Romance – Completed Manga Review

No Good Cupid

Kyousuke Motomi’s debut manga! it was put at the end of Dengeki Daisy, so I thought I’d go ahead and review it, too, since I had it!

(image: https://dengekidaisy.fandom.com/wiki/No_Good_Cupid)

Every post past this point will be a spoiler, so please read ahead with caution!

Review time!

Plot: 1 star. I’m going to say that the plot of this manga is for Matsuda to hit the target. She’s new to Kyudo, and she’s never come close to hitting the target before. Through the oneshot, she does eventually manage it. Now, her reason for joining Kyudo club is to spend time with her crush; it has nothing to do with Kyudo otherwise. Still, his goal for her is that she hit the target, and his training does eventually lead to that goal. And by continuing to train and eventually hit the target, Matsuda does decide to stay in the Kyudo club, so she does end up spending more time around her crush. Definitely one star for plot.

Art: 1/2 star. Honestly, the art is not my favorite… Then again, this is a debut work, and I just finished Dengeki Daisy, so my brain’s trying to make comparisons. … and there’s really not comparison. The art in this is not at the same level as Dengeki Daisy. For that alone, I want to be tough on it, but it came out about eight years before Dengeki Daisy. Kyousuke Motomi’s style has improved tremendously. If I’m being fair, I can understand what each scene is showing me. Everyone is very expressive, and I have no trouble following who’s talking. The art isn’t bad, but there’s definitely room to grow (which Kyousuke Motomi certainly does by Dengeki Daisy). … But I’m still not a fan of the art >.<; I’m sorry, but I’m going to give this half a star.

Story Progression: 1 star. This is a oneshot. There’s really not enough time to get bored, and I learned some things about Kyudo that I hadn’t known before reading this manga. It’s a short and simple story, but I think that it flows well overall. Some of the transitions are jarring, and I’m not very sure about the timing for a lot of things. Time of day is not well portrayed in this story… I have trouble telling when practice ends and begins, and I’m not sure how many days actually pass in this story. But the story itself is well told even if the art does not always keep up with the flow of time.

Genre: 1/2 star. Somehow, this manga doesn’t have a genre given to it (in the limited research I did for it). It’s such an unknown, short, debut comic that most sites didn’t recognize it. The few references I found only cited that it was Kyousuke Motomi’s debut comic and that it’s featured at the end of the Dengeki Daisy series… which I already knew. I would give this a romance or school life genre. Clearly, it has a genre, but since the internet has failed to assign one, I can only give it half a star.

**EDIT** (4/3/20) Sports is also a valid genre. I would classify this as a romance/sport genre.

Enjoyment: 1/2 star. This manga’s alright. It is a debut manga; it feels and looks like a debut manga. The art’s alright, and the plot’s simple; not the mention the flat and over-exaggerated characters. Unfortunately, this manga was placed at the end of Dengeki Daisy which was fantastic to read with deep characters, incredible plot lines, and beautiful art. By comparison, No Good Cupid just falls short in every category. It’s not that it’s bad, but after a masterpiece, any other story even remotely related would have to be on its same level or else it’ll get worse reviews. No Good Cupid definitely gets worse reviews from me. Sorry, Kyousuke Motomi >.<;; she wrote that she hoped readers would see similar themes in both works, but I really can’t see it -other than female lead with mildly/excessively abusive male love interest set loosely at a high school. But protagonists have very different values and personalities; love interests have very different motivations and personalities, and other than what I state above, I have trouble seeing how they’re the same. Their similarities could be applied to thousands of series (again, sorry, Kyousuke Motomi; I really love your work! Honestly, I’ve loved to watch your journey as a mangaka through these works. You’ve grown so much, and it shows so well!) But being honest, as a stand alone work, I did not exceptionally enjoy this manga. It wasn’t bad, but I can only give it half a star.

And that’s it! To read my full review, then please click here.

Dengeki Daisy

I’m trying something new to select manga. I put everything recommended to me or that interested me in a list and used a random number generator to decide!

And the winner is….! *drumroll* Dengeki Daisy!

Dengeki Daisy

(image: https://www.google.com/search?source=hp&ei=hT9fXeysIfK1ggeEr7-QDQ&q=dengeki+daisy&oq=dengeki+daisy&gs_l=psy-ab.3..0l10.314.2465..2706…0.0..0.129.1467.0j13……0….1..gws-wiz…….0i131j0i10.Lmn75bT-9YU&ved=0ahUKEwisg4746ZfkAhXymuAKHYTXD9IQ4dUDCAc&uact=5)

I actually own this one (that’s how it made the list) xD I’ll try to stay impartial, but spoiler alert, I really liked this series! Not sure how it’ll rate because it’s been a few years since I’ve read it, but we’ll find out together!

