hiya, welcome to frilly shonen jump! i wanted to make a place for myself to talk about, review, and maybe even discuss manga i’ve read and discovered, so this is that place.
this blog will cover mainly manga, but will also include manhua and other comics if i feel like sharing some ive read. the intention is to hopefully show off some niche finds that i simply enjoy (especially with how many genres i find myself reading in) and think others might!
places where i read:
- viz/shounen jump app (subscription)
- mangadex
- tapas
MyMangaList:
list of titles on the database that i (remember) finishing and am currently reading!
coming back to this manga in particular over the past couple weeks was something truly special.
so like, short story but my hero started publication back right when i started high school, so i felt like i grew up with this one; those early days of the story really hyped me up and got me through the first few years of school then. but...life happened and i dropped it somewhere around kamino arc!
i wanted to do it justice by revisiting it again and fully catching up, doing what past me struggled to do. and honestly? even with the backlash of some critics regarding what is now considered WSJ's golden child, i still say it has continued to hold up and carry the magazine.
not as excellently as it did back then...but in these final bursts of the story, it's still pretty great.
(spoiler-free review! will make references to later arcs by name alone.)
firstly, i think it's important to note how STRONGLY this series starts off. few comics and manga have the strength to start so well and with such a bang that it hooks in millions into what is essentially a coming-of-age story in a world of superheroes. until MHA, using a very westernized ideal of superheroes and supervillains did not seem to run as rampant as it does now but it is done in such a vibrant and colorful world with equally vibrant and colorful characters that it just feels SO FUN. i was on the edge of my seat for every arc the entire way.
now, from what i've seen and listened to from several retrospectives is that the one thing that has most people losing their love for this series is the late-game story.
i unfortunately can see where people are coming from when they say so: the super, SUPER high quality artwork and detailing has slightly and noticeably changed (it is most noticeable before the Final War, but when said arc starts it's harder to notice), story pacing has sped up, often waaaaay too fast in some beats, and even major plot points and characters aren't as satisfying or as consistent as they should be (there is a specific character in the Final War who fell off pretty hard but will not be named for spoiler reasons—those who read likely know who i'm talking about.) i wish these problems weren't so glaring near the end, but they haven't dampened my enjoyment of the series as much as it has for others. that said, they're the reason for a considerable steer in direction for the manga that cannot be ignored.
chapters read: 379 (ongoing)
first impression rating: 5/5
continuation rating: 3.5/5
things i liked:
the overall art style. Kohei Horikoshi's work is one of my biggest inspirations since i was a teen, and with this being his third manga, he's put a lot of his experience to the test and pushed the limits of what a manga can portray in terms of story and work. there's hardly a page or spread where i can look at it and say it's low quality; he and his assistants go above and beyond in terms of detailing, paneling, and brush work.
the character designs!! it's so fun and exciting to meet new characters in this series and often seeing how their quirks reflect in their appearance and costumes.
things i disliked:
late-game pacing, especially in between the liberation arc and the final war arc. meta-wise there must have been some issues going on behind the scenes, or horikoshi just chose not to write some segments, because some events happened way too fast to warrant it, or some events get skipped over completely between chapters. in some cases it was quite jarring and hard to just skip over with the characters.
the characterization of some notable figures. some seemed inconsistent especially late-game and had me confused as to why some choices were made by them, even if it was still a game-shaking moment.
overall, there is and still is a reason why MHA is what people consider "overrated" now and why it's so hyped up; it's all the pizzazz a shonen jump manga strives to be in normal formula, while at the same time having elements that feel fresh and unique. it is STILL worth picking up to this day and while it's starting to near the end with some sputters, i still have high hopes for what is to come.
im back! i took a long long break through the holidays and into the new year and in that time, i read and caught up on a LOT of manga, so i've got a couple reviews lined up, stay tuned! the first of em may come today!
i consider myself a pretty big fan of puzzles—i’m not the best at them, but i can breeze through games like sudoku easily. this manga is probably teaching me that codes are on a whooooole ‘nother level.
every so often i look at a fresh new series instead of looking at old things i’ve missed, and seeing this one written by Nisioisin, who wrote some of my favorites ever, i was curious and decided to read the first 3 chapters and see what vibes it gave me!
this kind of review will be different in that, because it’s not fleshed out yet with only three chapters released/read, it’s only based on what i’ve seen so far as opposed to jumping the gun and giving a whole rating off the bat.
