Input: [Read all▲▼] Ugly Duckling's Love Revolution (manga) [Comment▲▼] This is based on an otome game, so I wasn't expecting much, but it still turned out to be garbage. Hitomi is fat and surrounded by a gaggle of handsome guys who help her with dieting and stuff. The characters are flatter than cardboard and poor Hitomi doesn't even have a face. Nope, she's only given a face in the very last chapter, when she's skinny. The series seemed to have been written by one with an uninformed view on weight loss, as if all fat people are just lazy gluttons. Combined with the fact that Hitomi only gains a face when she's skinny sends a poor message. I'm not even fat and I found this series borderline offensive. Even ignoring that, the manga is duller than dishwater. All the standard high school events: the sports fest, the class trip, culture fest, pool episode, part time job, etc, are used as a backdrop for this thing. As a result, the writing is as tired as they come, with not a single whiff of originality. My verdict: Absolute crap! I wish I wouldn't have wasted my money on this terrible manga. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Bad

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Input: [Read all▲▼] (The) Tyrant Falls in Love (manga) [Comment▲▼] It took a couple of volumes for me to get into this one. Morinaga has a longstanding crush on his upperclassman, except his crush hates gays and is firmly in the closet. It was hard to take Souichi as he is so unpleasant I couldn't see why Morinaga liked him at all. As the story progressed, it is clear that he is a prickly, mean tsundere character type and really does have feelings for Morinaga, but getting him to admit it is like pulling teeth. I guess if the relationship hadn't been so one sided, the story would have been over quickly, but it was just a little frustrating to read. Overall I liked it though. Also on the plus side, Takanaga's art didn't stray into that super girly uke territory, as both characters were drawn in the same size/way. I prefer that. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Two of Hearts (manga) [Comment▲▼] The only other Kano Miyamoto I've read so far was the excellent "Lovers and Souls". While not quite as good as LaS, Two of Hearts was still very good. The characters were interesting and likeable and I enjoyed their romance. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Very good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Twin Spica (manga) [Comment▲▼] This series begins with a girl who has a dream of going into space and enters an astronaut training school. It actually is mostly about her and her friends and the bonds they form. It is very well written, emotional with out feeling overwrought. I would have preferred more actual space, but I enjoyed the series regardless. The art wasn't really to my tastes, as everyone looks much younger and rounder, but it didn't detract from the story. So, in the end I liked this, but I wasn't blown away by it. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Truly Kindly (manga) [Comment▲▼] I found this to be well written and thought provoking if not always pleasant to read. The title story in particular is the one I'm refering to. I quite liked both of the historical pieces at the end. Yoshinagas art is quite suited to that particular setting in my opinion. All in all, the collection was pretty good. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Tramps Like Us (manga) [Comment▲▼] What a great love story this was! I couldn't stop reading it until the end. The art was fairly good, nothing spectacular, but the story was so compelling and the characters felt so human. It was refreshing to read about characters who were not high school age for once. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Excellent

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Input: [Read all▲▼] TRAIN+TRAIN (manga) [Comment▲▼] "Meh" was my reaction. The premise of this takes place in a future planet with special "school trains". A girl named Arena wants to board the special train and ends up dragging an average boy named Reiichi with her. The engage in adventures along the way while both characters grow up a bit. The End. The plot was somewhat entertaining but ultimately nothing special. The art was not the best. It sorta had a generic anime style to it, except faces tended to look wonky as hell. So, to sum it up: "Meh". [Rating▲▼]

Output: Decent

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Town of Evening Calm, Country of Cherry Blossoms (manga) [Comment▲▼] This is a very short slice of life manga dealing with Hiroshima victims. The first stroy takes place 10 years after the bombing and deals with a family experiencing the more recent aftermath. The second piece takes place in the present day and follows the brother of the heroine in the first story. He was sent away as a child to protect him from the aftermath and he's now an old man. His daughter follows him on a day trip to Hiroshima. This was a very good book, if sad in a few parts. The whole thing had a sort of quiet, melancholic tone. The art is not your typical "manga" art either, instead looking a bit more alternative, like a european comic. It's nice every now and then to take a break from the same old manga plots and tropes and read something entirely different. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Very good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Tough Love Baby (manga) [Comment▲▼] This one shot didn't have the cracktastic quality of Shiuko Kano's other works, and suffers a little from the lack. It's a little bland and forgettable in comparison. On the other hand, I still found it entertaining and readable. There are a couple of female characters in this, and they're not evil wenches. The "I like you" part of the story is dealt with right in the beginning, so most of the story is focused on the more interesting aspect of defining the relationship. Kano's art is also a plus; she has a sharper more masculine style that I really like. So, while not as enjoyable as Kano's other series, I'm not disappointed. I like her work and hope more gets released here. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Totally Captivated (manhwa) [Comment▲▼] This was a different sort of yaoi manga. Unlike in many, the relationship develops over all 6 volumes. It's not love at first sight, a common plot device in yaoi, and I appreciated the actual character development. It was non-explicit also, which fit well with the more plot and character based approach of this manga as opposed to the titillation factor which is the point of many stories in the genre. I like titillation and all, but sometimes I want to read a story with some actual meat. Totally Captivated delivers on this and that's why it's one of my new favorites. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Excellent

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Total Surrender (manga) [Comment▲▼] Here is yet another ho-hum anthology. The stories all followed the same pattern: the set-up, followed by the confession and concluding with a love scene. They were the epitome of shallow: ultra short and totally forgettable. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Not really good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Tonight's Take-Out Night (manga) [Comment▲▼] This is an anthology and the second book I've read by Akira Minazuki. While not quite as good as This Night's Everything, it was still a good read. The first story, about a fast food manager and a guy who works at the restaurant's main office was cute without being cutesy. I particularly liked the second story, about an inhuman snow spirit that steals warmth and life from humans, who falls in love with a man and becomes human himself. The last story about a sculptor and his apprentice was pretty forgettable though. Minazuki's delicate watercolor-like art style is used to full effect in this book. I really like her style and anthologies are not my favorite reading, this one was decent. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Decent

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Tomorrow's Ulterior Motives (manga) [Comment▲▼] This is the sequel to "Today's Ulterior Motives". Like the prequel, it's pretty much plotless, with paper thin characterization. I found it tired, predictable and boring. [Rating▲▼]

Output: So-so

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Tokyo Boys & Girls (manga) [Comment▲▼] I read had read and really enjoyed Aihara's other work, Hot Gimmick, before picking up this story. I liked this one as well. The characters were a little less neurotic, which was both a good and a bad thing. Good because I hate stupidity, but bad because without it, the story is rather shallow. The art is a little rougher in this story as well. I have come to realize that I like shorter, more compact stories, and this one is a perfect length, wrapping up in just 5 volumes. On the whole, I thought this was a very good high school romance. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Very good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Togari (manga) [Comment▲▼] I found the first volume of Togari to be interesting. Tobei is a murderer and has been in hell for 300 years. In order to be free, he must collect sins called Toga with his magical wooden sword, Togari. The series appeared to show promise, but quickly went downhill. The battles ceased to be interesting and degenerated into a repetitive mess of Tobei hunting down criminals and defeating their Toga. The ending was a joke as well, since nothing is resolved. The only positve to the series was the character development for Tobei. He starts off as a pretty bad dude but later develops some compassion as he's changed by the people he meets in the human realm. In the end, I was really disappointed in this series, as I was really hoping for more. [Rating▲▼]

Output: So-so

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Today's Ulterior Motives (manga) [Comment▲▼] I found this to readable and entertaining, but not very good. The "plot" was extremely shallow. The art was fairly standard for the genre, not standing out in any way. The characters were pretty 2-dimensional. The humor was hit-or-miss. So, why was I still entertained? There was a lot of sex. It kept me from falling asleep, but just barely. [Rating▲▼]

Output: So-so

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Time Lag (manga) [Comment▲▼] Here is yet another high school based BL romance. This one features a big misunderstanding and a love triangle. The story took up the entire book, so it was able to be a bit more fleshed out than most one shot stories or the short collections. The plot was somewhat decent and I was entertained. Odagiri's art is not to my tastes however. It's just sort of "generic shojo/BL" with it's airy lines and the super pretty femmey looking dudes. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Three Wolves Mountain (manga) [Comment▲▼] Werewolf yaoi, huh? Well, it certainly is different, but it's very shallow. There are lots of elements, such as the werewolves, the man living alone who guards the graveyard, the spirit possessions and etc., that are just thrown in there with no explanation. The book is seriously lacking depth to the point that I had a hard time caring about the characters. It is well drawn though, I'll give it that. [Rating▲▼]

Output: So-so

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Threads of Time (manhwa) [Rating▲▼]

