Input: [Read all▲▼] (The) Incredible Kintaro (manga) [Comment▲▼] This is a gag manga, with most of the jokes centered around penises (penii?) and nudity. Granted, penises can be pretty funny looking so the humor did work for me. The premise is that main character-kun is the heir to a private school and in order to become the next principal, the staff members have to compete for his virginity. To protect himself, he enlists his childhood friend Kintaro as a bodyguard. Kintaro busts out some ridiculous naked martial arts and wields an ax as he takes down weird tentacle robots and pervy swim teachers. The book is pretty silly and I got a chuckle out of it. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Decent

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Immortal Rain (manga) [Comment▲▼] This is a different sort of shoujo, taking place in a futuristic world and featuring an immortal man and a teenage girl who fight against a evil corporation and a figure from Rain's past who are bent on world domination/destruction. There is a lot of action in this manga and it is quite well drawn. The story got a little ludicrous at times, but the emotional aspects were solid. While I'm glad I read this and I liked it overall, it's not something I enjoyed enough to keep on my selves to be read again. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Imadoki! Nowadays (manga) [Comment▲▼] Imadoki was a slight disappointment for me. I had expected more after reading other Watase works such as Ceres and Fushigi Yugi. It wasn't bad however, just your standard high school based romantic comedy. It was cute and sweet, but not particularly memorable. I vastly prefer Watase's other series. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Decent

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Il Gatto Sul G (manga) [Comment▲▼] Always on the lookout for something different, I initially was very interested in this story as it features a protagonist with multiple personality disorder. Too bad I did not like the neat and tidy way the boy was "cured" i.e. falling in love cures all things. *barfs* I did not expect complete realism in a manga, but at least it could have been believable. Also, the art was done in a style that I've come to identify as "generic BL". Wispy, feminine boys and sparse backgrounds is not a style I particularly admire and it's worse when it has no distinctive quality that sets it apart from other manga of it's style. In short, the art has no personality. It's boring. Thankfully, the plot wasn't boring. Extremely unrealistic and cliched, yes, but not boring. So, I despite its flaws, at least I was entertained. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Decent

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Idol Pleasures (manga) [Comment▲▼] Here is another lackluster manga form Fuhri Misasagi (I've Moved Next Door...). In this one, the brother of a talent agency exec is given a job to manage a young idol, who has a generic tragic backstory. I'd be amazed if these characters could be more cardboard than they are. Anyway, the idol becomes attached to temporary job-kun and at the end we get a random revelation that he used to be a detective and a former coworker attempts to revenge rape him only to be saved by idol-kun and they admit their love, yadda yadda. Yeash, the more I think about it, the book was terrible. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Not really good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Ichigenme... The First Class is Civil Law (manga) [Comment▲▼] I really like Yoshinaga's manga. I haven't found one dud yet among them. This one takes place mostly at a university and actually feels pretty authentic. The characters and the setting were well done. So many manga use setting as "window dressing", i.e. Schools when no one studies and workplaces where no one does any work, so it was nice to run across a university setting where the characters actually go to class. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Very good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] (The) Ice Wanderer (manga) [Comment▲▼] This is a collection of short stories by Jiro Taniguchi, mostly focusing on the wilderness and the great outdoors. My favorite were the Jack London adaptations and the whale story at the end. Overall it's a pretty strong collection of stories and Taniguchi's art is great as always. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] I've Moved Next Door to You (manga) [Comment▲▼] Here's a prime example of "plot, what plot?" boys love. There is a shallow story here that's just there to set the stage and handwaved away at the end as the couple gets together. None of the characters are any more than cardboard cutouts. Unfortunately for a story this shallow, the fanservice is...not that interesting. So in the end this book is pretty forgettable. [Rating▲▼]

