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@blouptalking
This is a small introduction!
I first made this tumblr so I can be able to have somewhere to post my animangas reviews. I have decided to expand it to movies, books and TV shows. This is purely for fun and to pass time.
MASTERLIST
:).
Climax
Gaspar Noé, 2018
psychological horror, experimental
rating: ★★★★★
Absolutely deranged and perverted in the best way possible. I felt taken directly to hell with this movie, and it was probably the best experience of my week. Don’t get fooled by the long introduction and the somewhat normal first part, because the moment the second act starts, everything just snowballs into a psychotic acid trip, literally and figuratively. The use of sound and lighting is genius. The camera work shaking and following the character from a third-person point of view, like a video game character, with the sound of the music and the screaming getting louder or muffled depending on where we are in the environment really immerses you in the story; you are there with them, you see everything they see and hear everything they hear, but you can’t do anything to save them. It’s tragic. I just loved everything about this movie. It was so weird. The last 20 minutes genuinely made me want to throw up and gave me a headache, but what can I say? It’s Gaspar Noé!
I would love to hear people’s opinion on this. A lot of negative feedback said the movie lacks a structural story and I do agree, but the experience is so unique and intense I think it didn’t need more.
TW: violence, drug use (non consensual), rape, sexual assault, incest
Happiness
Shuuzou Oshimi
10 volumes (completed)
drama, horror, supernatural, vampires
TW: gore, blood, dead bodies, torture
“Nothing interesting in happening in Makoto Ozaki’s first year of high school. His life is a series of quiet humiliations: low-grade bullies, unreliable friends, and the constant frustration of his adolescent lust. But one night, a pale, thin girl knocks him to the ground in an alley and offers him a choice. Now everything is different. Daylight is searingly bright. Food tastes awful. And worse than anything is the terrible, consuming thirst. The tiny shames of his old life have been replaced by two towering horrors: the truth of what will slake his awful craving and high school itself.”
(source: Kodansha USA)
Story: 8/10
Happiness had a great beginning. The first five volumes were very exciting, however, everything collapsed with volume six. We leave volume five with a massive cliffhanger and you're like omg what's going to happen now?!? but then you get to the next chapter and there’s a weird ten years time skip out of nowhere. The whole volume six focuses on this time skip and we have the feeling to read a whole new story. There's also this new character that's being introduced, but holy shit, what a useless, boring man. Afterwards, it gets a little weird but better. The ending's not so great, but I'm not surprised. I noticed that in these types of stories it’s very difficult to create a good ending that would please the reader and answer all the questions. So I didn’t get any hopes up, it was ok-ish I’ll say. Overall the story is good but there’s a lot of missing elements and the story line feels messy.
Cast: 6/10
Not a single mentally stable person in this entire cast. I really liked the characters, they were all very interesting (aside from Sudo). Nora was supposed to be one of the main characters, but she was missing from the story and I felt the same way about Okazaki. It seems to me that the real main character was Gosho, which is weird because in the story she's just some random girl that got caught up in some vampire drama. Anyway, the cast is fine. The antagonist is more than just mean or evil, this man is straight up the devil. He has no real reason for all the awful things he did, that kind of baffled me.
Art: 10/10
Amazing, beautiful, show stopping, spectacular. The way the mangaka is able to draw the thoughts and feelings of his characters in each pages is amazing. We really can feel and see the pain and how much they struggle. The multiple references to Van Gogh's Starry Night are also amazing.
Enjoyment: 5/10
I received the first two volumes as a gift a few years ago and I finally decided to read the manga yesterday evening. I liked it so much that I ended up reading the scans, but I feel like I got my hopes up a little bit too much. Like I said, it all goes down after volume five and the end didn't satisfy me enough for me to give it more than 5/10.
Overall: 6/10
Rock It GiRL!!
Rocket ☆ Girl !!
Tanaka Minoru
12 chapters (completed)
comedy, romance, music, drama, girl’s love
“Kaname likes playing her guitar and singing by the streets and can't believe her ears when a strange girl who's actually a music producer suddenly offers her a contract for a debut cd. However she tells Kaname that her voice is completely worthless and that she'll have to debut within a band and just be the guitarist. Furthermore, the vocalist who will sing the songs in her place is an arrogant girl full of herself who immediately starts bullying her; however...”
(resume from Manga Updates)
Story: 8/10
Really good and really interesting!! The story is mainly about the two main characters and their relation, but we see the evolution of their band as well. I would have appreciated it a lot more if the story had been a little more music-oriented at some point, but the music is really only there to develop the relation between the two characters which is not a bad thing. I got kind of confused at one point because there's this bizarre three-year time skip and then another time jump where we go up to three years before again. It was really strange. Outside of this, we have the opportunity to see a lot of fun and serious scenes at the same time. The combination of both is very nicely done and the funny scenes are actually funny and not cringe.