Output: Good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] This Night's Everything (manga) [Comment▲▼] This is the first book I've read from this mangaka, but it won't be the last. Naono is an assassin for some sort of secret agency and is handed a new recruit, Aoi. Now, the world building in this is a little murky. I gathered that there was some war and in the aftermath, Naono is recruited by a man known as the Professor, but I couldn't get a sense of the time or the place. The atmosphere and characterization are where this book shines. The characters behave in ways that make sense and the feelings expressed felt real and not contrived. It had a dark melancholy tone to it that was emphasized the the soft watercolor style art. The cover is beautiful. I really enjoyed this one. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Thirsty for Love (manga) [Comment▲▼] This is a rather serious story about a boy who discovers he is sharing his girlfriend with two other guys. They form a strange love quadrangle and eventually seek comfort form each other when the girl dies from leukemia. It's not a happy story, but I liked it. Yukine Honami's art is nice too. The relationships in this story are really messed up though. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Then Comes Love (manga) [Comment▲▼] Here is a kind of generic romance about a couple of college aged guys. They are friends and one is in live with the other. Actually, both are in love with each other but neither bother to communicate. If they had, this story would have been over is a chapter. The art is as generic as the story, sort of standard and forgettable. The book wasn't bad, but it's the sort of thing you read and forget the next day. [Rating▲▼]

Output: So-so

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Input: [Read all▲▼] That Was Good (manga) [Comment▲▼] The only CJ Michalski book I've read before this was the lackluster "Delivery Cupid", so I kept my expectations low for this one. Suprisingly, this book was actaully pretty good. The first story involves and man hired to be a live in housekeeper to a single dad and his son. It's kind of a typical romance novel style plot and even involves the dreaded "big misunderstanding" trope. Despite that, I still found it an entertaining read. My favorite was the second story, about the popular guy who immediately falls for the nerdy otaku boy. The comedy in this book was a hit for me. I'm glad I gave this book a chance as I did like it. It's nothing groundbreaking, just a solid fun read. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Testarotho (manga) [Comment▲▼] I am not the target audience for this manga, yet despite the cheesy fanservice, I still enjoyed it. The underlying story about warring religious factions set in a psuedo-Italian fantasy world was interesting. The lead female character was of the useless variety who existed to have her clothes shredded and get rescued, but I found her easy enough to ignore. Leonedas was far more interesting and carried the story. Unfortunately, the series got cancelled and Sanbe had to wrap it up prematurely. The ending pretty much sucks and doesn't resolve anything. I enjoyed the 4 volumes that were released, but I wonder where it would have gone if Sanbe had been able to write the story in its entirety. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Tesoro - Ono Natsume Shoki Tanpenshū 1998–2008 (manga) [Comment▲▼] This is a collection of short stories by Natsume Ono (House of Five Leaves, Ristorante Paradiso). Most of the stories were too short to even make an impression. The were a couple that I quite liked though; One of the Bento stories about the single dad making his son's lunch was really sweet and I also liked the story about the parentless woman who made up lies to fill the void left by her situation. The rest of the book was "meh". [Rating▲▼]

Output: Decent

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Tenshi Ja Nai!! (manga by Shigematsu) [Comment▲▼] I've encountered the crossdressing theme a few times in manga now. It's not actually believable that Izumi could pass for a girl, no dude is that pretty, but even so I still enjoyed the story. I especially liked the character designs and the details in the clothing. I like fashion, so seeing all the different outfits was fun. This is one of the very first manga series I ever read and it's been years. I just tried to revisit it and unfortunately it has not held up well. The premise is ridiculous. Izumi is a cross dressing guy attending an all girls school, who is eventually found out by his roommate. He takes a naked pic of her and blackmails her with it to keep her silence, and I'm supposed to be rooting for a romance between these two? No thanks. The art is rough as hell too. It looks like I can let this series go and clear some space on my shelves. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Very good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] TenRyu: The Dragon Cycle (manga) [Comment▲▼] This was a mediocre fantasy yarn set in a pseudo medieval china type land. These are a dime a dozen. In this one, some shape shifting dragons must defeat an evil dragon and save their land. Sounds cliche, and it is, but it's somewhat entertaining and I like Sanami Matoh's art. Some of the action scenes got a little messy, but her characters are well drawn. This series was drawn over a number of years, so it was interesting seeing the progression of her art style. While the plot was nothing to write home about, it was a short and undemanding read to pass a couple of hours with. Overall, I enjoyed it. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Decent

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Temperature Rising (manga) [Comment▲▼] This is a sequel to "Happiness Recommended", about the orphan boys living in the house and the landlord's twin sons. This book follows the younger orphan boy and his compensated dating deal with one of the twins. In reality, the money is used as an excuse for both to sleep together without admitting their feelings, and by the end they decide to date for real. Of all the Souya Himawari manga I've read, this one is my favorite. She takes the time to explore their relationship and emotions a bit, which I would rather read than some hum drum anthology. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Decent

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Tea for Two (manga) [Comment▲▼] I was disappointed by this manga. I quite liked the other work I read by this mangaka, "Hey ,Sensei!" so I was expecting more from this. Sakuragi's art is just as good, but the characters in Tea for Two felt a little flat, as did the plot. Perhaps this was a case of my expectations just being too high. It wasn't a bad manga, I was entertained at least. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Decent

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Tanpenshu (manga) [Comment▲▼] This was an excellent collection of short stories. They were very well written, and I enjoyed most of them. A few were very bleak and violent: "The Girl, the Crows, and the Yakuza", "The Platform", and Because You're a Cute Girl" in particular. "High School Girl", about Endo's midlife crisis was amusing. Of the stories, I'd say "The Platform" and the one about the college theater troupe were my favorite. The were also two of the longer stories and I felt were better developed. I must admit I really didn't get "Hang", the first story in the second volume. It seemed like a pointless smutfest, although it was well drawn (that's ok, I like smut too). The last one, "Boys Don't Cry", seemed promising but was way too short at only a few pages long. Endo's art is excellent as well. It's very detailed and expressive and I think is particularly suited to depicting dark and violent works. After reading this, I can't wait for Dark Horse to finish releasing "Eden" so I can read that too all in one go. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Excellent

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Tale of the Waning Moon (manga) [Comment▲▼] Ryuka wishes for true love on a hilltop and meets the moon spirit Ixto who cast a spell on him. Ryuka than goes on a quest to find him again. This is a fantasy BL with a bit of an RPG influence. There's even a "hint guy" to provide the hero with clues. It's very silly and not to be taken seriously. It's also very shallow in the characterization department. I'd say the series is just fun, silly eye candy fluff, with no substance whatsoever. It was entertaining though. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Decent

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Takeru: Opera Susanoh Sword of the Devil (manga Karakarakemuri) [Comment▲▼] This is a four volume fantasy story based on a play (I think). Three young men are on a search for a legendary sword in a land at war. The story is fast paced yet not rushed. The art is beautiful, clean and attractive, with good detail but not so much that it obscures the action. The characters are pretty shallow, but I can more forgiving of such things in a plot driven story like this. Overall, its was a fairly good series for what it was, a short but sweet fantasy romp. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Take Me To Heaven (manga) [Comment▲▼] This is about a boy who can see ghosts and his neighbor, the son of the local shrine priest. There isn't much to it other than that. The boy needs saving from the ghosts now and then and his friend comes running. Nase Yamato's art is not to my tastes at all either, super girly ukes and generally generic character designs. The writing in this one was pretty generic too. It will be forgotten in an instant. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Weak

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Tail of the Moon (manga) [Comment▲▼] I quite enjoyed this manga. For one, I loved this historical setting. It was a nice change of pace from the mountain of school based shoujo out there. I liked the characters quite a bit, particlarly Usagi who was sort of a lovable idiot type. Usagi is an inept ninja and her goal is to marry Hanzo, an elite ninja. This was funny at first but after five volumes began to wear a little thin. Everything Usagi does is in order to please Hanzo, whether it's ninja training, housework training, or losing weight (ugh! I just threw up a little). Fortunately, Ueda keeps the plot moving and some actual character development begins to happen for Usagi in book 12. The rest of the characters are interesting as well and Ueda can draw the hell out of a shirtless man. Overall, while occasionally suffering from flaws, this was a fun and entertaining shoujo. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Very good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Tableau Numéro 20 (manga) [Comment▲▼] This is a collection of 4 shorts: the titles story about an art restorer and a painting that comes to life, the second about a couple of friends in which one has hidden feelings, the third about a flamenco dancer, and the last about a couple of old men in which one has Alzheimer's. These are all pretty good in that they are different and manage to be expressive with a short page count. Est em's art contributes with detailed distinctive face and well drawn emotion. I wish they were longer though. I feel I need a longer story to really immerse myself in. I wish Est em would tackle a series. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Sweet Revolution (manga) [Comment▲▼] I found Sweet Revolution to be a rather bland offering in the vast sea of boy's love titles. Characterization was flimsy and the plot was nonsensical, which makes for a bretty boring read. With a boring title, you'd hope there would a least a little fanservice to keep me from falling asleep, but nope, it's practically nonexistant here. In conclusion, Sweet Revolution is utterly forgettable. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Not really good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Sweet Regard (manga) [Comment▲▼] This one volume story is about a relationship between a man and his dead sisters husband. The dreaded "forced seduction" trope is dusted off and used liberally here. The guy initially isn't into it and has nightmares about his dead sister. The whole book is basically him letting go and allowing himself to be happy. It could have been good, if not for the rape, generic art, and flimsy characterization. As it is, it's just barely passable. [Rating▲▼]