Output: So-so

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Input: [Read all▲▼] I'm Not Your Steppin' Stone (manga) [Comment▲▼] I'm not going to bother with a plot summary, because it's not really the focus here. This manga was pretty porny. I thought it was hot, so I guess it accomplished what it set out to do. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone who isn't into explicit boys' love. Manga like this appeal to a very narrow niche and anyone who isn't the intended audience just isn't going to get it. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Very good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] I'll Be Your Slave (manga) [Comment▲▼] I guess this was supposed to be a parody or a gag manga? Either way, it fell flat for me. Most likely because the characters had no personality whatsoever. It's hard to see the humor in something that fails to be interesting. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Not really good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] I Shall Never Return (manga) [Comment▲▼] This was a really excellent high-drama style romance story. The characters are interesting and well written and there is actual honest to goodness character development in this series. The art style is typical of the early ninties, and I liked it. I was satisfied with the ending too. It ended happily with out being sickly sweet. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Excellent

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Input: [Read all▲▼] I Give to You (manga) [Comment▲▼] This is the first book I've read from this mangaka and it was just...ok. The lead character is an airheaded sort who is running form the loansharks after his boyfriend skips out on him leaving him with tons of debt. He ends up at a tea shop run by former Yakuza. The story itself wasn't bad, I just wasn't able to connect with the characters at all. They were uninteresting and flat. The romance can basically be summed up as "upbeat guy charms sullen recluse out his shell". There wasn't much else to it. I was mildly entertained by this book only. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Decent

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Input: [Read all▲▼] I Can't Stop Loving You (manga) [Comment▲▼] This two volumes series rests on the "meh" part of the scale, neither good, nor bad, but directly in the middle. It's characters are a couple of high school boys, one who's a buddhist priest in training and another who can see ghosts and has super human strength. They are dating and constantly getting cock-blocked by one ghost related incident or another. There is no real plot to this thing, it's all short little episodes starring the same two characters. The characters themselves are pretty thin. I did get some chuckles from the humor though. I do like Row Takakura's art too. I like how she draws faces, even the gaggle of little old ladies in volume one. Overall, this series was entertaining if middle-of-the-road. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Decent

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Hybrid Child (manga) [Comment▲▼] This is a short story collection from the creator of Junjo Romantica. Unfortunately, this doesn't compare to JR at all in terms of quality. Hybrid Child is a story about androids set in the 19th century. It took my a couple of stories to figure out that this was a historical piece. It was an awkward mix IMO. I did like the one (tragic) story without the androids though. In the end, I found the collection mildly entertaining only. [Rating▲▼]

Output: So-so

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Input: [Read all▲▼] How to Seduce a Vampire (manga) [Comment▲▼] This is a mediocre first effort by a new to me manga-ka. The title story, about a vampire barber, is marginal. The second story, which takes place in a historical time and also features the vampire barber, is much better and pushes this book into "decent" territory. This is a darker story which explains where Kureha met the blacksmith who makes his magic shears. The final two storys are comlpetely forgettable. One is about cosplay and the other is a historical piece. Both feature bearded dudes with long hair. Clearly the manga-ka has a fetish. On the whole, this book isn't goin to blow anyone away, but I found it mildly entertaining. It's not bad, but I wouldn't call it good either, strictly middle of the road fare. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Decent

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Input: [Read all▲▼] How to Control a Sidecar (manga) [Comment▲▼] This book is a sequel to Martini, but focused on diffeent characters. This time, it's another bartender who's being persued by two guys. This book wasn't as engaging as the first book. The characters don't have any history together, so the romance seems even more rushed. This book also uses the tired old rape & later fall in love with rapist plot, which really stretches believablity. Especially since it was a pretty black and white rape, not a "forced seduction". I couldn't get into the relationship because of this. It appears this is one of Makoto Tateno's "misses". [Rating▲▼]

Output: So-so

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Input: [Read all▲▼] How to Capture a Martini (manga) [Comment▲▼] Makoto Tateno is hit or miss for me. I've enjoyed her longer series like Hero Heel and King of Cards, but her one shots and anthologies tend to leave me cold. Martini ends up in the middle of the scale. In this, a guy runs into an old boyfriend (a bartender, hence the title) and wants to rekindle the relationship. Since they broke up years ago without closure, he's still in love with him. It's an emotional story and which mostly worked for me, except for the revelation about why they originally broke up. It was super contrived and tested my believablity meter. I wish Tateno would've come up with a more plausable reason, as otherwise I mostly liked the book. It does suffer from a lack of depth and a rushed story, but the fact that it wrung any emotion from me at all gives it a leg up on the countless other yaoi onehots that I read and forget immediately after. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Decent