The back cover reads:
“After orphan Teru Kurebayashi loses her beloved older brother, she finds solace in the messages she exchanges with DAISY, an enigmatic figure who can only be reached through the cell phone her brother left her. Meanwhile, mysterious Tasuku Kurosaki always seems to be around whenever Teru needs help. Could DAISY be a lot closer than Teru thinks?
One day at school, Teru accidentally breaks a window and agrees to pay for it by helping Kurosaki with chores around school. Kurosaki is an impossible taskmaster though, and he also seems to be hiding something important from Teru…”

Every post past this point will be a spoiler, so please read ahead with caution!

Review time!

4.5 stars

Plot: 1 star. This is a somewhat long manga, spanning 16 volumes, 75 chapters, and at least six specials. And yet somehow, its plot is… hard to identify… At first, it’s Teru’s bullying, but that gets resolved before the end of volume one. Then there’s the mystery of Daisy and the possibility that Teru’s brother left her some sort of amazing program -but these are only plot points to other characters; Teru herself doesn’t care and doesn’t pursue these. It’s only after these are resolved that Akira comes into play which lasts for the rest of the series. The series encompasses one high school girl who gets bullied to a plot that involves several governments and countries, resulting in many deaths, and then it ends with the girl still in high school. Most of the plot happens around Teru, but she is not directly involved until she gets a personal investment in Akira. I’m going to give this a star because it does eventually get a plot and that plot is resolved, but… just know that it’s a very shaky one star.

Art: 1 star. I love the art in this manga. The shading is great, the expressions are top notch, and all the characters are unique and diverse. The action sequences are phenomenal, the movements are fluid and understandable, and as the volumes go on, the art only continues to improve.

Story Progression: 1 star. This one is a bit hard, as well. The story flows really well, despite the lack of a singular plot point, and I have no trouble keeping up with whatever is going on at any given time. The only part I have trouble with is the ending xD I enjoy the ending, but by the time everything is happening, I’ve become so invested in the characters and story that I can’t put the series down! This is only at the end, though, so it’s not happening for an extremely long time. I’m going to give this one star since it still feels like a healthy balance for the story. Having the series end with the special chapters really does soften the blow of having the series end, too, so I’m going to add that in favor of the story progression.

Genre: 1/2 star. The listed genre is romance, and this manga certainly has that. The main couple is definitely a slow burn, but the dynamic and chemistry are there from the start. The main character’s ship for her friends even manages to sail, and a background couple gets together, as well! Love is definitely in the air xD There’s a bit of comedy and school life, and definitely some drama. Because of the darker moments and the sheer scale that the plot reaches, I feel like drama should be included in the genre list, as well, but romance does cover the main pair’s interactions. This is another tough one to determine, but I’m going to have to give this a half star. There’s so much more going on in this manga than just romance. Because of the depth of the plot, I feel like romance simply isn’t enough for the genre.

Enjoyment: 1 star. This is one of my all time favorite manga. Even if the plot does get pretty intense, the characters are phenomenally written, and each interaction is a joy to read. I love the author’s notes and the special chapters. I love how sucked into the story I get every time I read it. I like the progression of the story and how the pressure slowly builds until it’s life or death. I like the twists and turns that the mystery of Soichiro creates, and I especially LOVE his interaction with Antler and how that changed my entire perception of Antler! I love the character histories and how everyone’s woven together. I love their passion and love for a man who cherished them just as deeply. I love seeing the new generation of friends through Teru and her classmates. I know her brother was so proud of her, and honestly, I am, too ❤

I know I couldn’t give this series 5 stars, but I do still highly recommend it (unofficially)! Thanks so much for reading with me, and if you would like to check out my full review, then please click here.

Kamisama Hajimemashita

I used to read this years ago when it was still ongoing, and this past week, a friend mentioned that it was finally completed. I didn’t intend to do another shoujo, but I used to love this series! I wanna know how it ends!! So, here we go!

Kamisama Hajimemashita (image from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamisama_Kiss)

I don’t own this manga, so I will be reading fan translations online.

Every post past this point will be a spoiler, so please read ahead with caution!

Review time!

4 stars

Plot: 1/2 star. I thought the plot for this manga was Nanami becoming a strong land god, with her developing relationship with Tomoe being secondary. After the Izumo conference ended, though, all her land god training seemed to stop, and the focus of the story became almost exclusively about her and Tomoe’s relationship. Other things happened, sure, but that was the main focus for the entire story. The entire land god plot line seems like it got left behind and forgotten. The story of Nanami and Tomoe’s relationship did get told, though, so I will give this half a star.