Cast: 6/10
The story is mostly about the two characters. We don't hear much from the supporting cast and the other two members of the band. We also are introduced to a certain rival in chapter 6 (I think) but we hear nothing more about it in the next chapters. To get back to the two principal characters. I really liked Seira. I wouldn't specifically call her a tsundere because she's mean to everybody and not just her crush, it's part of his persona. She is very straight forward and charismatic, perhaps a bit rude for nothing at one time or another. Kaname on the other side is her polar opposite, she’s very calm and sweet, she’s also very funny.
Art: 7/10
Pretty basic but it does the job pretty well. There are also panels that are rather striking.
Enjoyment: 10/10
I really liked this story. It was a lot of fun to follow the two girls in their relationship and career. I wish there were more chapters.
Overall: 9/10
Run Away With Me, Girl
Kakeochi Girl
Battan
19 chapters (finished)
drama, romance, slice of life
TW: abusives relationship, internalized homophobia, misogyny, nudity, rape
“Maki's first love was her high school classmate, a girl named Midori. But Midori broke up with Maki at graduation, saying they were now "too old to be fooling around dating girls." Ten years later, Maki still can’t get Midori off her mind, and when the two women reconnect after a chance encounter, Maki realizes that, while her feelings haven’t changed, Midori has long moved on—in fact, she's engaged. Yet the more Maki hears Midori talk about her soon-to-be-husband, the more red flags she notices. And Midori has another secret, one she hasn’t yet shared with Maki. Will it be the last blow to Maki's hopes that their romance might be rekindled? Or will it be the push that sets them on a new path—one they'll travel together?”
(resume from Kodansha USA)
Story: 7/10
Second GL I read about some sort of infidelity where one of them is already married (or will soon be married in this case). Is this a common trope is GL Josei? Maybe... I don’t really know. I don't really appreciate NTR or anything that tries to excuse cheating (like Even Though We’re Adults) but for this story, it does seem different. I’m not saying that the man deserved to get cheated on, but he kinda does, taking into account that he is misogynistic (and probably in agreement with andrew t*te ideals). He’s just such a big asshole. The drama is really interesting in this manga and everything moves smoothly. It doesn’t feel rushed, even if the story is short. The topics discussed are interesting and well written. The three main characters being cowards and saying so on each page seemed somewhat repetitive and annoying (yes we get it, you feel lonely and you’re a pussy, me too but please stop…). What I didn't appreciate was how Tama justified his actions and toxic behaviour toward Midori, because he had some "childhood trauma". This made me very uncomfortable like… Side eye…
Cast: 7/10
A very good cast. There are characters that you may like and characters that you may hate (Tama). Midori’s coworker was such a bitch. I wish she had a bad ending, but unfortunately she didn't. She was just a nuisance. Except for that, I didn't understand the character of Midori until chapter 11. At the beginning I really felt like she was really just fooling around, taking advantages of Momo and her affection, but I guess I was wrong. It might have been better if her character had developed sooner.
Art: 6/10
Again, not my favorite type of art but it is still very pretty and easy to understand.
Enjoyment: 6/10
Really enjoyed this story. A very well written and strong intrigue. It is a very good GL which explores a lot of triggering topics but important and modern in our society at this time.
Overall: 8/10
Just finished the first volume of My Happy Marriage. I really don't know how I feel about this first volume. I really liked the story and the intrigue. The historical context is something totally new to me, and I think it was an excellent introduction for me to that genre.
What I could criticize is perhaps that I felt like there’s too much “thinking” and that there is not enough dialogue during this first volume. It’s a really good way to show the different point of view of the characters, but I personally really felt the lack of discussion.
I made my silly little research about this manga and learned that it’s actually from a light novel (it could explain the lack of dialogue in the first volume!) and that there’s an anime AND a live action movie coming this year! I plan on watching these two and I will continue to read the manga as more volumes gets released in my country.
I really can’t wait for the anime, the characters PV looks so good!
(source)
If you are enjoying the anime/manga “The Ice Guy and His Cool Female Colleague” (if you haven’t heard of it, go read it now it’s really worth it!) I would recommend you to read “Ms. Seal Who Does Not Want to be Killed Anymore”.
Maybe the title is a bit too long and sounds silly, but it’s really good. It’s a short, easy to read office romance. The art is pretty and the characters are adorable. It’s a little episodic, but it still follow a narrative.