Output: So-so

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Input: [Read all▲▼] (The) Super Cool Life of Strawberry Chan (manga) [Comment▲▼] This is the continuation of "The Gorgeous Life of Starwberry Chan". I found this one to be slightly better, since I had a whole volume to grow accustomed to the characters and humor. Overall though, while I like Morinaga's humor, this didn't do much for me. Strawberry Chan is not her strongest work. I much prefer "You and My Secret" and "Duck Prince". [Rating▲▼]

Output: So-so

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Sunflower (manga) [Comment▲▼] This is the sequel to "Ordinary Crush" and "Freefall Romance". After reading the whole series one day, I've become a fan of Hyouta Fujiyama's style. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Sundome (manga) [Comment▲▼] This manga is a lot better than the premise indicates. This is not a simple fanservice manga. Hideki and new transfer student Kurumi form a sort of master/servant relationship that turns out to be a lot deeper than expected. Not just Hideki and Kuriumi, but also secondary characters Kyoko and "fish lips" are given some depth. My only complaint with it is the rushed and somewhat ambiguous ending. The time skip is a little abrupt and the events happening before the time skip just sort of end without ending. Other than that, I was surprised at how much I liked this series as I really enjoyed it. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Excellent

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Sugar Sugar Rune (manga) [Comment▲▼] Wow! I was beginning to get a little tired of shoujo manga, as it all started to seem a little too "same-y", and then I read this little gem. It's simple and fun and doesn't take itself seriously, with names like "Queen Candy" and "Vanilla Ice", chocolate rainshowers, and "pee pee" color hearts. It features a heroine different from most in shoujo and she's described as quote: "fearless and selfish and just a little mean". The story is set as a little girl style fairytale, mostly dealing with friendship and love. In this fairytale though, it's the princess who saves the prince. I found the whole thing to be very refreshing and I loved it. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Excellent

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Sugar Milk (manga) [Comment▲▼] This is the mangaka's first book and it's a pretty good first effort. It's an anthology, but all of the stories are interesting. They still suffer from being too short, yet they have a certain spark to them that sets this book apart from other ho-hum boy's love anthologies. Jaryu Dokuro's art is excellent, with distinctive looking characters and a knack for comedic expression. The title story is the best, as it is several chapters long and the characters play off of each other amusingly. I also got a laugh out of the first chapter, when the convience store clerk is jumped by a customer's dog outside the store. It's two panels long, but drawn from inside the store looking out, so you see the action through the window as customers browse in the foreground. The book is full of clever little set ups like that, which make it very enjoyable to read. The style reminds me of Yugi Yamada's work in a way, as the humor comes from the charcters themselves rather than sight-gags, chibis or slapsticky wacky nonsense. This is the only book out in English from this mangaka, but I'd love to read more. I enjoyed this one quite a bit. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Strobe Edge (manga) [Comment▲▼] This is a very cute story of first love. Nanako has never experienced love until she falls for Ren, but unfortunately, Ren has a girlfriend. The manga is basically about Nanako learning to manage her feelings/expectations. It was great up until volume 6, where Ren and his girlfriend split. After that it begins to drag a little and the reasons he and Nanako are apart feel contrived. The final volume is great though and very satisfying. In the end, yes this is just another high school set shoujo, but I think the writing was a cut above the rest. The characters were genuinely likable and easy to root for and nothing here offended my feminist sensibilities as I really hate deeply sexist material in works for girls. =( [Rating▲▼]

Output: Very good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Stray Cat (manga) [Comment▲▼] This is a BL anthology. The stories within are of the mediocre forgettable sort. Not bad, not good, just middle of the road. The best part of the book for me are the extras at the end about the mangaka's cat. It's a few pages of 4-panel strips about her cat and dogs. I found it more amusing than the main book. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Decent

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Strawberry Marshmallow (manga) [Comment▲▼] Strawberry Marshmallow is another top-notch comedy. The girls are all so cute and the hilarious situations that they are put in make for a lot of laughs. I've read them all and am always excited to get my hands on the next volume. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Excellent

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Strain (manga) [Comment▲▼] Despite loads of graphic violence and tons of gratuitous sex, I really enjoyed this title. The art is top notch (although there are a couple of things I wish I could un-see). The characters and plot were engaging. Somehow, the author took some really disgusting individuals and managed to redeem them by the end of the story. The story wrapped up nicely in only 5 volumes, which is another plus. If I had to compare it to anything, I'd say it reminds me most of Black Lagoon. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Very good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Storm Flower (manga) [Comment▲▼] This is my first time reading this mangaka and I was underwhelmed by this book. The writing is very disjointed, but from what i can tell, it's about an heir to a flower arranging school who has trouble connecting with people and his relationship with two classmates who are twins. A lot of the narration is Kaede's inner monologue, which is sometimes vague and overly-emo. On the plus side, the art was very pretty, with delicate linework and well suited to this sort of story. Characters did have a tendency to all look alike though, adding to the confusion. All in all, I think the book was terribly written. I'm not gonna blame the translation either, as it's clear the problems are deeper. Kaede in general was just a problematic narrator, as his motivations are never really clear and his thoughts are full of melodrama. His reason for being prefering men, "mommy issues", was laughable. I don't get his fixation on one of the twins after sudenly falling in bed with him two years ago and it makes no sense to pretend to date the other twin. The book was just dumb, the end. [Rating▲▼]

Output: So-so

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Stop bullying me! (manga) [Comment▲▼] Typical blushing school boy boy's love is what this is. Tomo's older brother's best friend picks on Tomo because he likes him, then the confession, they kiss, the end. It really didn't make much of an impression as the "plot" and characterization were thinner than tissue paper. Shino's art is not to my tastes either, as it's rather cutesy and Tomo looks about 12. Also, it's proportionally challenged, as she tends to draw oversized torsos with too small heads. There isn't anything particularly objectionable about this book, it's just painfully mediocre. [Rating▲▼]

Output: So-so

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Steal Moon (manga) [Comment▲▼] I wanted to like this more than I did, as I usually like Makoto Tateno's manga, but this was a dud for me. The plot was nonsensical and felt made up as it went along. Cayote abducts Nozomi so he can access some computer thing and shut is down is the basic gist, but the random elements and reveals just haphazardly dropped in there with no foreshadowing, no set up, and no elaboration make the whole thing feel like a runway train going nowhere. It doesn't help that characters are cardboard as hell, making the "love" story element fall flat on it's face. It felt like the story was too ambitious for the skill of the writer to convey coherently. At least it was only two volumes long so I didn't really waste too much of my time. [Rating▲▼]

Output: So-so

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Star (manga) [Comment▲▼] It was refreshing to read a more realistic romance featuring adults. This one takes place in a work environment (mostly). Both of the lead characters were flawed and human, pretty well drawn IMO. There was no outlandish melodrama, just normal people faliing in love the normal way. I liked it. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Decent

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Spring Fever (manga) [Comment▲▼] Even a mediocre Yugi Yamada book is better than a lot of the other crap BL manga out there. This one contained two stories. Both could have been better with more development. I guess that's why short stories so rarely entertain me, they are usually too short to really do anything with. On the plus side, I did like the manga. It was good enough to read while I'm waiting the the rest of "Close the Last Door". [Rating▲▼]

Output: Decent

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Input: [Read all▲▼] (The) Spiral of Sand (manga) [Comment▲▼] I should have known what to expect from this as it's by the same mangaka as Jazz. Here, it's a trashy rape=love "romance" with a convoluted family revenge plot as a backdrop. I found I wasn't offended by this though, as the characters were so cardboard and the plot so nonsensical that it was difficult to take seriously. This is the third strike for this mangaka, as I've also read and not enjoyed Awakened Forest. Her stuff is so over the top bodice ripper trashy that I can't fathom why it gets licensed. Maybe it's because of suckers like me, who are so desperate for something to read that they'll try anything? Either way, this is the last straw for me. This book is terrible. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Weak

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Spell (manga) [Comment▲▼] This is one of Fujiyama's better manga. Here both her characters are normal guys in college. They meet at a mixer and eventually decide to go out. I like how she focuses on the feelings of these characters as they sort of muddle through their initial dealings with each other. It read in a really natural way and I thought it was a well done romance. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Sounds of Love (manga) [Comment▲▼] Having now read all of Luv Luv's books, I can safely say that this one ranks near the bottom in quality. First, the characters: they were dull and I didn't like any of them. They had too much dull sex. Seriously, all of the scenes were the same. It was so formulaic that it was unsexy. I had a major problem with the art. The faces in particular were very awkwardly proportioned and pretty much pulled me right out of the story. As for the story, I didn't like it. The plot was so shallow as to be nonexistant. In short, this book just wasn't very good. Try "Object of Desire" instead. I found that one to be Luv Luv's best. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Weak

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Sound of My Voice (manga) [Comment▲▼] This one didn't click with me. I'm not very interested in the inner workings of the manga/voice acting/anime industry, so manga dealing with this subject usually fail to capture my attention. It wasn't bad though, it's just not my thing. [Rating▲▼]

Output: So-so

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Sono Toki Heart wa Nusumareta (manga) [Rating▲▼]

