, as well as his with Mitsuhide.

Getting Closer to You, Vol. 1 by Ruri Kamino

funny lighthearted relaxing slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

I'm torn on this first volume. On one hand, I think it's done quite humorously with the female lead being obsessed with (men's) muscles -- how they look and how they work. This is a unique premise in that the female lead is quite unabashed in her tastes and has no qualms sneaking looks at various sports teams around the school. But therein lies the problem -- it's quite voyeuristic in nature, and it's hard to ignore the double standard if roles were reversed, if it were a male lead obsessed with (women's) muscles, especially their chests. While this does happen in countless shonen series, it's not exactly something celebrated in general, and two double standards don't make a right. At the same time, the male lead doesn't seem to mind being carressed by the female lead's gaze at every turn, and in fact encourages it because he has feelings for her. It's a conundrum, and I'll tentatively continue to see where it goes.