生徒会にも穴はある!

(Seitokai ni mo Ana wa Aru!)

Not the usual kind of manga I read, in fact the ecchi name of it made me want to read it even less UNTIL I saw the support behind it. Backstory is that this manga is receiving an anime adaptation soon so there's been lots of news about it on twitter. Saw posts on my for you page and did my usual eye roll at yet another ecchi anime adaptation until I saw the comments. One after the other praising how wonderful the comedy was. I guess it kinda shocked me considering usually people who enjoy these types of anime/manga just focus on the perv aspects of it so seeing 95% of the comments gush about the comedy I was hooked. I notoriously despite japanese humor because i'm pretty autistic and when the humor is usually just "hey look at this cute character breaking our very specific japanese social rules" it just goes right over my head. Gave this manga a shot and was blown away by how funny it was. I get the hype, In fact i'm excited for the anime adaptation. To all skeptics: this one is worth it. Is it ecchi still? yeah, but i found myself oddly enjoying it? I like the characters a lot. Only one I dislike is the pres (I'm really not a fan of the japanese centric archetype of the "perfect girl" where the joke is that she actually is a perv and eats a lot. like yeah.. that's just a normal girl?). She's a let down compaired to how interesting the other characters are and even their romantic moments don't feel natural at all. The premise of this manga is that the main character shares a few romantic moments with each of the characters in their own respects. With all of the other characters, their moments fit around their personalities and feel special to their character. With the pres they kinda just throw her and the main guy into your typical romance anime situations which makes the moment feel forced and more like they're fufilling a trope rather than having an organic moment of connection. This manga is written by a woman and you can tell, all of the female (and male) characters have their own personalities and are so unique. I love komaro so so much it's unbelievable how much I relate to her (unlucky unfortunate girls forever). It's ongoing, and if the main guy gets with the pres by the end I will be so dissapointed but it still can't make me remove this manga from my favorite list... the comedy and characters are just too peak to miss..

わたモテ

(watamote)

This one was to be expected on my list I know. What socially inept person hasn't read watamote? It's like the holy grail for social recluses (me included). Not gonna go too in depth here considering everyone's already heard everything there is about watamote, so i'll just give some opinions. I like it, I know a bunch of people who do not because it made them cringe. I personally like the cringe, it's supposed to make you feel second hand embarassment but I get its not everyones thing. My guilty pleasure is getting to see anime/manga girls act against social norms and just be weird creatures, it's cathartic I guess. Little bit of a spoiler but the manga's been out for so long It feels okay to say. Waaay later in the manga tomoko ends up with a group of female friends she gets to hang out with. I never got that far in the manga because the aspect of her gaining these friends makes me never want to reach that part of the manga. Reading about a lonely tomoko was cathartic, reading about a popular tomoko would leave me sitting there like "man even she got them and I didnt? I must be much worse than her" and I still feel this way. Sometimes I think a character should just keep their negative traits. As much as I enjoy character growth and progression it feels like the character becomes less relatable, less human in a way when they overcome the traits that made them themselves. I found this manga when I was a greasy cringe wolf girl in middleschool and I thought tomoko was a representation of me, I felt like no other character could be so much like me. I would read the manga online on the weekends home from school. Now as an adult I own some of the manga and read the early bits again and still think "how relatable!" at some parts but still get sad that as much as I thought I was tomoko, I didn't grow to get a friend group eventually like she did. The anime is still a good watch and the manga is still an excellent read but if you're someone who can't just fix themselves to gain friends then I wouldn't go too far into the manga, just enjoy the good bits.

ドロヘドロ

(dorohedoro)

Dorohedoro is so good it's in my favorite anime and manga lists. If I had to choose my all time favorite manga, this would be it. The art? Amazingly grungey and dirty. The characters? Best I've ever seen written. The plot(s)? Great, had me on the edge of my seat. Only downside I can see is some people find it's switching from serious to silly too much whiplash to handle. Personally I knew it'd be both from the start. This manga can be serious when it wants to and stupid the next, I love them both. They exist in a world of magic and wackiness, so thus it must ensue! Everyone is very attractive, not sure why but they're nice to look at. Look at their fashion too man it's way too good to pass up. Another case of a female author who writes her characters with actual personality whether male or female, you'll get attached to them all. Finished the manga and i'm waiting for netflix to release it's second season. READ DOROHEDORO!!!! No matter who you are you will enjoy it (unless your mangas need to have cute girls or you're a stickler for the more serious tones). Not many mangas can have you rooting for the "heros" and the "villains" at the same time. Oh, and watch the anime too!

ねねね

(nenene)

Remember how I said in my first manga review that it looks sus but ended up being a gem? Yeah this is the same. Younger girl sold as bride to older man, I know it looks bad! Her father sells her off with the catch that they cannot consummate the marraige until she is of age (20), he agrees. This manga is very similar to the ancient magus' bride, dynamic wise and mystical creatures existing. This manga only has one book and is very short. It caught my eye at a barnes n noble and I gave it a shot. It's a rom-com with only wholesome interactions with a sprinkle of mysticism. I couldn't get into the ancient magus bride because it's a premise that can only go so far before it gets repeptive, to me nenene is the perfect solution. while i wish it was longer, it doesn't over-sell itself and in the short story it is, it plays off pretty well. The art is wonderful, the characters are nothing special but their personalities are easy to like and mesh well together. Hes grumpy and reserved while she strives to be liked by the black cat. If you like light hearted rom-coms that can leave you with a little sparkle in your eye then this is it, a short fix nothing big. I know it's not the best rom out there but it has a special place in my heart and I find myself coming back to read it when I need a little boost.

