Moki-Mori's Random Readings

Reviews, Book Blogs, and Other Reading Related things. My Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/moki-mori My other Blogs: https://www.tumblr.com/mokimoriwrites https://www.tumblr.com/moki-mor

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Demon Slayer Vol 14 by Koyoharu Gotouge

Rating: 4.5/5

Review:

I absolutely love how strong Gotouge made Mitsuri. I could have done without the sexy uniform on her, though, so she loses points there.

Ignoring the uniform issue, though (simply for the sake of this review, you aren't getting off that easily, Gotouge), Matsuri being strong is so important to me. She’s this very sweet girly girl who loves everything and loves love even more. She's romantic and just wants to find someone who loves her for herself. But she's also one of the strongest corps members and can kick ass while making it look like it's nothing.

Her character heals a little bit of something in me, with her being this strong ‘I can kill a monster’ woman while also being very sweet and girly. I just feel like it's not something we see a lot with female characters. They’re either strong or super girly, not a lot of both being mixed together, 

Still hate the sexy uniform though, especially since she’s uncomfortable in it and was tricked into wearing it. Like, just give her a normal one, please! 

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Demon Slayer Vol 13 by Koyoharu Gotouge

Rating: 5/5

Review:

The fighting scenes between the two Hashria against two different upper-rank demons are amazing. There's so much happening at the same time, and it feels like even more because we’re switching between Tangiro and co., Mitsui and the village, and Muichiro and upper 5. There's this chaos that was present with the fight with the upper 6, but it feels a little more controlled on Tangiro’s end, like he’s finally starting to understand what all his training has taught him. 

Something else I love from this volume is that we see Mitsuri’s and Muichiro’s backstory through their own eyes. Mitsuri's is very clear, but Muichiro’s is fuzzy as he’s still regaining his memories and coming to terms with his past. But we see Sanemie’s backstory through the eyes of his younger brother. 

I think this is fitting, as Sanemi is very brusk and hard-edged but his younger brother is just a touch softer, giving us a glimpse into their shared pain but keeping us still outside the Wing Hashira’s journey from that point on. It's an interesting story device choice,e and I'm really excited to see it play out!  

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Demon Slayer Vol 12 by Koyoharu Gotouge

Rating: 5/5

Review:

The Sword Smith Village is one of my favorite arcs in the whole series. Mainly because I love the smol boi Muichiro and his very sassy crow, but also because the fight scenes here are top tier! 

Meeting two Hashira and seeing their opposing disposition is really interesting, and watching as Tangiro gets tortured (ahem, I mean trained very well) by the puppet and Kotetsu is sort of funny, but also a really cool scene. (I especially love how Tangbiro, who never really demands anything for himself, made a very large dinner order when he FINALLY gets to eat again lol) 

Also, Genya, with the gun, did not expect that, and it was perfect!

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Demon Slayer Vol 11 by Koyoharu Gotouge

Rating: 4.5/5

Review:

I loved every second of this battle scene over the three books it happened in. My favorite part is definitely the ending, where we get to see Daki’s and Gyutaro’s backstory. How they became demons, how their past lives as humans affected their demonic life, why they were drawn to where they were and who they went after, and the effect it had on how long their humanity and memories lasted. 

I think that the upper 6’s sibling dynamic worked similarly to Rui’s family dynamic because neither really knew why they were doing what they were doing; all they really knew was that they were doing it. Daki didn't know why she stuck around Gyutaro or liked only pretty people, and Gyutaro didn't know why he put up with Daki. Those memories, the reason why, only came back during their final moments. 

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Demon Slayer Vol 10 by Koyoharu Gotouge

Rating: 5/5

Review:

Gyutaro’s reveal is just *chefs kiss*. Honestly, I did not see this coming when first watching the anime, and I got so caught up in Daki’s fight in the manga that I forgot she had a brother for a second there. 

Another thing I really love about Demon Slayer is its willingness to stick with its consequences. Each battle feels heart-pounding and keeps me on the edge of my seat because I know that Gotouge is willing to kill off characters. I think that's why Rengoku works so well in a way; his death sets the scene for just how serious Gotouge is about devastation within his series. 

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Demon Slayer Vol 9 by Koyoharu Gotouge

Rating: 3.5/5

Review:

Tell me how we’re 9 books in but already on season 2 (and a movie/season with Mugen train)?! How?! I'm not complaining, I'm just in shock at how quickly this goes by. 