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Hotel Harbour View (manga) [Comment▲▼] I bought this because Jiro Taniguchi did the art. His writing is excellent also, but unfortunately he didn't write this. The book contains two stories in which a man is killed by a female hitwoman. They are very dated in that 80's pulpy ultra sexual and violent way. But, I since I wasn't expecting much from the writing, I wasn't disappointed. Taniguchi's art is the draw here and the book's production values really compliment it with it's thick white paper, clear dustjacket, and large size. I wish this type of presentation was more common. [Rating▲▼]

Output: So-so

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Hot Limit (manga) [Comment▲▼] I was pretty entertained by this one because it aspired to a plot beyond your usual insipid love story. It can be summed up like this: a rich kid is prostituting himself at the behest of a crooked polititian/lover and ends up being helped out of the situation by a broke college student who falls in love with him. It's not going to win a literary prize, but it sufficed for some light entertainment. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Decent

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Hot Gimmick (manga) [Comment▲▼] I really enjoyed this story despite the fact that none of the characters were particularly likeable. Ryoki was an abusive d-bag and Hatsumi continued to be a doormat throughout the whole story. Their relationship was completely disfunctional, and that's what made it interesting (and disturbing). I just wish Ryoki would've gotten a clue, and Hatsumi would've stood up for herself. There's no effin way I'd ever allow a man to slap me. Why Hatsumi? Why? [Rating▲▼]

Output: Excellent

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Honey/Chocolate (manga) [Comment▲▼] The first half of this book is a continuation of one of the stories in The Object of My Affection. The second half is a student/teacher romance. This is just mediocre fare, with underdeveloped stories and characters. It mildly enjoyable but still strictly middle of the road. [Rating▲▼]

Output: So-so

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Honey*Smile (manga) [Comment▲▼] This is the second lackluster Yura Miyazawa manga I've read, the first being Love Syndrome. In this there are two stories, both featuring coworkers at generic offices. The characters are stock types of the cardboard variety, and the romance feels manufactured and shallow. There is nothing offensive in this book, it's just very forgettable fare. On the plus side, the art is clean and attractive, but that can't save it from bad writing. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Not really good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Honey Senior, Darling Junior (manga) [Comment▲▼] This is actually the second time I read this, yet I didn't remember a thing. The stories in this are a forgettable as they come. The main story is about a sempai/kohei who are in love. That's it. No plot whatsoever. cardboard characters. Really dated, crude looking art. On the plus side, it isn't offensive. Just painfully bland. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Not really good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Honey Darling (manga) [Comment▲▼] This one volumes story is about a shiftless young guy who takes a job as a live in housekeeper/assistant at a vet clinic. He discovers he really likes the work while he falls for the vet. Its a pretty standard romance and I enjoyed it. What made this one stand out for me was the art. The characters are drawn in a much more masculine way than I'm used to seeing an a BL manga, which i appreciated. Nothing pulls me out of a story faster than seeing grown men depicted like pretty young girls. I also liked the heavy focus on Shiro, the cat. Norizaku even mentions in her notes that she didn't mean to draw a cat manga, but I thought it was fun. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Honey Colored Pancakes (manga) [Comment▲▼] This is a short story collection by Keiko Kinishita. Kiss Blue is one of my favorites, so I was expecting better from this book.The stories were just too short and underdeveloped. I'd say the blandest of the bunch was the title story, about the pastry chef and the guy he picks up who likes sweets. The two student/friend romances had to most potential, but they were just cut too short. If either had been expanded to fill a whole book, it could have been pretty good. In the end though, the collection was just barely average. [Rating▲▼]