Output: So-so

PrettyKitty20034's Manga [Read all] - Anime News Network


Input: [Read all▲▼] Someday's Dreamers: Spellbound (manga) [Comment▲▼] This is a spin off of the original "Someday's Dreamers", featuring new characters. The main character Nami is an ineffective magic user with confidence issues. The series follows her and her friends thorugh their senior year of high school, while they deal with things like romance and their futures. This is much more of a romance series than the original. I thought the romance was very well done too. It was emotional without being overwrought, and the classmates were not neatly paired off in the end. Yamazaki's pretty watercolor-esque art adds to the subtle atmosphere as well. I really liked this story and find it one of the better shounen romance I've encountered; no fanservice, no moe, just solid storytelling. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Very good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Someday's Dreamers (manga) [Comment▲▼] These two volumes were adapted into "Someday's Dreamers" the anime. This plays out almost exactly like the anime, which I've seen first, the difference being the anime elaborated a bit with more plot and character development. I found it to be really cute and I did really enjoy the soft watercolor look to the art. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Decent

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Solfege (manga) [Comment▲▼] While Solfege was better than a lot of June's one shots, it was still pretty mediocre. I'm pretty bored by classical music, so maybe that's one reason. Another is that I felt it lacked the great characterization shown in other works by Fumi Yoshinaga. This one just fell flat. Huh. I must have been in a bad mood when I read this before, because I've read it again (granted, years later) and thought it was quite good. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Solanin (manga) [Comment▲▼] Amazing story! I cried. This follows a group of college kids as they struggle to find their path in life. The characters are very well written and the story is an emotional one. I loved it. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Masterpiece

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Snow Drop (manhwa) [Comment▲▼] Snow Drop is a melodramatic Romeo and Juliet style love story. I enjoyed the first few volumes, but it quickly deteriorated into a repetitive mess. It was a constant stream of "We should break up!"..."No we have to stay together!"...blah, blah, blah. I finished this hoping it would get better, but it just kept going downhill. [Rating▲▼]

Output: So-so

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Sleeping With Money (novel) [Comment▲▼] This is another yaoi light novel published by DMP/June. The premise is in the title. A yakuza guy sleeps with a wealthy businessman in order to get a huge loan, discovers he likes it, they fall in love, the end. It's kind of a typical yaoi plot. Like all of June's novels that I've read, the prose is clunky, although this one didn't have the glaring typos and gramatical errors that I've found in other books. Ignoring that, the story is entertaining, which is all I ask for when I read these light novels. I'd say this is one of the better offerings among June's line up. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Slam Dunk (manga) [Comment▲▼] Long running Shounen Jump manga are definitely not my thing, and I was prepared to drop this one too, but it is compulsively readable. Sakuragi starts the series as a cocky little punk who joins the basketball team in order to impress a girl. He is pretty hopeless at the start, so watching his development over the series was quite entertaining. The pacing is excellent, as something this long could have easily gotten stale but never does. The art is also top notch. Yes, in the end it's a standard sports story about underdogs rising to the top, but it manages to execute those old cliches super well and earns it's place as the classic basketball manga. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Excellent

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Skyscrapers of Oz (manga) [Comment▲▼] I have to at least commend this yaoi one shot for trying to have a plot, but unfortunately, it falls very short. The premise is that Oz, an "odd jobs" company was hired to set up some high school boy so that he doesn't inherit a fortune from some rich old man. This is based on a novel, which I have not read. I get the impression that the manga left some things out, namely characterization. The characters were as thin as paper. The plot whips through so quickly that I suspect that has been truncated too. Overall, it's not terrible, but it's not good either. [Rating▲▼]

Output: So-so

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Input: [Read all▲▼] (The) Sky Over My Spectacles (manga) [Comment▲▼] This is yet another bland yaoi anthology. The title story is the longest and takes up half the book. It's about high school boys *yawn*, one of which who has a glasses fetish. The rest are super short stories that are completely disposable. I don't remember them and I only read them an hour ago. About the only thing that distinguishes this book is that Mio Tennoji's art is a bit more explicit than usually published here. That was pretty much the only thing keeping my attention. Without that, I would've fallen asleep through this boring, forgettable book. [Rating▲▼]

Output: So-so

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Sky Link (manga) [Comment▲▼] I've never heard of this mangaka before. According to the afterword, this book, originally published in 2010, was her very first. I quite liked the art, with it's sharper featured characters and the lack of cutesy blushing and silly sight gags. Unfortunately, the stories themselves were somewhat lacking. The book contained two, both of which felt very rushed. So much so that I couldn't connect at all with what seemed intented to be more emotional stories. Without any fleshing out, The characters seemed "emo" for little reason. Ritsuki for example is a melancholy slacker type, yet we are given almost no reason for his personality beyond being told that he is "wild". In other words, show, don't tell. To sum it up, the stories themselves weren't bad, but the cardboard characters made this book a bit of a bore to read. [Rating▲▼]

Output: So-so

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Sighing Kiss (manga) [Comment▲▼] This one volume story contained a rare well-executed love triangle. Most of the time, they end up bieng tired and predictable, but this time I was actually unsure of the outcome until the very end. That alone raises this title above the vast sea of mediocre boy's love titles. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Shy Intentions (manga) [Comment▲▼] I liked this short romance. It's about a couple of adults who meet at the hospital while taking care of sick relatives. The story took up the whole book, so there was room for some actual storytelling and characterization. It's not anything special, but it's at least competent. I like Shoko Takaku's character art as well. Everyone looks suitably masculine and easily distinguishable from one another. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Decent

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Shout Out Loud! (manga) [Comment▲▼] This is one of the most well developed romances I've read. The characters are interesting and well written and their relationships progress slowly and naturally. (Meaning the characters don't just decide "I like you-lets go to bed" in a matter of pages.) It gives the manga a sense of realism that's lacking in a lot of yaoi. I appreciated it very much and for that, this one's going on my short list of yaoi favorites. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Excellent

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Short Cuts (manga) [Comment▲▼] This two volume manga is basically a comedy poking fun at Japan's kogal culture and is like a four panel comic, with a 1-2 page long set-up followed by a punchline at the end. Most of the humor is of the crude variety, and it is pretty funny 90% of the time. I laughed out loud several times. There were a small handful of jokes that I didn't get or were just gross (like the turd one in volume one). The best parts were the jokes featuring recurring characters, like pantyflash girl, or the girl who talked to celebities on her sode can phone. Mostly these books were just very funny with a side of WTF. I enjoyed them. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Shirley (manga) [Comment▲▼] This is a one shot from the creator of Emma. Most of the book centers on a young maid named Shirley, who starts working for an older single woman. I liked the Shirley stories and her character. There's backstory hinted at there that never does get expanded. I would have liked the see more of Ms. Bennett and Shirley, as they were the most interesting characters in the book and had the most potential to make a really good story. The rest are short stories featuring a couple of maids and their employers. These are short and sweet but not particularly memorable. Overall, Shirley is an entertaining and readable Victorian slice-of-life. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Shinobu Kokoro - Hidden Heart (manga) [Comment▲▼] Here is yet another collection of BL short stories. This one centers around a ninja clan in a remote hidden village. I was a little confused by the setiing because at first I assumed that it was a historical piece (due to the ninjas), but the appearance of "enemies" dressed in modern school uniforms clearly disproved that idea. Like most collections, the stories were pretty shallow. The art was nice however. I found the book mildly entertianing, but ultimately pretty forgettable. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Decent

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Sexy Voice and Robo (manga) [Comment▲▼] I didn't like this one as much as I had hoped. The story was just ok, and I wasn't fond of the art style either. The roughness and the thick black lines made it look sort of "blobby". My personal preference is more detail and more intricate lines. For example: I think manga like Blade of the Immortal and Fushigi Yugi: Genbu Kaiden are beautiful to look at. [Rating▲▼]

Output: So-so

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Seven Days: Monday-Thursday (manga) [Comment▲▼] This is volume one of a two volume series. It's not your typical schoolboy romance. Seryou has a complicated relationship with his brother's girlfriend which causes him to go out with a different girl every week. If he doesn't fall for them by the end of the week, he breaks it off. On a whim and not really seriously, Shino asks him out on Monday. Unbeknownst to him, Seryou begins to fall for him. I liked how the relationships here were portrayed seriously and without the treacly blushing and sparkles and unfunny slapstick I usually find in these high school stories. Rihito Takarai's art style is not really to by tastes though. The boys are drawn long and willowy with androgynous faces and overlong floppy hair. I think it's rare to find a schoolboy BL where the boys are drawn in a realistic manner, i.e. not too girly or too old/masculine looking. I think Puku Okayama (Warning!, The Rule of Standing on Tiptoe) is one artist who manages to get this absolutely right though. To get back to the book, I did enjoy the story and I'm looking forward to reading the second half. It's nicer to see a longer BL story with some attempt at character development as well. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Seven Days: Friday-Sunday (manga) [Comment▲▼] This is the second volume of Seven Days, in which the series comes to a satisfying if predictable conclusion. It really doesn't break any new ground in schoolboy BL, the story and characters are just better developed. As this is a two volume series instead of a one shot or an anthology story, that's to be expected. I enjoyed it even though schoolboy BL is generally not my cup of tea. The series doesn't venture into sappy saccarine territory and for that it gets a thumbs up from me. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Sensual Phrase (manga) [Comment▲▼] The words I'd use to sum up this series: Over the top. Was it great literature? No, not by any stretch of the imagination. But it was very entertaining. This soap opera like drama was like a trainwreck, I just couldn't look away. I did like the characters somewhat as well, pushy Sakuya and the airheaded Aine. I thought they went well together and it's refreshing to read a shoujo where the characters aren't afraid to get physical. Maybe because I'm older, but I tend to roll my eyes at the stories where even holding hands is a major event and worthy of embarassment. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Decent