right now, it’s a bit tough to say for sure—the plot is definitely introduced early to understand it and there’s a good feel of what dynamic you’re going to see between the presumed primary characters, but it definitely has that nisioisin touch of oddness...and harem. i did not expect both the plot to be a race for a cryptocurrency hoard and the MC to be a token boy in an all-girls cypher school. but then again, this is written by the person who made monogatari so i should have expected it.
things i like so far:
the artwork! i don't believe i've seen this particular artist before, but the work i've seen in this manga by Yuji Iwasaki is really eye-catching! it's expressive but works really nicely for a story about code breaking.
the historic background behind the plot! i actually find myself liking more and more historic fiction and war stories (as you will see next week for my next full review) and learning things in the stuff i read, and it's still fascinating to hear of women being codebreakers in wartimes.
the paneling and pacing! the panel work on this manga is quite simple and all squares and rectangles, outside of the 1-page spreads of puzzles that are seen so far-- nowadays i don't see this much, if at all, so it kinda lets me take a breather from the action-packed and tightly-squeezed panelling done in other WSJ works.
things i'm iffy about so far:
that cryptocurrency though...SLJFSKG im not a fan of any of the sort but as long as it's something that's just in the background and not dwelled upon too much (though, may be impossible as that's the ultimate goal of the protagonists and perceived antagonists) it should be ok.
harem aspect. i am fully expecting this to come into play if the MC is a boy in an all-girls school, as harems are INCREDIBLY common already. there's a budding romance between the two main characters already, so maybe it won't pop up, but i'll remain wary for now.
overall, i'll be keeping an eye on this manga for a few more chapters or as long as it lasts - full aware of the WSJ cutting board every few seasons, and we'll have to see if this one will make the cut.
okay…this series was one of the series that prompted me to make this blog because i wanted to talk about how… interesting it is—namely, how it starts vs how it’s going because holy shit, does it feel so much more different than the first handful of chapters.
(spoiler-free review!)
initially when this series was newer in WSJ years back i gave it a shot and read the first four chapters and was put off pretty hard by its start—i didn’t like how immediately the assumed main heroine, Fuuko, was basically getting harassed by this man, Andy, who was exploiting her bad luck to die by copping a feel. yet i had no idea that such a weird start with perverted humor left the back of my mind entirely as the story progressed. the ecchi jokes have nearly all but left the forefront for plot progression.
and the plot is INSANELY COOL. the power system is such a mindbendingly awesome concept, surpassing the core idea of “breaking the rules” of the world. at first it felt like the story was being made up on the fly, but now in what feels like late stage story everything ties together and there are little touches and info that make you wonder, “holy crap, this author really thought this through more than i expected.” it isn’t perfect, but as i read it’s doing pretty damn well at least.
chapters read: 137 (ongoing)
first impression rating: 2/5
continuation rating: 4/5
things i liked:
the power system, hands down. i absolutely love powers that can completely turn a situation on its head, and it's really crazy how each character occasionally use their abilities in a fresh new way.
the panel work is probably one of the best and most sleek i've seen in recent memory. no scene has really felt cramped in terms of artwork and the full page spreads are sexy to look at, especially in the later parts.
the action sequences OHHHH MY GOD. I SWEAR TO GOD I NEVER GOT TIRED OF SEEING SOME OF THESE MOVES ESPECIALLY ANDY'S. with how its getting an anime next year im hyped to see how a couple of the fights will look in an animated form!
some of the themes of many of the characters are actually pretty profound, and the found family trope is all over this one too, as they navigate abilities that have caused them despair and finding new life in people they've formed bonds with.
things i disliked:
the first few chapters obviously. i think that first impression really will put off a lot of people at first with the grope-y jokes and starting plot that felt like it was being made up on the fly. and it kinda bums how i will have to tell people "if you can make it past the first few chapters it gets REALLY good!" i almost wonder if it was an intentional move on the author's part to do that given how ecchi—unfortunately—can get more eyes on a series.
the pacing in the 2nd to latest arc felt a bit off at times to me, especially during a point where a specific major character was suddenly introduced to cause a near-major character death and introduce the very arc without explaining where they came from or why they exist/their backstory in the first place...however, im hoping they do get explained later, as most of the characters shrouded in mystery for dozens of chapters get explained more.
overall, im all in for this series right now, and i highly recommend it if you're into more wacky and more unconventional-seeming series! this one feels quite different compared to many that i've read and its worth trucking.