Output: So-so

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Honey and Clover (manga) [Comment▲▼] Honey and Clover is a slice of life drama about a group of friends at an art college in Tokyo. The characters are just so well written and nuanced, they came across as very human and real, definitely not shallow archtypes. The story features not one, but two love triangles. The first one features the childlike art prodigy Hagu, and her two admirers, Takemoto and Morita. The second features Mayama, his employer Rika, who he is in love with and also his friend Yamada, who is in love with him. Neither of these goes in a direction one would expect. Umino wrote them both in a realistic manner with some characters finding their paths together and some heading off alone. I really wanted to whack that Yamada upside the head. She clung to her hopeless feelings for Mayama for far too long. He made it clear that he didn't have any feelings for her early on, but she refused to move on. I alternated with feeling sorry for her and getting frustrated with her. I credit it to Umino's writing skill that I was able to invest so much into these characters. I cried at the end. This is a truely excellent series. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Excellent

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Hissing (manhwa) [Comment▲▼] This is a fairly typical sunjeong manhwa, with it's overly melodramatic plot and androgynous art. The art did strike me as awkward at times. Yelling characters in particular often looked like big mouthed bass. Also, Da-Eh's nose was so small she looked like Micheal Jackson's long lost twin. I did like Da-Eh though, she was not like the leads in Japanese shoujo manga. She was no doormat and stood up for herself just fine. I seem to run across these types of heroines much more often in the Korean manhwa. As for the plot, I mostly found it to be underdeveloped and lacking explanation. For example, the situation with Da-Eh's little brother, nor Ta-Jun's relationship with his sister/cousin are really delved into. A lot of the melodrantic stuff lacked impact because of that. The central romance between Da-Eh and Sun-Nam was nice. Other than that, much of the plot and character development was tossed by the wayside. That's too bad because while I was entertained by "Hissing", it could have been better. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] His Arrogance (manga) [Comment▲▼] This is a fairly typical cliche sort of BL manga that doesn't leave much of an impression. Ryo's father owns a modeling agency and his brother is a famous model. Ryo lives in the company dorm with all the models and starts a relationship with one of them. That's the premise, and its a pretty cliche one. Just an excuse to draw pretty boys. Yawn. Ryo also has a brother complex, although his older brother's brocon is even creepier. I found that relationship to be a bit offputting. The characters were pretty much cardboard cutouts, able to be summed up in a couple of words. Ryo was your standard submissive "cute" type, which is common in bad BL and I find really out of place in a BL manga. He was basically your standard shoujo heroine. He did not pass my "is this a believable male" test. Why not just make him a girl and have done with it? There was also not a single woman in the whole book. It's like that half of the species went extinct. No wonder everyone is gay. =D [Rating▲▼]

Output: Weak

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Input: [Read all▲▼] High School Girls (manga) [Comment▲▼] Rarely has a series made me laugh so loudly. Volume after volume, it stays funny and never feels stale. High School Girls is set in an all girls school and follows a group of friends. Instead of going the cutesy slice of life route, it depicts high school girls as they really are, gross out humor and all. Seriously, girls are not made of sugar and spice and everything nice. They are just as slovenly and dumb as teenage boys. It's refreshing to see girls depicted that way instead of perfect little fetish objects. I really enjoyed this series. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Excellent