This manga taught me that octopuses have nine brains, seals can eat octopuses and orcas can prey on seals. I had no idea. So I can confidently state that this manga is educational (in a way).
Anyway, if you’re looking for something short and cute to read, give it a try!
Good-bye Dystopia, a really good and short manga about two girls traveling together and getting to know each other. I really liked reading their aventure and hearing about their philosophy in life. What I could criticize is the lack of informations we have about the characters and their backstory even during the final volume. Still a really good manga.
Amazing art too, you should definitely check it out just for the ruins and pretty sceneries.
Just finished the first volume of My Happy Marriage. I really don't know how I feel about this first volume. I really liked the story and the intrigue. The historical context is something totally new to me, and I think it was an excellent introduction for me to that genre.
What I could criticize is perhaps that I felt like there’s too much “thinking” and that there is not enough dialogue during this first volume. It’s a really good way to show the different point of view of the characters, but I personally really felt the lack of discussion.
I made my silly little research about this manga and learned that it’s actually from a light novel (it could explain the lack of dialogue in the first volume!) and that there’s an anime AND a live action movie coming this year! I plan on watching these two and I will continue to read the manga as more volumes gets released in my country.
Even Though We’re Adults
Otona ni Natte mo
Takako Shimura
8 volumes (ongoing)
drama, romance, slice of life
“Ayano, an elementary school teacher in her thirties, stops by a bar one day and meets another woman named Akari. Sparks fly as the two chat, and before the night is over, Ayano even goes in for a kiss. Akari is intrigued but confused…especially when she discovers that Ayano has a husband! Both Ayano and Akari are about to find out that love doesn’t get any easier, even as you grow older.”
(resume from Seven Seas Entertainment)
Story: 7/10
A simple yet complex slice of life story. I was a little scared because it seems that many topics were covered in this manga, like queer relationships and depression for example, but it all seemed really natural in some way. The entire story is very realistic and I could totally see it happen to someone in real life… One thing I could criticize is the infidelity in the manga. It just feels very wrong and it made me uncomfortable on a few occasions. I hate stories that attempt to justify adultery by "real love/fate" or whatever.
Cast: 9/10
The cast is very humanlike. All of them have their faults and their qualities. I’m thinking about the husband (I forgot his name ngl). I find his behavior somewhat irritating but at the same time I totally understand how he feels about all of this and why he's acting that way. You don’t really get to like or dislike a character because they all have their reasons to be as they are so you can't actually blame them. And I love that, it makes the story even more real.
Art: 6/10
Not my favorite kind of art, but I still love it a lot. It’s easy to understand. The volume cover are beautiful, I like the watercolour ambiance and the color scheme used is also very nice.
Enjoyment: 6/10
I really liked this story. I've only been through the first three volumes. I'm going to wait for the rest to be released in my country so I can buy the manga. Even if, once again, the whole infidelity thing made me uncomfortable.
Overall: 7/10
I just read volume 1 and 2 of Yano-kun no Futsuu no Hibi and it’s really good! It's like a breath of freshness in all the romance manga I've read in the last three weeks. I’ll probably have to redo my top 10 romance manga to find a place for this one, it’s just SO good.
You’re My Cutie
Kawaii Nante Kiitenai
Harufuji Nakaba
romance, comedy, slice of life,
6 volumes (ongoing)
“Madoka is obsessed with shojo manga—specifically manga that features younger, innocent guys who fall for their Sempai. So she should be thrilled when a gorgeous kohai comes to work at her father's restaurant...except he's rude and standoffish, and wants nothing to do with her. But when she protects him from some extra-pushy fans, he finds that maybe he's found someone letting his walls down for...!”
(resume from Kodansha USA)
Story: 6/10
Kicked my feet and screamed into my pillow multiple times. I've certified it a good romance, you can trust me. I love how Madoka sometimes acts as a male love interest would be in other romance manga with Momoki. Also the fact that they only see each other at work and not in school adds something to the story, it makes their interaction more interesting.
Cast: 8/10
I keep writing these reviews, and I think I should change "cast" to "couple". I noticed that authors don't really focus on the background characters and mostly focus about the main couple but yes, very good characters. The two of them go so well together. I was taken aback by Momiki's personality. I was not expecting a tsundere. I usually hate it, but it's not toxic or boring with him, it's even sweet.
Art: 6/10
Super pretty art. Maybe a little bit simple and can get messy at some point but it’s nothing unsettling
Enjoyment: 9/10
Probably one of my favorite romance, I feel like I say that a lot but this one is really good. It feels so new and refreshing. It is different from other stories, but at the same time it follows the basic patterns of how to make a good shojo. Certainly recommend it.