The Entertainment District arc in the manga has one of my favorite fight scenes. Rengoku vs Akaza ranks #3 right now, and the upper six vs Tengen and the boys rank #2. There's just so much going on, there are multiple fight layers happening; The chaos, the moves, the whole battle is just 20/10, and I love it!

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Demon Slayer Vol 8 by Koyoharu Gotouge

Rating: 5/5

Review:

Vol. 8 is the first heartbreaking vol in this series, and I don't know why, but it works. We know Rengoku for all of two and a half volumes, but when he dies, we’re crying and losing our minds over him. I, for one, would like to riot against Koyoharu Gotouge’s here to kill our beloved Omai boy, but it's incredibly well done, so I won't. 

I also love the follow-up between Tangiro and Senjuro. The similarities between Kyojuro and his younger brother (beyond the physical) are so sweet to see in action, and I think it's a lovely moment for Tangiro to meet him and deliver Rengoku’s final words to his baby brother. 

Also, as a side note: I fucking love  Haganezuka’s antics so much. The knives on his head while chasing him around are absolutely golden. 

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Demon Slayer Vol 7 by Koyoharu Gotouge

Rating: 4.5/5

Review:

I love the Mugen train so much (except for Rengoku’s Death, I do not like that). Everything about it is just so cool, and I feel like it puts a lot of things into perspective for readers. We already knew the time period and that the Demon Slayer Corps isn't sanctioned by the government, but that sort of seems like background noise for the series up until this point.

With Mugen train, we actually see some details that help us place it in the timeline that it’s based in, and we see just how absurd a lot of the slayers look to the outside world. 

We don't question Inosuke or Tangiro’s overall weirdness (and the board head), but as soon as they’re on the train platform, we see everyone else react to it, and it's a little bit of a shock to the readers. 

I really liked the additions the anime made to scenes with Rengoku, the one where he’s stopping that speed-demon and saving the bento sellers is such a great way to show off his abilities and mannerisms a bit more, and I so wish there were bits of that in the main manga series. 

 But the one issue I have with this vol isn't even with its main storyline, but the order of some things. Kanao’s backstory is put at the end of Vol7 when it would make more sense at the start of Vol7, either before or after Tangiro’s interaction with her. But other than that, this vol is amazing!

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Demon Slayer Vol 6 by Koyoharu Gotouge

Rating: 3.8/5

Review:

The ‘meet the Hashira’ scene is one of the best ones in both the Anime and Manga, so I was really happy to get there in vol6 (how crazy is it that this is almost season 2 of the anime??). 

I will say, and this is a controversial opinion, that I don't like Shinobu. I don't know why something about her just rubs me the wrong way. She seems to fake a lot of the time, and her actions don't really line up. Like she wanted to torture the spider sister demon to atonement, but you don't ever see that behavior with her again, and it's never really brought up? I don't know, she just feels inconsistent to me, and I don't like it. 

You know who I do like, though? Kaburamaru, she’s such a sweet bebe danger noodle. The cutest Demon Slayer and Strongest Hashira (because obviously she’s the Hashira and Obtain is just her transport system. We all know this) 

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Demon Slayer Vol 5 by Koyoharu Gotouge

Rating: 4/5

Review:

I think Vol. 5 is my favorite volume I have, specifically because of the iconic scene. 

You know the one, where Gyui kills the father spider demon, and Inosuke is just standing there like ~sparkle sparkle~ and poor Gyui just isn't ready for this bs yet. He hasn't had enough coffee, and he’s just working, he doesn't need fanboys this early in the evening lol. 

I think it's also eye-opening for Gyui’s character here on why he spared Nezuko. It's not just because she was young in form; he kills Rui easily, even though he looks younger, and he doesn't show the same respect or care towards him that Tangiro does. There's this clear ‘oh’ moment with me for this chapter and Gyui because it shows a lot about his personality and how he carries himself. 

He’s obviously carrying something heavy, which makes him come off as unlikable or even cold to his fellow Slayers, but he sees something in the Kamado siblings that makes him give them a chance. 

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Demon Slayer Vol 4 by Koyoharu Gotouge

Rating: 3.5/5

Review:

he spider mountain arc is the first big ‘boss battle’ that Tanghiro and co. face together. It's definitely one of my favorites for so many reasons. 