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Hey, Sensei? (manga) [Comment▲▼] This student/teacher romance is my favorite by Yaya Sakuragi that I've read so far. The premise is cliche, but the execution is not. Both characters are portrayed as men and the relationship feels equal. Sakuragi doesn't resort to "girlifying" one of the characters to fit into traditional gender roles and for that I'm grateful. There isn't much to the story, it is a simple romance, but it succeeds at what it's trying to do and I like it. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Hero Heel (manga) [Comment▲▼] I admit that initially I didn't understand the fuss over Makoto Tateno's work. That could be because my first experience was with her one-shots, which IMO aren't the greatest. Although, I did like Yellow and now Hero Heel has also come along to cement my opinion as a fan. I must say her series are much better than the one-shots. Plots are more intricate and the characters and emotions are better developed. In Hero Heel, the relationship was a complicated and drama filled thing, playing out over all three volumes. I appreciated reading about a romance that had complications, it's more entertaining for me and the ending was ultimately more satisfying than if the couple had gotten together in the first volume. This is another reason I prefer a longer series format. I thought the setting was fun in Hero Heel as well. The characters were actors in a "Power Rangers" sort of action show and it felt authentic and not merely window dressing. Tateno's art is a plus overall, with my only peeve being that sometimes the characters tend to all look alike. Since I havn't read a whole lot of her work yet, this isn't so much of a problem. However, I did enjoy Hero Heel very much and look forward to checking out more of her series in the future. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Very good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Here is Greenwood (manga) [Comment▲▼] This one was a dissapointment. The good: I liked the 80's style art and some of the humor was really funny. The bad: The rest of the humor and such flew right by me because I kept getting confused. The art and/or dialog didn't always make it clear exactly what was going on. I had to re-read the bathroom scene in volume 1 three times and I still didn't get it. I don't think I'll continue with this one. So, I gave this one another chance. I liked it better this time around, and I was able to get through all 9 volumes, but it will never be a favorite. The series reminds me a bit of "School Rumble" with its absurd humor, yet I don't find "Greenwood" to be nearly as funny. I liked it best when it stuck to the slice-of-life humor and the boys' everyday hijinks. When it ventured into alternate fantasy realms, I had trouble maintaining interest. The character designs were sometimes difficult to tell apart too, Shinobu and the other blonde one (Ikeda?) especially, which probably accounted for some of my confusion when I first picked up this series many moons ago. Despite its flaws, it really is a good series, if not to my tastes in regards to humor. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Decent

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Her Majesty’s Dog (manga) [Comment▲▼] Overall, I thougth it was mediocre. I'm having a hard time coming up with things to say because it wasn't bad, it just didn't leave much of an impression. I thought the characters were underdeveloped and the plot kinda meandered until the last two volumes where it picked up a bit and came together with a pretty good ending. In this case, the ending dragged up the rating from "so-so" to "decent". [Rating▲▼]

Output: Decent

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Helter Skelter (manga) [Comment▲▼] This manga is about a model and her obsession with being the most beautiful to her detriment and eventual downfall. It really portrays how harmful obsession with youth can be and the sad fact that there is no escaping it. It's everywhere. Whether you turn on the TV, read the internet, or open a magazine, those messages are inescapable. Okazaki's art compliments the book beautifully, with very bold lines and exaggerated proportions its almost "ugly", mirroring the characters themselves. The end gave a "to be continued", but I felt that it ended just fine as is. I don't see what else Liliko has to tell really. I'm really interested in reading other work by the mangaka though. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Very good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Heaven!! (manga) [Comment▲▼] I found Heaven!! to be a very good romantic comedy with spot on (for me) humor. I even laughed out loud a few times. Seino's expressive art is also well suited to comedy. After enjoying this and a couple of her other works (Girl Got Game and Love Attack) I'll pretty much buy anything of hers that is printed in English. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Very good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Hate to Love You (manga) [Comment▲▼] This is a BL one shot about sons form two rival rich families. They both attend the same private school and while at odds with each other, are in love with each other. Honestly, it's pretty "meh". This is a standard Romeo and Juliet style story, and just to beat on e over the head further with it, one of the dads drop a "just like Romeo and Juliet" line in the story. Gag me. Since this is a one shot, characters are stick figures, and plot? what plot? In the end, this book wasn't actively terrible, but it wasn't good either. [Rating▲▼]

Output: So-so

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Hard Rock (manga) [Comment▲▼] I liked this slice of life/romance story about four guys in a band. The relationships appeared somewhat realistic and natural, unlike a lot of BL manga. Also, I quite liked Akane Abe's art as well. Each of the characters had a distinctive look and personality, far from generic. I can't stand manga where everyone looks alike except for varying hair colors. It's lazy art. Hard Rock definitely is above average in the character art department. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Happy Mania (manga) [Comment▲▼] Happy Mania is about a 20-something, Kayoko, and her search for a boyfriend. I thought the story was excellent. The characterization was especially good. Each character was three dimentional and human, flaws and all. My only wish is that it had ended a bit more conclusively, but it makes sense that it didn't as that's just the way life is. Overall, an A+! [Rating▲▼]

