✦. ⊹ ˚ . ꒰ ☘️ MARCH 2026 READING WRAPPED 📚 ꒱ ‧₊˚★
╰┈➤ 𐔌 Read Below for more In-Depth Reviews and thoughts !! ıllı
✦ ‧₊˚ ꒰ 📖 ꒱ ⋮ WHAT I READ & FINISHED
╰┈➤ 𐔌 The Werewolf Boyfriend by Ka.tcomics ⋮ Currently up to date on season one + bonus content (ON GOING SERIES)
. . . I stumbled upon this when I was super sick, demotivated and bored; it was a light but endearing read I finished in a day as my first read of March <3!! I looooved the art style– It's use of colors and the smooth line art really hooked me. I don't tend to read a lot of of slice of life romance stories, so it was a nice change of pace for me! I really enjoyed the characters, particularly the main one, Tia, as I loved her cute design and her portrayal of being a caring person. I also enjoyed Krista and found her especially interesting, I'm hoping to learn a lot more about her and explore her character in the future- I think she might be my favorite <3. I didn't particularly dislike any of the characters within the series– I think this is because I can just tell how loved the characters are by the creator through the panels and how much fun they seem to be having. A lot of darlings <3! However, I do believe this fondness of the love interest, Michael, does effect the narrative slightly. I understand this is early on in the series and that character development- especially when a character is healing and learning to become better, takes time and sometimes there's rough moments in that healing journey– I enjoy that Michael has flaws such as being stubborn and quick to frustrate. I feel as if there aren't many consequences or accountability by the narrative itself though. The story itself shows how Micheal experiences guilt for his lashing out and how it puts people around him at risk, but upon criticism being given to Michael from Krista, it's treated that she's too harsh; not just from the characters, I think the characters having their own opinions and interpretations is interesting and can be a great tool to explore them in depth without saying much through their reactions! But it feels as if the narrative itself constantly reminds the reader how he is troubled rather then letting them form their own opinions on his complexity. I do have hope this series can improve on that in the future though as Micheal begins to change and develop from the character shown in the bonus content.
╰┈➤ 𐔌 Gokurakugai by Yuto Sano ⋮ Read Volumes 2-5 this month + up to chapter 32! (ON GOING)
. . . I discussed many of my feelings during my February wrap, but to recap: I loved the one shot when I had read it initially, and was looking for the serialization, then was very disappointed with the amount of change. I felt as if the series lost a lot of it's charm and what had drawn me to it in the first place. A lot was changed within the serialization that matched modern popular anime– I wouldn't have had a problem with this if it was done out of genuine interest of the author to explore these topics, but it doesn't feel genuinely inspired.. It follows typical tropes with little to no exploration or attempting to bring an interesting take on the tropes. Alma, the male lead, initially was much more playful and street smart– And then.. Was turned into a typical food motivated protagonist with the need to help people, but his need to why he wants to help isn't very explored. And also he's a half demon now. I actually ENJOY Tao's change, it was a bit jarring from her rebellious and chaotic personality before, but knowing her history I do enjoy and believe it makes sense for her to seem much more jaded and serious after all she had gone through. It makes her moments where she is actively involved or the focus compelling; but also, I feel like Tao AND Alma were the leads in the oneshot, and in the serialization it focuses heavily on Alma's perspective.. Which I dislike as he isn't as charming anymore, and it feels as if Tao is being sidelined.. And the change to focus on a male lead rather than a female lead when it's also following more popular trends certainly comes off as.. Something. I wish there was more of Tao and Alma TOGETHER where they'd have individual moments rather it being alma-centric. The pacing of the series is also quite jarring; There isn't much of a smooth transition from scene to scene (especially when the setting changes) and certain scenes come off as awkward and immersion-breaking from unnecessary dialogue.. And just generally, chapters can come off as rushed- I believe the worse of this is Volume 2 where over half the content is not related to the main story and the development between Alma and his love interests- It's very quick and not much is explored of Utsu and Kanata.. HOWEVER, NARRATIVELY, the series flourishes when discussing trauma and abuse the characters have endured. It's written respectfully and has a lot of care put into how the subject is portrayed. I wish for more moments like those truly. Oh also kickass art style and character designs;.. But outside of that, not much of the series feels special or unique anymore.
╰┈➤ 𐔌 The Summer Hikaru Died by Mokumokuren ⋮ Read Volumes 1-4 (ON GOING)
. . . Many, many loved ones of mine recommended the series to me, but I only recently got around to reading it. I have trouble conveying how much I love this series– It's beautiful and I love it's use of metaphors and subtext. It's a hauntingly beautiful yet twisted series that I can't wait to show my thoughts on in the future better as I read more <3.
╰┈➤ 𐔌 After Dark by Al Berg ⋮ Up to Date (ON GOING SERIES - HIATUS)
. . . I discussed this series my February Wrap– The art style truly aids in the story telling of the series, I never seen or understood just how vital an art style is to a story outside of being aesthetically pleasing before this, and it taught me a lot through that. Drew is also an extremely interesting protagonist as an unreliable narrator. Reading it, I felt as if I couldn't entirely trust his perspective, which made me uneasy in a way that wanted me to discover the truth– But also why he interpreted his actions as anything other than what happened. I also adored the series take on werewolves through their designs; they're very stylized and fun, but also uncanny.. Typically a lot of werewolf media goes full cute or full terrifying, but this was a great mixture of the two. My only gripe with the series in the ending of season 2.. I understand it was canceled suddenly which contributed with the rush pacing towards the end, but I did find it rather disappointing as it effected the introduction of a group of characters I'd been looking forward to seeing. I do have hope for when the series comes back this up-coming may though, it'll be better smoothed over and more focused and development will be given to those characters and their relationship with Drew.
╰┈➤ 𐔌 Never A Hero by Vanessa Len ⋮
. . . I was looking forward to the sequal after finishing the first book in the series last February (which I discussed in my reading wrap), and I feel as if the sequel absolutely delivered in every way possible. My favorite aspect of the sequel was being able to explore rhe characters introduced from the first book in more depth-.. But also understanding they aren't necessarily the same characters. Nick is the best example of that, but there's so many little moments sewn into the narrative on how these are different people fundamentally. Even in Joan's case despite the fact she has the recollection of the previous timeline, as she changed as a person fundamentally. The relationship between Nick and Joan is also heartbreaking; I've never been much of a fan of the fated soulmates trope within media as I felt like there's a lack of development into the relationship– But this series has completely shattered my negative perception of the trope. Everything expanded upon in the sequel was compelling; and I can't wait to read the final book in the series. (Also: GORGEOUS COVER ART. Analyzing it after reading the book is so fun!)
╰┈➤ 𐔌 Kaiju No. 8 by Naoya Matsumoto (Volume 1) ⋮
. . . My final read of the month! I expected a gritty, action-heavy manga based on the genre.. But it was much more silly and comedic than I expected which REALLY made it stand out amongst other stories focusing on Kaiju, and made it so much more enjoyable and engaging to read. I giggled a lot reading it! The designs of the Kaiju are amazing, I particularly love Kaiju No. 8's due to how expressive it is. From the design being complex, I expected it to be more stoic but I love the expressions so genuinely. I find the structure of the government and jobs related to Kaiju also quite interesting, and hope to learn more about it in the series! Also, I don't think being 30+ is particularly old.. But it's rare to see a main character around that age in Manga, and I'm happy to see a MC of that age! I can't wait to read more of this series.