Overall: 7/10
Hiren Trip
Anashin
romance, school life
2 volumes (completed)
“Miyu, an ordinary new first-year student who hopes to become a mangaka meets the school's class president who seems to have a hidden side to him. While being pushed around by the cool but private class president, the curtain on Miyu's stormy school life is raised.”
(resume from MU)
Story: 3/10
It started as a casual romance shojo but I don’t know what happened, the mangaka decided to put some sister complex in the story and make the love interest super annoying. The premise of the plot wasn't that great to begin with so it just ruined the small amount of hope I had for it. The ending is bad. I’m not sure about it but it feels like the story got axed and that’s why everything is so messy.
Cast: 2/10
I think the cast was what ruined the story. Especially the love interest. He's so annoying, he's the embodiment of what an asshole is. He doesn’t answer texts nor calls, he came up 1 hour late for the date that HE promised her, he wants to keep their relationship a secret without expressing his reasons clearly (a huge red flag for me) and ON TOP OF THAT this motherfucker got a sister complex and is in love with her. How could you write such a bad love interest seriously. The only good thing he got going on was his funny/sarcastic personality, but honestly I feel like it just adds more to his asshole side. The main character looked promising at first, but she's actually quite annoying too. She let herself get walked over by Kousei and chase after him even though he’s the biggest asshole on earth. Her whole dream about being a mangaka was cute at the beginning but it honestly felt cringe at the end I can’t explain why.
Art: 6/10
The art was the only good point I guess. The characters designs were pretty basic and boring.
Enjoyment: 2/10
Did not enjoy it at all. I was really excited about this story but once again, the sister complex just ruined everything. I don’t care if they are not technically siblings because she’s his step sister, she’s still his sister and it stills disgust me. The mangaka could have used any other female character to create that love triangle/unrequited love but no, she decided to use his step sister. Bad move. Horrible even. I am also very disappointed because it’s from the same author as “Unmei no Hito no Deau Hanashi”. I really liked this manga but the author did not slay this time.
Overall: 3/10
Just Nayuta smacking Denji’s ass
To Say the Least, This is Love
Hikaeme ni Itte mo Kore wa Ai / Love! That’s an Understatement
Fujimomo
comedy, romance, school life
9 chapters (ongoing)
“One day, a serious student named Risa, saves a wounded delinquent on her way home from cram school. Now, that delinquent Zen is following her around!! What will she do?”
(resume from Baka-Update Manga)
Story: 6/10
Why does Shojo have such a rapid rhythm these days? I really like when a story is well paced, especially when it's about romance, I think it's hard to find the right mix. The period during which the characters still flirt should not be too long nor too short, and there should still be things to explore and see once they start dating. Sadly, I feel like recent shojos tend to just completely skip the flirting part and make the two characters go out before the fifth chapter. Anyway, I had high expectations for this manga, same as “Uruwashi no Yoi no Tsuki”, but I was not really sure because I got a little bit disappointed with this manga. Well, for this one, it completely met all of my expectations, it’s even better than what I imagined it. The bad boy trope with the fight scenes and everything else doesn’t feel cringe at all. I was a little worried about this part of the story, but it's actually pretty "realistic" and not exaggerated, so this is really great! The one thing I could criticize is the speed at which this manga is. There are only nine chapters translated but I get the impression that everything went so fast between Risa and Zen.
Cast: 8/10
I have an indescribable love for Risa. I really like her personality. I love it when a character is down to earth and intelligent without exaggeration. Zen is also a great love interest. They go very well with each other. I wish we could see more of the supporting cast in future chapters, it would be fun.
Art: 8/10
The first thing I noticed about this manga, before even reading it, was the color pages and the color palette used. It is pleasant and very beautiful.
Enjoyment: 9/10
I really liked the story. l didn't expect that. I was afraid that the bad boy trope would be boring and cringe, but Zen is the perfect example of a good bad boy love interest. I think what got me to like the story even more is really Risa. She really left me speechless, she's such an amazing character. Anyhow, I would have given a 10/10 but like I said, the story is too fast. I have the impression that many things could have lasted longer, but it was still very amusing.
Overall: 9/10
They definitely are the “she asked for no pickles” couple
Mikansei Demo Koi Ga Ii is the proof that you can make a good SHORT romance manga without it being trashy or too fast paced and messy. (I’m looking at you Hiren Trip and Your Color on Lip)
Look at them, they are so in love they make me want to throw up <3