Output: Excellent

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Happy Hustle High (manga) [Comment▲▼] At first glance, this is just another run of the mill high school shoujo romance. Rie Takada's writing and knack for comedy and expression make this one out to be a cut above the rest though. I laughed out loud several times during the reading of this. Hanabi was an absolutely adorable and hilarious main character, definitely not a typical shoujo doormat. The romance was cute and well written. I could "feel the love" between the two and I wasn't left scratching my head as to why they liked each other. After finishing this and reading "Wild Act", I have become a serious fan of Takeda's work and am looking forward to tracking down the rest of her manga published in English. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Very good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Happiness Recommended (manga) [Comment▲▼] Here, Yukiharu was raised by his grandfather who dies and he moves in with his 6 younger brothers. Both parents have skipped town and the household is poor and slovenly. Haru has to learn to fit into his new life and also reaquaint himself with his childhood friend, Makoto. This is boy's love, so Haru and Makoto's friendship is more than it seems. My main problem with the book is that is felt like it need a sequel. This book was the set up, but lacked much of an ending. Overall, I liked the book. There was just enough to the characters that I wanted to know how they got along with their new living arrangement. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Decent

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Hanky Panky (manga) [Comment▲▼] This is the kind of forgettable dreck that disappoints me the most when I pick up a new-to-me mangaka. Let start with the art, which was ametureish. There were minimal backgrounds, faces were weirdly proportioned, and all the characters had this same face with similiar hair. This was a short story anthology, but the couples in each looked exactly alike. The stories themselves were super shallow and disposable. It was entertaining enough I guess, but I will not remember it after an hour. [Rating▲▼]

Output: So-so

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Hanako and the Terror of Allegory (manga) [Comment▲▼] This is a fun little short series based on the premise that urban legends become real when people believe in them. Aso is an "allegory detective" who investigates paranormal mysteries. He is assisted by Hanako, an allegory herself, and Kanae, the subject of chapter one's case that helps out at the office. The stories are mostly episodic, with a few offering hints as to Aso's special powers and a larger story. One was pretty comedic, in which Kanae makes a deal with the mirror demon in order to become an idol. The series was pretty entertaining and a lot lighter than Esuno's other series, Future Diary. I enjoyed it. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] GTO: The Early Years (manga) [Comment▲▼] Based on reading GTO, I was expecting a hilariously crude comedy series. The first volume was exactly that, with Ryuji and Onizuka going to a resort and lying about their ages/school to pick up chicks. It was hilarious. After that the series settled down into a typical shounen fighting manga, with the pair encountering one new foe after another that they must beat up to preserve their reputations as bad-asses. This started to drag after awhile as the formula was getting a bit stale. Fortunately, during the last third of the series the mangaka must have realized this, the comedy picked back up and it was great. The art saw a marked improvement as well over the course of the series, with the early volumes looking a bit crude and old-school and the later volumes looking more like GTO, with Onizuka's trademark over-exaggerated expressions. Overall, I enjoyed this series, if not as much as it's sequel. Those last few volumes in particular were awesome. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] GTO: 14 Days in Shonan (manga) [Comment▲▼] This is a GTO side story in which Onizuka spends 14 days in his hometown shacked up in a group home with a bunch of troubled kids and a couple of hot chicks. Of course Onizuka helps all the kids solve their personal problems and he's still a virgin. Yep, all of the typical gags are reused in this series. Onizuka is pretty much a blatant Gary Stu, good at everything and can solve any problem with just his sheer awesomeness. Still, I found the series entertaining on the whole, but not quite as good as the main series. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] GTO (manga) [Comment▲▼] At times, I thought this read like a cheesy after school special. Some kid always has a problem and Onizuka always shows up to fix it. It was eye-rollingly over the top at some points. On the other hand the moralizing was injected with a shot of great humor. Despite the ocasional corniness, GTO is a pretty entertaining manga. I liked it overall. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Very good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Gravitation EX (manga) [Comment▲▼] Maki Murakami only finished one volume of this Gravitation sequel before abandoning it. It's been quite some time since I've read the original series. About the only positive I can give to EX is Murakami's art looks a bit more polished than I remember, and it was nice seeing all the characters again. Unfortunately, the plot is nonsensical. The more outlandish elements that saturated the later volumes of the original are in full force here, like the giant robot panda, also plenty of guns, explosions and silly violence. Most of the characters appear here, kinda like a reunion show. The bare bones "plot" is wrapped up at the end of the volume, so I'm perfectly content to end it here. As it is, this book adds nothing to the original story. I would have been better off rereading that instead. [Rating▲▼]