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Sensitive Pornograph (manga) [Comment▲▼] Published by 801 media, this is a plotless smut type anthology. The stories and characters themselves aren't memorable in the slightest, the only reason to read this is the smut. Unfortunately, your milage will vary based on how hot you find girly looking pretty boys. I don't like them, so the book mostly left me cold. [Rating▲▼]

Output: So-so

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Selfish Love (manga) [Comment▲▼] I found Selfish Love to be another cliche high school romance. I've read a ton of shojo manga of this variety and I'm coming to see that it's a common plot line in yaoi as well. I did get annoyed at the attempt to portray the characters as being in college even though they were clearly wearing high school uniforms *eye roll*. Also, the caveman like Honor Society prez and the helpless lead character (forgot his name already, ha!) call to mind countless shojo romances just like it. Even still, though it doesn't bring anything new to the table this title managed to be entertaining to me, if somewhat forgettable. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Not really good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Seimaden (manga) [Comment▲▼] This is your typical paranormal romance shoujo, set in a fantasy land and featuring demons. There is your typical mishmash of Christian imagery, with one character being depicted as an angel and the repeated appearance of crosses. (This has nothing to do with the story. I bet Higuri just thought it looked cool). Anyway, the plot was mildly entertaining. A pretty girl named Hilda has lost her memory and finds herself caught up in a war between the demons and the humans. I did like how most of the characters were morally ambiguous. There really was no clear "big bad". This is an older series by Higuri, and her art is a little less polished, but still very much in her style as everyone is impossibly pretty and wearing elaborate costumes. Overall, I thought it was decent. i read Higuri's manga mainly for the art and to be entertained. I wasn't expecting a deep thoughful masterpiece, therefore I wasn't disappointed. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Decent

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Seiho Boys' High School! (manga) [Comment▲▼] I was initially expecting something like "Here is Greenwood" when I picked up this manga, so I was surprised at how good it was. It is quite humorous, and more of the situation-al variety than silly slapstick like Greenwood. Also, there is quite a bit of drama in this series, since a lot of it focuses on the boys' relationships with girls. I particularly liked reading from the perspectives of boys as it gives it a different flavor from the usual high school set shoujo romance. The characters felt well rounded and three dimensional as well. All in all, I really enjoyed this series and I'd love to read more from the mangaka. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Excellent

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Seduce Me After the Show (manga) [Comment▲▼] I find est em's work to be very interesting. The stories and art are always very distinctive and unlike any other manga-ka's. This particular volume was fairly standard. I wish she would write a longer series, because this one falls into the trap of most short stories in being way too condensed. Other than that, I liked it, but the short story is definitely not my format of preference. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Decent

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Secretary's Love (manga) [Comment▲▼] This book is about a couple of guys in a relationship working in the oh so exciting world of pharmicutical sales. The relationship has already been established, so a lot of the focus is on work, fixing other employee's screw ups, dealing with the boss, and training new employees. Truthfully, it is a bit boring. It seems as if this is a story with nothing to tell. The characters, while having good banter together, are a little one note. On the plus side, Akiba's art is clean and attractive. Her notes at the end of the book are highly amusing too. In the end though, this is a book about nothing. It has no plot, no conflict or characterization, therefore it will be forgotten almost immediately after reading it. [Rating▲▼]

Output: So-so

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Secretary's Job? (manga) [Comment▲▼] Having read and been underwhelmed by another of Miki Araya's BL manga in the past, I had low expectations for this book. Unfortunately, it was still terrible, although not offensively bad, just "why did I waste my time on this" bad. It consists of two stories about salarymen, and one short story about college kids. Everything was super bare bones, the backgroundless art, the wooden expressions on the characters, the writing/characterization, etc. This si the kind of bland, lifeless fare that you forget moments, no, while you are reading it. After this, I'm not going to bother wasting my time or money on another book by this mangaka. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Weak

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Secret Thorns (manga) [Comment▲▼] The first of Kikuya's manga I read was also about a magazine editor, like this one. This time the editor is being pursued by an ex he broke it off with but is still in love with. Rounding out the book are a couple of short stories I've already forgotten even though I literally just finished reading. Like her previous work, this book features simplistic "moe-ified" character designs and minimally drawn backgrounds. Based on the two utterly forgettable books I've read by her, I'm going to have to give Kikuya's work a pass in the future. [Rating▲▼]

Output: So-so

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Secrecy of the Shivering Night (manga) [Comment▲▼] This BL anthology contains four short stories. They tend toward more emotional romance than fanservice. I found them competent in execution, but far too short for my tastes. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Decent

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Scrapped Princess (manga) [Comment▲▼] I read this a couple of months ago and found it boring and forgettable. It's basically side stories and has no bearing on the main plot from the anime. The art was just ok, nothing special. It's really better to just stick with the anime on this one. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Not really good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Scarlet (manga) [Comment▲▼] There are three stories in this book. The first one is, well, a bit disturbing to put it lightly. After a violent rape, the rapee blithely forgives the rapist because they are just so in looove. Derp. I found it highly unrealistic. Instead of ending happily ever after, the story should have ended with the psychotic one going to jail. The second story was my favorite. This one is about a shy office worker who meets his crush in a gay bar. The characters in this story were not selfish and dispicable people, so I found it easier to read about them. The last story featured your regular garden variety douchebag who thinks too highly of himself. This guy is also one who can't seem to stop sleeping with women even though he's in a relationship with a man. And his partner just takes it, without a word. Again, unrealistic. Most people, regardless of gender, would dumpity dump. Despite my criticisms, the collection is at least entertaining. Entertaining and rant worthy is far better than painfully dull I say. I also really love Madarame's art style. It's beautiful. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Not really good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Scandalous Seiryo University (manga) [Comment▲▼] This is the start of a four volume series. It's mindnumbing stupid, yet entertaining smut is about all I can say. This is the kind of thing you read because you have nothing else, acknowledge that it's crap, yet are still mystifyingly entertained by. The plot is laughable, new student at Seiryo "university" is harrassed by twisted student council prez (since when did they wear uniforms in university?). I did sorta like the art. Although, there is a marked improvement with the last volume. Anyway, I can't recommend this series to anyone but boy's love fans who don't have anything better to read. Like me. [Rating▲▼]

Output: So-so

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Say Please (manga) [Comment▲▼] This one is actually two stories. I liked it quite a bit. After reading and enjoying a few of Kano Miyamoto's manga, I can safely say I'm a fan. I like her art and writing. Anyone that can write a short story with some depth eventually makes it to my "auto-buy" list. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Very good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Sand Chronicles (manga) [Comment▲▼] In this story, Ann moves to her mother's hometown after her parents divorce. She quickly makes new friends but learns that time doesn't stand still. This is not your typical shoujo manga. The characters are introduced when they are children, but the story wraps up when they are about 30. Ann grows up throughout the course of the story, both physically and mentally. It deals with relationships in a very realistic manner, this is no hearts and flowers shoujo. I cried like a baby through the end of the main story. For those tired of wimpy heroines and perfect princely heroes, this manga is a breath of fresh air. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Excellent

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Sanctuary (manga by R. Ikegami) [Comment▲▼] I've had this long out of print series from Viz sitting on my shelf for several years before finally picking it up to read it. I'm glad I waited, as Sanctuary is so refreshing after reading another run of the mill school based shoujo or another moe laden shounen. Stuff like this just doesn't get published here anymore. The story follows two young men who vow to change Japan at any cost. One goes into politics and another joins the Yakuza. This is a serious drama featuring a lot of backroom dealing and political maneuvering. The art is done by Ryoichi Ikegami in his signature photo-realistic style, which fits a story like this perfectly. I just love his art. Faces, expressions, body proportions, all are true to life. Even the time period is captured, as this was drawn in the early nineties and it shows with eighties style hairstyles, fashion, cars, boxy computers and even the huge phones. The ending was a little abrupt, but even so, I enjoyed this story very much. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Very good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Samurai 7 (manga) [Comment▲▼] I'm a really big fan of the Samurai 7 anime, so I was very disappointed after reading this manga. It wasn't very good. For one, the story suffered from being condensed a lot in order to fit into two volumes. The characters were lacking as well, being as three dimensional as cardboard. My biggest problem (besides the lackluseter story and characters) was the art. It just wasn't good. The creator decided to ignore the perfectly good character designs from the show and go with something that looked more "generic anime". Poor Kirara suffered the most. In the anime, she's a strong character with personality. In the manga she's a nonentity. So, due to the awful character designs, the lack of characterization, and the wham-bam-thank-you-maam plot, I couldn't get into this. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Not really good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Samejima-kun and Sasahara-kun (manga) [Comment▲▼] Friends to boyfriends stories are common in BL, but this one was a cut above the rest. Samejima and Sasahara are friends who both work in a convenience store and attend the same college. The dynamic changes when Samejima confesses that he likes Sasahara as more than a friend. Their friendship was well depicted, the way they were around each other and how they ragged on each other, making the romantic progression seem natural and believable. The art is of the sketchy variety, but no one looks too feminine, so that's a bonus. Based on this book, I will be searching out more of Koshino's work. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Sakuran (manga) [Comment▲▼] I've long been a fan of Moyocco Anno's work, and this book didn't let me down. This book follows an apprentice courtesan named Kiyoha as she's deals with the situation she finds herself stuck in, i.e. essentially being sold into slavery against her will. Anno's art style is so expressive and she writes such interesting and nuanced characters that even a subject as distasteful as this is interesting. I can't help but feel sad for Kiyoha, as she's denied such a basic right as simple freedom. Even just leaving the pleasure district gets her dragged back and beaten. Despite all that, she's very strong, which allows her to survive in that environment without totally going crazy. I found this book highly engrossing, my eyes were glued to the page and I couldn't put it down. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Excellent