Art: 1 star. I love the art in this. It’s a bit shaky at the start of the story, but most series tend to be that way. I love everyone’s expressions (Tomoe’s expression when he sees Nanami in chapter 108 was so heartbreaking; it conveyed so much unguarded emotion, and it still touches me to my core! There’re so many incredible expressions throughout this manga, but I had to point that one out specifically). The transitions are easy to follow, and all the character designs are eye catching. The difference in demons, and all the little background characters are so fun to look at, too!

Story Progression: 1 star. I think this story progressed well. There weren’t any slow parts, really, and though things kept happening, it didn’t feel too busy. I loved reading this because there was always something new going on; I even took a day off work just to finish this manga xD Despite everything going on, it didn’t feel overly busy. Each new event was its own story element that made sense and built my interest rather than overwhelming me. There were some lore and character interactions that bothered me, but those never hindered the story. I’ll talk about those more when I go over the Enjoyment section.
Genre: 1 star. This manga is definitely romance (comedy) and supernatural. Supernatural could be replaced with fantasy, but I think they’re fairly interchangeable here. A lot of the scenes are little comedic moments, so that definitely seems to fit.
Enjoyment: 1/2 star. I hate to give this only half of a star. I LOVED reading this series; I was obsessed with it while I was reading it! But… I ran into some translation problems at the end that really made a lot of things not make sense. Unfortunately (possibly) because of that, the ending didn’t sit well with me. I did cry during the wedding! It was beautiful and seeing everyone again was a delight! But when it was all said in done, I just sat back and went… huh. (rants are about to happen)
Why did Tomoe and Nanami have to leave the shrine? As plain humans, they can’t be in the demon’s world -aka, the mystical world of the shrine. Okay, I can live with that. So, why did they go back after only 10 years? I thought their promised return would be at the end of their lives where they came to make an offering and there’d be this heartbreaking reunion for Mizuki, or even to pray for their child’s impending marriage, or you know, little moments like that! But instead they can come back after just 10 years and stay indefinitely? Then what was the point of them leaving?! They’d be -at most- in their 30s; they have a lot of life left as humans! And what was the deal with Mizuki and Mamoru? As a plain human, Mizuki couldn’t stay Nanami’s familiar, right? Or did he? Could he, why or why not? Did he ever make a contract with Mikage? And Mamoru! I thought he was going to become a plain monkey, but I didn’t see him in the human world. Did I overlook him? Would he return to being a shikigami back at the shrine?
Also, Akura-ou. I loved that he became a little girl; that’s a disturbingly good fit for him personality wise xD But I thought the deal was that his soul would rest within Ako until more potion fell in 100 years, and then he could be re-incarnated. Or did they use the last 2 drops of potion to re-incarnate him early? I thought Izanami wanted to wait for some reason?
And can we talk about the endings for other characters? What was Ami’s life? Did Kurama go to get her soul at the end as he promised? Would she even still remember him? What was her life like? And speaking of Kurama! If tengu are supposed to stay celibate on the mountain and there are only men, how did Kurama’s father have him? How are children born?! And Himemiko and Kotarou! I want to know their story!! Did she have the baby? What did the baby look like? Was Kotarou allowed to just stay as a human in her swamp with her? Was there some kind of revolt?
And back to Mikage shrine, did visitors ever come back? We literally only saw 1 during the entire manga, and her back went out by chapter 15 (I think).
And can I finally talk about Furball? Why in blue blazes did he ever tell TOMOE that Akura-ou was off to kill Yukiji? I understand why he told Akura-ou where to find Yukiji; that was his assignment, but why did he then tell Tomoe that Akura-ou was finally moving? And on the mountain of fire (this might’ve been translation errors), why did Yatori -after getting Akura-ou’s body- offer it to Tomoe? His 500 year goal, thrown away in an instant. Was he trying to trick Tomoe? Did he really only care about the body and not the person of Akura-ou? Then why try to give it away!? Everything about Furball bothered me, honestly. How could he say he never talked or spoke up, but then he’s literally the driving force behind Akura-ou and Tomoe’s split, leading to Yukiji’s death, Akura-ou’s death, and almost Tomoe’s death. But no one recognizes him as the “mask” on Yatori? He seems like the follower Akura-ou talked with the most (Tomoe wasn’t a follower), who lived the longest, and came back the most, but Akura-ou doesn’t remember him?
The army of the war god didn’t do anything at the mountain. I don’t think they were ever even drawn. Kuromaro sewed Nanami and Tomoe’s past together -which was incredible-, and she faded away after her contract was complete, as she said she would. So, why didn’t she pass on? What was the point in bringing her back at the end? I would’ve loved if she and Ookuninushi could’ve formed some sort of relationship, or if she at least agreed to become a god again. (Also), she decided to step down from being a god (didn’t get cast out, literally just decided to stop being a god) because she felt too separated from mortals? So instead she stayed secluded, bringing death and darkness to the area of any who called on her, and only managed to bring 1 fate together, and then came back even lonelier? Loneliness seems like a very recurring theme in this manga, but in Kuromaro’s case, it just didn’t make sense to me. It was tragic almost to the point of being over exaggerated.