コープスパーティー

(corpse party)

The infamous corpse party. Yes this is my guilty pleasure. Sometimes I like to see cute things in horrible situations and this is no exception. I loved the game when I was a kid, I replay it time to time, so it was obvious i'd like the manga. It's stupid fun, not something you come to looking for peak writing or characters. It's like watching an old splatter horror movie, you're there for the gore and death. As much as I can excuse to get my horror fix, I would not read any of the mangas that are not in the bloodcovered series, they suspend belief way too much and stray too far from the original premise. I still need a smidge of logic in my horror. First saw this manga also in barnes n noble, went back later to buy it and had probably one of the most awkward social experiences in my life where a worker began to loudly proclaim how gross the book was while she searched it up in their database and began to look through the previews in front of me. Never went back to that barnes n noble again and ended up ordering it online instead. Was it worth it? A little LOL. Read this if you like campy horror, I do!

>先輩がうざい後輩の話

(My Senpai is Annoying)

NGL i only read this because i find the main guy (takeda) so unbelievably fine. Hes like the embodiment of my type. Ended up really enjoying the wonderfully colored panels and personalities of most of the characters (a few of the ones introduced later felt redundant and didnt add much to the story at all). This manga however suffers from 2 romance manga SINS! Sin 1: The mangaka becomes bored or burnt out of the main couple and decides to split focus or shift focus to a side couple that ends up together before the main couple. Sin 2: The mangaka becomes bored or burnt out of the manga and thus ends the romance rushed and/or timeskip making us miss out on key moments. They are a really cute couple, I just wish i couldve seen more of them actually being one? I like the buildup sure but it feels like blue-balling when theres 95% build up and 5% pay off by the end. Do i still recommend this? Yes. Despite my gripes the reality is that almost every romance manga/anime out there is going to most likely suffer from these sins anyways. Plus you get to oogle takeda hehe...

>僕の心のヤバイやつ

(The Dangers in my Heart)

I feel like I say this pretty often but im really not a huge fan of romance anime. Riddled with stupid plots centered around easily explainable misunderstandings and horrible pacing i usually find myself utterly bored to death by them. At first glance i thought this one would be the same. The story follows ichikawa who starts out as a sort of edgy incel set on murdering one of the most popular girls in his school, yamada. Hes creepy and offputting to seemingly everyone but her, over time abandoning his hateful outlook on others in favor for improving himself to become the man yamada deserves to date. its not often a romance anime actually focuses on self improvement and introspection in order to better yourself rather than using love itself or your partner as a way to fill the gaps you lack. The pacing is great and it really feels like steady progress gets made. Ichikawa is so endearing hes relatable and really cute! Yamada seems a little vapid at first but becomes endearing once you get to see the side of her that is thoughtful and eager to move their relationship along. I watched the anime and read the manga but I decided to make the entry in my manga tab since it has less entries but i really suggest you read the manga and watch the anime! its been renewed for a third season too.

こどものじかん

(A Child's Time)

Put aside all of the horrific things you've heard about this manga and read it to make your own opinion. That is the mindset i had when going into this. Im no stranger to "problematic" anime/manga, in fact i commonly seek out these types of IP to consume them for myself to see if theyre really as people say. Its a sort of morbid curiosity were all attracted to. Ive never been one to listen to other peoples opinions but this really is a wonderful example of why you shouldnt either. Kodomo no jikan, to me, was a beautiful story of a girl who lacks parental guidance in her life. She takes out this lack of structure and frustration out on adults, assuming theyre all perverts who only want the worst for children due to her past experiences. She seeks out a relationship with her teacher Aoki. This is where people start to get upset. This is uncomfortable reality. Children who do not have parents will seek out these twisted parental relationships from adults this is a real thing that happens in real life. This is coming from my experience of being one of these children and having crushes on a teacher or two growing up myself. Aoki is the example of the most wonderful adult/teacher that could come of this situation. He blocks her advances at every turn, going above and beyond to understand her situation and guide her through her schooldays/adolesence in the best way that he can. just being there for a child consistently and not giving up on them despite their antisocial behaviors. He even improves the lives of her two friends by giving them the same treatment. Theres a ton of emotion packed into this manga that gets overlooked by some of the awkward or offputting aspects of this situation, which the teacher himself fixes or guides them in a better direction. Does he end up with Rin at the end? Yes. Do i think he did it in the most moral way possible? also yes. (trying not to give spoilers). This story was heartfelt and really meant a lot to me, relatable in a way a lot of people would rather pretend doesnt exist because the human experience is messy at best. I know just saying you like this anime/manga will get you in hot water which some of it is justified I mean the OVA's for this anime are crazy and I really didnt like them either but that doesnt mean we should throw out the entire story. This is one of my favorite artstyles in any manga ive ever read.