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Ruff Love (manga) [Comment▲▼] I have mixed feeling on this one, because while I liked the characters and the story was nice, I didn't like that it "went there" i.e. the sex scenes with the dog boy. If it had stayed an innocent story about love and devotion between a master and a pet, I would have rated this much higher. But, I was creeped out by the furry sex. To be fair , I do enjoy hard yaoi and I don't have anything against sexual content if it fits the story. I just feel that it could have been left out here. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Weak

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Rose of the Rhine (manga) [Comment▲▼] This is a wallpaper historical BL loosely based on an old medieval German saga. The tone is not serious and the story is basically a collection of the silly adventures of King Deitrich. It is about a deep as a kiddie pool. There isn't much to the "plot" and the characters fare no better. This could've been fun if it were better written. [Rating▲▼]

Output: So-so

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Romeo x Juliet (manga) [Comment▲▼] This is a two volume series, released here as an omnibus, adapting the 2007 RxJ anime. I thought the anime was "meh" and this manga adaptation is not an improvement. 26 episodes of story are condensed here into only two volumes. As a result, there is no depth to this story or characters whatsoever. Even the art is generic and bland, with very sparse backgrounds and cardboard cutout character designs. Also, the panelling and action parts lacked flow and were difficult to follow. Ultimately, I found it hard to care about this manga as it is the very picture of bland mediocrity. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Not really good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Ristorante Paradiso (manga) [Comment▲▼] This is the story of a young woman who travels to Italy in search of her mother, from whom she is estranged. I thought the handling of the mother/daughter conflict was very interesting and both characters felt like real three dimentional people. I liked the restaurant setting as well. I'm now craving Italian food. Natsume Ono's quirky art style was perfectly suited to this off beat story. In fact, I believe that this is one of her better manga. I really enjoyed it. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Very good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Rising Storm (manga) [Comment▲▼] This is porn, since it's pretty explicit. It contains three stories, the title story and two shorter ones. The title story and the story about the dentist were ok. There was no weird gender role stereotyping or noncon. The other story had a pretty violent rape. Ick. Ougi's drawing style is pretty angular and pointy. The book was uneven artwise, with some chapters looking more polished and others having weird anatomy issues. This is explained in the authors notes where she states that some of the chapter were several years old. Anyway, I can objectively say that the book isn't very good, the "plot" is laughable, but I found it entertaining regardless. Leave this one alone if you aren't interested in seeing peen though. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Decent

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Rin! (manga) [Comment▲▼] I enjoyed this sweet little tale of archery and school boy love. The art was rather pretty and I liked the archery angle, it was interesting. Overall, it was a light fluffy sort of romance series. Not the sort of thing that sticks with you, but enjoyable nonetheless. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Right Here, Right Now (manga) [Comment▲▼] This two volume series can be basically summed up as a boys love time travel romance. It's mildly entertaining for what it is, but don't expect anything substantial. My main problem it is the same for many BL, the extemely rushed characterization. It takes place in the waring states era, but not much time is actual spent building a plot out of that. Too bad, as it could have been an interesting premise, but is instead squandered on yet another cookie cutter BL romance. As it stands, the series is a mildly entertaining diversion, nothing more. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Decent

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Revolutionary Girl Utena (manga) [Comment▲▼] The Utena manga plays out a lot like the Utena anime, but with a lot less repetition and no filler. The manga is a little more straightforward than the anime, having only 5 volumes to tell the story in. But, it doesn't quite have the same sense of surrealism that the anime had. Maybe it's the lack of music, the rituals, or the crazy imagery, who knows. Either way, I felt the manga was missing that sense of mystery that the Utena TV has. While I liked revisiting Utena again, I enjoyed the anime a bit more. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Very good

PrettyKitty20034's Manga [Read all] - Anime News Network


Input: [Read all▲▼] Return to Scandalous Seiryo University (manga) [Comment▲▼] This is book two in the Seiryo University series. [Rating▲▼]

Output: So-so

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Restart (manga) [Comment▲▼] This is another work by Shoko Hidaka (Not Enough Time). The majority of the book is taken up with the story of two models who fall for each other. This is pretty standard far that didn't break any new ground. I enjoyed it but I doubt I'll remember it in an hour. [Rating▲▼]

Output: So-so

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Red River (manga) [Comment▲▼] Red River is a historical fantasy involving a teenage girl who is magically transported to ancient Mesopotamia. It reads just like an 80's style bodice ripper, with lots of adventure and a feisty heroine who gets her bodice ripped a lot. Most of the characters were one note wonders, the plotting was painfully transparent, and the main villian's machinations (the Queen and her henchman) took some incredible leaps of logic. I tried not to think too hard about the sometimes ridiculous plot and took this for what it was, a really long romance manga. Too long I think, because it started to drag. On the plus side, I do appreciate the mangaka loosely incorporating history int he series, as those bits were somewhat interesting. Unfortunately, they weren't enough to save this series from only being mildly entertaining. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Decent

PrettyKitty20034's Manga [Read all] - Anime News Network


Input: [Read all▲▼] Red Blinds the Foolish (manga) [Comment▲▼] In a sea of similarly styled BL, this one stands out as something different. First, it takes place in Europe and features adult characters. Second, the art is excellent and very detailed. Faces are expressive and backgrounds are present. My only quibble is this; because the stories were so short, I found it hard to connect with any of them. They were all very fast paced and I wish more time had been given to each one in order to appriecate them more. In any case, I was entertained by the sheer "otherness" of this manga and will definitely be trying more by this manga-ka. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Very good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Red Angel (manga) [Comment▲▼] This time Tateno tackles a vampire story, where the lead is actually a vampire fallen angel with red wings who has both male and female forms. The series was ok. it's two vloumes and most of the first book was taken up with short unrelated stories featuring Micha/Eru (See what they did there with the names?). Anyway, not the worst Makoto Tateno manga I've read but far far from the best [Rating▲▼]

Output: So-so

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Red (manga, Sanae Rokuya) [Comment▲▼] This is a period piece. The ruler of the land is about to die and the heir is living as a normal man under an assumed name. One of the lord hires a couple of assassins to kill him. Instead, one of them falls for him. The other used to be his childhood retainer. The story is kinda convoluted and rushed. The characters are pretty flat, so it's hard to care about what happens to them. Also, the plot whips through events too fast for them to make any impression. This might have been better if it had been stretched to two books and fleshed out a little. As it is, it's just another mediocre boy's love one-shot. [Rating▲▼]

Output: So-so

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Input: [Read all▲▼] (The) Recipe for Gertrude (manga) [Comment▲▼] This is a very cute shoujo manga for kids. I would have loved it if I were 8 years old, but as a grown adult, it doesn't do anything for me. Thankfully, the series was short. It's not a bad manga, in fact it's one of the better examples of kid's manga I've read. Kusakawa's art is somewhat crude but her characterization makes up for it. The story is simple without being mindnumbingly stupid. Her humor is cute and it works for the story. Little girls could do worse than pick up this one. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Decent

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Real Love (manga) [Comment▲▼] There were two short stories contained in this volume. Neither of them hit the mark for me. I though both guys were douchey and the girl from the second story suffered from doormat syndrome. Neither of the stories were really deveolped either. The whole thing was rather shallow. I actually got more entertainment from the author's section in the back. [Rating▲▼]

Output: So-so

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Rasetsu (manga) [Comment▲▼] I really wanted to like this series more than I did. I am a fan of Chika Shiomi's work, but I found this one to be one of her weaker ones. The story is largely episodic, with the only overarcing plot line being Rasetsu's search for true love. She must find someone before her 20th birthday, or a demon will possess her soul. Thankfully Rasetsu isn't a weak doormatty whiner, so this wasn't as cheesy as it could have been. Also, I appreciated reading about grownups for once. I don't think I can take much more high school set romance shoujo. I think my problem was that even though the series was entertaining, it wasn't particularly memorable. The characters and their story didn't grab me. I wasn't in a rush to read each volume. So in the end, Rasetsu was "good" but not "great". [Rating▲▼]