There were just a lot of unanswered questions or things that didn’t make much sense to me. I’m sorry if my questions have upset anyone else, but this world was so amazingly crafted in the beginning, and it just felt so unfulfilling to see so many things left unexplored or unexplained.

Because of all this, I clearly can’t put this manga on the Recommended list, but I enjoyed it all the same, and I liked the lore and world building. I think the time travel stuff was handled well, and I enjoyed the flip flopping to the past. I think this story may’ve gotten away from the mangaka, but if they make more manga, I’ll definitely look it up someday =)

To read the start of my full review, please click here.

Hibi Chouchou

Hibi Chouchou (image from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hibi_Ch%C5%8Dch%C5%8D)

I decided it was time to read some shoujo; it’s been a while, and this one caught my eye. I didn’t intend to read a long one, but the art looks cool, so here we go!

Every post past this point will be a spoiler, so please read ahead with caution!

Review time!

Plot: 1 star. The plot for this series seems fairly simple. The main girl, Shibazeki Suiren, wants to get to know Kawasumi, the only guy at school who isn’t falling over himself whenever she enters the room. The story mostly follows the development of their relationship. Sub-plots do show up such as karate tournaments or even different characters getting relationships and even Suiren working hard to come out of her shell, but none of these sub-plots seems like the main plot. They happen in the background, and there’s no real consequence or even drive for these plots to be accomplished. The final fight between Kawasumi and Atohira doesn’t even show us who won; not every character gets into an established relationship by the end; and Suiren doesn’t seem to have a significant change in her life by her strives to be more extroverted. Overall, I think the story does stick to its plot since we do see the progression of Suiren and Kawasumi’s relationship. The manga does a good job of focusing on this relationship instead of getting side-tracked by other characters and sub-plots.

Art: 1 star. This art style is so cute! It’s soft and airy, and the lines are very clean and thin. The use of shadows and textures was nice and helped with the dynamics of the different scenes. Even though Suiren didn’t talk much, I was able to see how she felt about different characters by her reactions and expressions. Every movement, action, and reaction was very easy to follow.

Story Progression: 1 star. Honestly, I really enjoyed the writing. There were times when I would read a chapter and not much seemed to happen, but when I’d go to write about it, I’d end up writing a lot xD This manga is very subtle with its writing and story telling, but somehow, all those subtle, little moments ended up meaning a lot to me and showing me the deeper side to these characters. As you can see from my full reviews, I’d read 20-30 chapters at a time because I wanted to know what would happen next. This wasn’t because there was so much going on, but simply that the current story thread was leading me to continue reading! There are not many distractions in this manga -which I enjoyed-, so whatever was going on became the main focus of the characters and me as a reader. I became invested because they were invested, and it was a really wonderful journey.

Genre: 1 star. Shoujo, romance, and slice of life definitely cover this manga. I am not sure if school life and slice of life are different; I have a feeling that it depends on the site you’re reading from. I would say those are the same since school life is still part of slice of life (when you’re a high school student, school is your life; it makes sense to me). Really, I can’t think of any other genres that would describe this manga better. Your main character is a girl who falls in love at school, and the rest of the manga follows her time in high school; if that’s not shoujo, romance, slice of life, I’m not sure what is xD

Enjoyment: 1 star. I was surprised how much I loved this manga and these characters. Honestly, I had been looking for an over-the-top shoujo so that I would stop giving everything 5 stars, but I found this jewel instead, and I am so thankful ❤ Seeing this sweet, gentle love story was incredibly refreshing ❤ I loved how adorable and sweet and awkward Suiren and Kawasumi were together xD ❤ I like how hard Suiren worked to grow the relationship, and I loved when Kawasumi finally realized he needed to put work in, too! ❤ I liked how the focus wasn’t always about the love story. I also liked how subtle each chapter and character was. I liked that everything took time, and that the characters had to figure out their flaws and strategies to better themselves and their lives. I liked the slice of life, daily challenges and struggles felt by high school students. I liked the friendships and relationships and how those grew and changed over time.

This story has reached and/or surpassed my criteria, so it has earned 5 stars!
I definitely recommend this manga to anyone who is looking for something sweet, refreshing, and adorable ❤

To read my full review, please click here.