The largest one being that Rui is just so cool! The family dynamic and the idea behind it for him is really touching and creates this really interesting narrative about demons and their ‘humanity’. How long does it take for them to lose memories? When do they become cold and fully demonic like Muzan is? Do the ones turned young ever fully lose that? How much does upbringing play into their demonic nature? The spider theme, even though I HATE spiders, is also really cool. I absolutely loved the puppetry motif with the mother and the gentle death she was granted with Tangiro. 

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Demon Slayer Vol 3 by Koyoharu Gotouge

Rating: 3/5

Review:

Muzan’s entrance in vol2 was cool, but I will always love Lady Tamayo and Yushiro so much. Yushiro is such a sassy guy, and it contrasts so funnily with Tamayo’s serene nature. Their appearance in both vol2 and vol3 is amazing, and I'm so excited to see their arcs carry on throughout the series. 

Onto Zenitsu! (because this manga moves FAST!) To me, when Zenitsu and Tangiro first met, it was a real eye-opener to how kind and heartwarming Tangiro actually is. He immediately handles things and calms Zednitsu down, and then manages to get him to go into the mansion to defeat the demon together. His nature really starts to show through to the readers here, in more than just an oh, he’s this nice because the author says so’ way. This becomes clear in vol. 4, more specifically, when we learn that Zenitsu actually knew the whole time about Nezuko being a demon traveling with Tangiro. 

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Demon Slayer Vol 2 by Koyoharu Gotouge

Rating: 3.5/5

Review:

I legitimately forgot how far into the series vol.1 takes you. Tangiro already met Urukodai and passed the final selection and is now a Demon Slayer. Suddenly, he’s on his first mission, and we’re only on vol2 (I love it though!). And somehow, he’s also on his second mission and coming across Muzan. 

This triple demon is actually one of my favorite demons in the whole series. They have a similar ability to both Upper 4 and Upper 5, as well as attitudes similar to Upper 2 and Upper 6’s on women and food. I always thought it was interesting because I saw it as a way to introduce most of the upper 6 moons to the audience without giving anything fully away yet. It's great foreshadowing for the series, too!

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Demon Slayer Vol 1 by Koyoharu Gotouge

Rating: 4/5

Review:

Demon Slayer was one of the first manga that I started collecting when I began watching Anime, and it was also the first one I completed collecting! Now I get to post all my reviews on it, so buckle up because there are 23 books in the main series, 6 in the spinoff, and two extra manga books! 

Vol 1 does such a great job setting the scene for the rest of the manga. It really lays out everything and gives you all the information you need. What demons are, what Demon Slayers are, why Tangiro and Nezuko are special, and the main mission in the story. It's one of the best opening manga/books I have ever read simply because of how well it gets everything across so quickly and concisely. 

As a side note, I absolutely love that you can see Koyoharu Gotouge’s art develop through the series, starting with this book. When we first see characters like Tangiro and Gyui, they look very different from later volumes' versions of them, and it's really fun to go ‘Hey! He changed something!’ while reading. 

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The Watsons, Lady Susan, and Saninton by Jane Austen

Rating: 3.5/5

Review:

Jane Austen is one of the very few romance authors that I'll read, and I am embarrassed to admit that I have never read some of her unpublished works before. 

I really loved the Watsons, and I can see why so many people wanted this to be a full story. It's amazing, I love the character, and I really want to see where things go between Emma and the slowly growing gaggle of men who are vying for her attention (my vote is for Lord Osborne, I don't know why, but their potential relationship speaks to me)

I HATE Lady Susan. Not the story, just the character. As a writer, I love the character because she serves as an inspiration on how to write characters readers will hate. As a reader, I hate her guts; she's just so horrid!!!

Sandinton was fine, I didn't love it or hate it, it was sort of meh for me. 

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The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien

Rating: 5/5

Review:

I have read The Hobbit multiple times, starting in early middle school, and I cannot help but fall in love with it more every time I read it. As per usual, my favorite character is the dragon (even if the aid dragon is technically evil in this book); his final scenes as a fiery beast crashing into the waters of Lake-town are brilliantly written, and I always thought they were so cool (even if it's sad that my dragon died). 

Tolkien is great at making fantasy worlds that are awe-inspiring and totally capture the reader’s attention, but also center on real-world issues and struggles that he and those around him were facing at the time. It's the main reason why I love his work, his story building ties in so much of the real world, but also is so immersive that you can't tell unless you put it down for a little bit. 

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Done with MHA

I have officially read all of the My Hero Academia main series Manga and watched the main anime! All of my reviews and ratings are up, I hope you all enjoyed my reactions and thoughts on the series as much as I enjoyed reading through the series and posting them!