Output: Good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] (La) Quinta Camera - 5 Banme no Heya (manga) [Comment▲▼] This is one of Natsume Ono's earlier works, and it shows. The art is a little more scribbly and the narrative is a little more disjointed. It's a slice-of-life story taking place in Italy about four guys who live together and the empty room they rent out to students. The story is basically, "lets watch all these cool Italian people hang out". Between this and Ristorante Paradiso, I'm beginning to suspect Ono has a bit of an Italy fetish. I was a little annoyed that the American exchang student was a walking stereotype. Of couse he was fat and ate nothing but greasy pizza and french fries in great quanities. That was his sole characteristic. In fact the characterization for everybody was similarly one note. I usually like Natume Ono's style, but this wasn't up to par. It was only mediocre at best. [Rating▲▼]

Output: So-so

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Quest for the Missing Girl (manga) [Comment▲▼] Shiga, a mountain man, one day receives word that his dead friend's daughter has gone missing and off to Tokyo he goes in order to search for her. This has all the makings of a good suspense movie, culminating in an intenseand memorable action scene. The man climbs a skyscraper. How badass is that? Taniguchi's art and pacing are perfect in this manga. I am a fan of his art and everything he writes. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Excellent

PrettyKitty20034's Manga [Read all] - Anime News Network


Input: [Read all▲▼] Punch! (manga) [Comment▲▼] I usually like Rie Takada, but I thought Punch! was just meh. The characterization was flimsy in this series, making it read like a teenage girl's shallow wish fulfillment fantasy. The guys were very pretty but had very little personality. All of their actions pretty much seemed focused on going out with the main character who had her moments of hilarity but was not as fun as other Takada heroines. Some of the "romantic" lines were beyond cheesy as well. I actually liked the two short stories at the end of volume 3 better than the main series. I got a few laughs out of those and the relationships while still somewhat contrived, at least made more sense. My final verdict? Skip it and read Wild Act instead. [Rating▲▼]

Output: So-so

PrettyKitty20034's Manga [Read all] - Anime News Network


Input: [Read all▲▼] Punch Up! (manga) [Comment▲▼] This a BL manga by Shiuko Kano, one of my fav mangaka. Granted, some of hers are only "meh" for me, but this is not one of them. Punch Up! is a spin off of Play Boy Blues and stars a side character from that series. I like reading about relationships between adults, so this story was especially welcome. At four volumes long, Maki and Kouta's relationship and characterization is given time to develop, making the characters more memorable and the romance feel more real. It did get a little melodramatic with the anmesia storyline, but thankfully that's not dragged out too long. Overall, this is one of Kano's better series and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I wish PBB was brought over here in it's entirety as well, as I'd love to read more than the first volume. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Good

PrettyKitty20034's Manga [Read all] - Anime News Network


Input: [Read all▲▼] Private Teacher! (manga) [Comment▲▼] This is a student/tutor series with boring one dimensional characters. Also, plot? What plot? It was all stupid little non issues interrupting the characters relationship so they could later make up and have lots of boring sex. The art was great and that's about all this series has to recommend it. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Not really good

PrettyKitty20034's Manga [Read all] - Anime News Network


Input: [Read all▲▼] Prince Charming (manga) [Comment▲▼] In Prince Charming, a gay student has a crush on his teacher. I had to suspend my disbelief, because those students sure were experienced! Having now finished all three volumes of the series, I found myself enjoying it. The longer length allowed more time for developing the relationships than in a typical one-shot or anthology, which I appreciated. The high school characters still didn't ring true, but the story was entertainig despite that. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Good

PrettyKitty20034's Manga [Read all] - Anime News Network


Input: [Read all▲▼] (The) Prime Minister's Secret Diplomacy (manga) [Comment▲▼] I have mixed feelings about this manga. The plot was interesting and the art was lovely. However, both main characters were awful people. I was disgusted by their plan to marry and deceive their future spouses about their homosexuality. I realize that this must happen all the time, but I would rather not read about it. It hard to get into a story if I can't stand any of the characters. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Not really good

PrettyKitty20034's Manga [Read all] - Anime News Network


Input: [Read all▲▼] Pretty Poison (manga) [Comment▲▼] I found Pretty Poison to be pretty "meh" and forgettable. Our main character is being played by her boyfriend, who pawns her off on one of his friends when he gets tired of her. Both guys were douches. The lead character was a lame doormat. There was a lot of sex in this manga, which made it readable, but otherwise: pass. [Rating▲▼]

Output: So-so

PrettyKitty20034's Manga [Read all] - Anime News Network


Input: [Read all▲▼] Pretear (manga) [Comment▲▼] Pretear was ok. It was a little light on plot and characterization, the art was mediocre, and the ending was kinda bland. It just managed to keep my attention at four volumes long. I am curious to see if the anime is any better. P.S. And now that I've seen it, it is. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Decent

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Input: [Read all▲▼] (The) President's Time (manga) [Comment▲▼] This is supposed to be a light comedy about a company president who must become "evil" in order to fulfill his dead father's request and keep his inheritance. So, he goes about this by crossing on a red light and defacing posters, as he's hopelessly inept. The problem here is I didn't laugh. It's just too dumb. The "romance" took place with one of his subordinates who took pity on him I guess? It's of the meet, sex, instantly in love variety and I couldn't give a damn as it was just so hollow. The art in this book was terrible as well, full of badly drawn anatomy and disproportionate faces. The characters were all of the same face with different hairstyles, making it sometimes hard to tell them apart. In the end this book, while not actively terrible, just wasn't very good. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Weak

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Input: [Read all▲▼] President Momoi Kun (manga) [Comment▲▼] I usually don't find gag manga to be my thing, but this one was so utterly ridiculous that I couldn't help but smile. Momoi is the president of a company and he has no idea what it does. He's only there to find a hot boyfriend in a suit, preferably with glasses. The fourth wall was constantly being broken and the entire book was firmly tongue in cheek. There was even a out of the blue vampire subplot. The book was completely cracked out and I totally enjoyed it. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Poison Cherry Drive (manga) [Comment▲▼] The first time I read this, my reaction was WTF! I had just finshed reading Motoni Modoru's "Dog Style" which I thought was excellent, but this is completely different. It is a pure gag comedy manga. Taken as it is, it's actually pretty funny. I found myself laughing out loud several times and the Doraemon parody in chapter two was priceless. Modoru's brand of humor is completely my style. I liked this book quite a bit and I'd like to read more by Modoru as I've liked everything I've seen so far. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Good

PrettyKitty20034's Manga [Read all] - Anime News Network


Input: [Read all▲▼] Pluto (manga) [Comment▲▼] This is a manga that I'm glad I've read once, but ultimately didn't do much for me. I liked elements of it, such as the gorgeous art and the sci-fi elements, but the robots vs humanity themes as presented in this series really weren't that interesting to me. It probably doesn't help that I've never read a single page of Tezuka's original Astro Boy, or that I'm not the biggest Tezuka fan to begin with. Honestly, I can't help but compare this series to Monster, which I read not too long ago, and find it lacking. Despite my gripes, I didn't hate Pluto, I liked it actually. I was just hoping for more I guess. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Please Save My Earth (manga) [Comment▲▼] Despite a sort of nonsensical reincarnation/revenge plot, I quite liked the manga. It was like a compulsion, I couldn't stop reading. It was well paced, never slow or dull. The characters, Rin/Shion and Mokuren especially, were interesting. The moon flashback segments were the most compelling part of the story to me. That part of the plot was the most clear and well told in my opinion, once it switched to the present day things got a bit more sloppy. I thought the present day characters were not developed quite as well as their moon base counterparts too. Also, the art in some of the earlier volumes is very dated and pretty much screams "80's". I saw a marked improvement in later volumes though. Overall, while PSME is not without it's flaws, it was a positive reading experience for me. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Very good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Planetes (manga) [Comment▲▼] I saw the anime first and really enjoyed it so I was fairly sure I'd love the manga as well. I was right. Great art and interesting, likeable characters make Planetes so much fun to read. It also helps that I really enjoy space stories. I much prefered the manga ending as well. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Excellent

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Planet Ladder (manga) [Comment▲▼] I was enjoying Planet Ladder until I got to the end. The ending was not so hot. It looked like the author didn't quite know how to tie it all up and started throwing in some random explanations and eventually just ended it on a time skip where everone is all happy some years later. Obviously, we can assume that the worlds were saved, but how that conclusion came to be was never illustrated. I think the author needed another volume in order to wrap this up properly. As for the rest, the heroine was your typical useless, weak variety. Fortunately, the rest of the characters like Bambi, Kagami, and Seeu were interesting enough to carry the story. The art was fairly nice, characterized by heavy use of screentones. I didn't find it distracting though. Overall, I liked it, I just wish more thought could have been put into the ending. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] A Place in the Sun (manga) [Comment▲▼] This is one of the shallowest BL anthologies I've ever read. If it can even be called BL, because the romance aspect is barely present. Without it, the stories are painfully boring, and lack depth. I don't care about these characters since I only get a chapter to read about them before we're on to the next story. The stories themselves are basically plotless and in some cases just inane. In the dumbest one, a scatterbrained guy keeps missing the trash pickup and strikes up a friendship with the trash man. The trashman gets injured on some chopsticks in the garbage and the ditzy fellow goes over to his house to apologize. For some reason, they kiss and flash forwrd to the next day, where the dummy is late again for the trash pickup. The end. If brain cells died while reading my little summary, imagine how I felt reading the actual story. the whole anthology was like that. The art was lackluster as well, really rough and sketchy, with sloppily drawn backgrounds. It looked like a really amateurish work. So, I don't recommend this one. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Weak

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Picnic (manga) [Comment▲▼] This is a short story anthology by Yugi Yamada. After reading a number of Yamada's manga, I am a fan. Her short stories are of the interesting non-forgettable variety. The title story in particular was well done, featuring a group of friends, two of which are in that awkward stage of "almost dating". The dialog and humor are spot on and the art is excellent, with well drawn expressions and not a boy whio looks like a girl in sight. My only complaint is the same with all anthologies, I wish the stories were longer and had more depth. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Penguin Revolution (manga) [Comment▲▼] I'm feeling a little let down by Penquin Revolution. While I liked it better than the other series I read by the same mangaka, Land of the Blindfolded, it failed to tie up some major loose ends. Like her other series, this one has very little conflict or drama and is a more low key shoujo. That's fine and good, but I usually find such series to be dead boring. Penquin managed to just barely escape that fate by having a likeable and interesting heroine and creating some possible romantic entanglements. However, the romance that kept the series interesting is not resolved by the series' end. I felt ripped off. So, while I somewhat enjoyed this reading experience, it's not reread worthy. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Decent

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Peepo Choo (manga) [Comment▲▼] If I had to sum up this three volumes series in just a couple of phrases, I'd say it's about cultural misunderstandings and shock value. There is a lot of over the top violence and sexual content here, but it is so crazy it crosses the line into absurd. It is absolutely not meant to be taken seriously. The core message, that you can't form assumptions about a country based on it's entertainment, is a good one and I laughed several times throughout the story. Morimoto Rockstar's immitations of gang culture cribbed from movies and rap videos was absolutely hilarious and I'm sure Milton's fake Japanese learned from an anime was the same to Japanese readers. Despite the cultural divide, people are essential the same everywhere, as illustrated by Milton and Reiko's unlikely friendship. Both characters felt constrained in a society that doesn't understand them. I was happy to see some character growth for both, when eventually they stopped trying so hard and just did what they liked. I would've liked to see the same for Morimoto, but he remains oblivious until the end. the ending left it open for a sequel, as we see both the transformed Reiko and an injured Morimoto in an airport waiting room holding tickets to Chicago. Now that's a sequel I'd love to see. It'll probably never happen, as I doubt this series was popular in Japan. Peepo Choo wasn't perfect, and certainly had some problems, but I totally loved it. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Very good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Peach Girl: Change of Heart (manga) [Comment▲▼] This is the second half of Peach Girl (Vols 9 through 18). I tore through this last half of the story. I enjoyed that Momo's choice never seemed to be a forgone conclusion. I was never really sure which boy she would end up with until the very last volume. I dislike when the love triangle plot device is used predictably. Oftentimes, one character always seems to be a "throwaway character". That isn't the case here though, and is another example of why this story succeeds so well. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Very good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Peach Girl (manga) [Comment▲▼] I went into this expecting another generic high school drama. It turned out that I really enjoyed reading this. It took a few volumes for the characters to really grow on me, but once they did, I was hooked. What really made this series stand out for me though, was a really spectacular villian. Sae is what kept this story from becoming forgettable. She was so rotten, yet not a one-dimentional "super villian" type. I think what I liked best about this is that the characters' personalities were believable. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Very good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Peace Maker (manga by N. Chrono) [Comment▲▼] This is a story about a pair of brothers, one who's a new member of the Shinsengumi, and his younger brother who is eager to join as a way to take revenge for his murdered parents. At first it starts a bit rocky, as Tetsunosuke (the younger brother) is a bit of a brat and flies off the handle without much thought as to the consequences of his actions. However, as he spends more time living and training with the Shinsengumi, he matures greatly. The series appears to be based on a historical event and many historical figures are present. Tetsunosuke and his brother may be made up characters, but a large amount of the cast and the events were real. I often enjoy historical fiction, so no surprise that I enjoyed this quite a bit. I really like Nanae Chrono's art as well. It's very sharp and contrasty, with attractive and unique character designs. A lot of these characters have similar hair and uniforms, but I have no trouble telling them apart. The fifth volume is the end of this particular story arc. The sequel, Peacemaker Kurogane, takes place three months after the conclusion of Peacemaker. I'm looking forward to reading more. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Very good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Pathos (manga) [Comment▲▼] This is a very dark yaoi manga about vampires in which they do what vampires are meant to do, kill people. It's somewhat unusual among June's other super fluffy/sweet BL releases. I wasn't expecting it and it was a pleasant surprise. The romance was dark, the art was excellent and I really enjoyed it. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Very good

PrettyKitty20034's Manga [Read all] - Anime News Network


Input: [Read all▲▼] Passionate Theory (manga) [Comment▲▼] There isn't much plot here, the story is about a love triangle between two students and a math teacher, told in the driest way I've ever read. The characters are pretty much blank slates and the mangaka's art style with the dead lifeless eyes doesn't help. I honestly could not connect to anything in this book, as it was such a dead bore. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Weak

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Passion (manga) [Comment▲▼] For a longer series, I expected to see a little more depth. Unfortunately, I didn't find it. The characterization was a bit shallow, and the plot a simple student/teacher romance. The art was somewhat odd as well, with the teacher looking the same age as the students. I was mildly entertained by Passion, but that's all. [Rating▲▼]

Output: So-so

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Parasyte (manga) [Comment▲▼] Parasyte is a page turner that I just couldn't put down. Izumi is infected with a strange lifeform that takes up residence in his arm. He is lucky, as the goal of these creatures is to take over the brain, essentually killing the human and using it's body to perform the life functions. It is not explained where they come from as they float down from the sky like seeds, but they feed on humans. Izumi manages to form a reluctant partnership with his. It was interesting to note the character development in this series as human and parasite eventually become sort of friends and ther relationship is more than just that of parasite and host. The story is pretty faced paced as well. I read the whole series in an afternoon because I just had to find out what happened next. The ending was great, a real resolution with very few loose ends. In short, I love this series and it has a permanent place on my shelf. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Excellent

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Input: [Read all▲▼] (The) Paradise on the Hill (manga) [Comment▲▼] I must admit that I'm not really a fan of Momoko Tenzen's work, but of all that I have read, this book is the most passable. It takes place at an all girls school and features a romance between two teachers. This is yet another story where the characters angst over their feelings for almost the whole book and confess at the end. This book would've been a lot shorter if they had just communicated. I find misunderstandings based on lack of communication frustrating instead of entertaining. Despite that, there's just something about this one that keeps it off the forgettable crap pile. I found myself enjoying the story and characters even though I've not enjoyed any of Tenzen's other manga. Maybe because it was a story about adults forming an adult relationship contrasted with the setting being full of schoolgirls and their schoolgirl crushes. So much manga is about teens that a story about adults is refreshing. I liked it. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Decent

PrettyKitty20034's Manga [Read all] - Anime News Network


Input: [Read all▲▼] Paradise Kiss (manga) [Comment▲▼] I first watched and absolutely loved the anime before picking up Paradise Kiss, the manga. There were no real discernable difference between the two. It pretty much played out exactly the same with just a little more elaboration on the ending in the manga. I think I enjoyed this a little bit more as an anime though. The colors, music, and voices really lend themselves to this very well written story. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Excellent

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Input: [Read all▲▼] (The) Palette of 12 Secret Colors (manga) [Comment▲▼] I was pretty bored with Kusakawa's other series, The Recipe for Gertrude, but Palette of 12 Secret Colors ended up being pretty good. The mascot characters, the birds, were pretty inoffensive and while I didn't really find them cute, their presence wasn't irritating like the puppets in Gertrude. I thought the premise of the color magicians was imaginative. The series itself was mostly plotless, with the chapters mostly consisting of episodic adventures. The only continuing plot thead was Cello's goal of graduating and her romance with Dr. Guell, of which both are neatly tied up in the last volume. it's rare that I find younger shoujo this entertaining, so I was pleasantly surprised by this series. I enjoyed it. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Oyayubihime Infinity (manga) [Comment▲▼] This was a very good short (six volumes) about past lives and reincarnation. I was happy to read about a shojo heroine who was smart and funny instead of a dumb doormat for once. The art was serviceable, nothing special. It was the characterization that made this story one of the more enjoyable shojo love stories I've read recently. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Ouran High School Host Club (manga) [Comment▲▼] Ouran is hilarious! I was entertained from the start by these wacky characters and their antics. The art is clear and lovely too. I've never been confused with what's going on or who is who. I've caught up with the U.S. releases and eagerly await each new installment. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Excellent

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Our Kingdom - Arabian Nights (manga) [Comment▲▼] This is a side story to Our Kingdom. I slightly enjoyed this one more, because it is only one volume. The main story drags on way too long for 6 volumes, but this one is told and wraps up in one. The same issues with her shota-esque art still apply here, which is to say: I don't like it. The plot is your typical desert setting with some Arabian prince, which is a major cliche, as Harlequin romance novels have been milking this one since time began. It's not any more interesting with BL trappings. So, while I can't really say I enjoyed this book, I didn't hate it either. =/ [Rating▲▼]

Output: So-so

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