Output: So-so

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Gravitation (manga) [Comment▲▼] This is the first yaoi manga I have read and overall, I enjoyed it. One thing that was especially noteworthy was the lack of the traditioal female role in the romance. I found that refreshing, as it allowed Shuichi to persue his career and call Yuki out on being an asshole, something I've never seen with shojo heroines. Usually they just focus on making the man happy, no matter how much of a dick he is, and have no aspirations other than that. *Pukes* the humor in the story occasionally ventured in to over-the-top territory (the giant robotic panda!?), but it managed to be very funny at times too. I found that I enjoyed this manga a lot more than the anime as well. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Very good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] (The) Gorgeous Life of Strawberry Chan (manga) [Comment▲▼] This is basically a gag manga about a boy and his pet frog. It is utterly plotless and silly, and full of Morinaga's WTF style humor. In this case, the humor is hit or miss. It took most of this first book for me to warm up to the characters and start finding some of the jokes funny. I got most of my laughs from the second book, "The Super Cool Life of Strawberry Chan". [Rating▲▼]

Output: So-so

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Gorgeous Carat Galaxy (manga) [Comment▲▼] This is a sequel to Gorgeous carat, although it reads more like a side story. Noir and Florian head out to one of Florian's aquaintence's estates in order to inspect some art and encounter a gothic style murder mystery. Yep, this one has a creepy castle with secret pathways and the requisite mentally ill relative. The book itself doesn't address anything left hanging at the end of the original series, so I was a little disappointed with it. The story itself just wasn't as intesting as the last series as well. I was still entertained but I just didn't like it as much. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Decent

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Gorgeous Carat (manga) [Comment▲▼] Gorgeous Carat was more entertaining than I had expected it to be. It's a fun sort of historical adventure series about a couple of aristocrats, one of which who is a jewel thief. This is another of Higuri's series which takes place in exotic locales, this time France and Northern Africa at the turn of the 20th century. It's probably far from historically accurate, but it is something different, which I appreciate and You Higuri's art depicts it wonderfully. The story arc about the Templars' treasure wraps up at the end of the fourth volume, but some threads are left hanging, such as the relationship between the lead characters and the fate of the Black Hand. I only hope that Higuri goes back to this someday and continues it, as there is still a story left to tell. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Golden Prince and Argent King (manga) [Comment▲▼] This one volume story reads just like a cheesy soap opera, full of melodrama and ridiculousness. An orphaned high school boy is taken in by his rich grandfather and goes to live with older two half brothers. He falls in love with the older one, and both are into him, while later it's revealed that he's not actually blood related to the older one. The art was wooden and amateurish and the plot was laughable. Actually, the story is the least of this thing's problems. It was just terribly written with stilted dialog, horribly drawn expressions and nonexistent characterization. I was just barely entertained and objectively I can admit that it wasn't very good. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Weak

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Golden Cain (manga) [Comment▲▼] In Golden Cain, a self destructive young man begins an affair with Cain, a model. I enjoyed this one, mostly because the characters were interesting. Both were a little messed up, which made for an entertaining read. Golden Cain was memorable, which isn't something I can say for Sweet Revolution, which I also read today. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Glass Sky (manga) [Comment▲▼] I'm beginning to like Yugi Yamada. Glass Sky is a book of short stories. I'm usually not a fan of short stories, because they don't allow for a lot of depth. However, these were pretty entertaining. Yamada's art style is growing on me and she does have a flair for expressions and comedy. I'm looking forward to reading more of hers. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Decent

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Girl Got Game (manga) [Comment▲▼] Girl Got Game is a cute and funny romantic comedy with a basketball theme. There isn't much actual basketball in the story though, it's mainly used as window dressing. The characters were cute and I really liked Kyo. I was happy to see her kick some ass and not be a submissive doormat. I hate seeing women portrayed that way and having it looked at as some sort of feminine ideal. I know it's common in shojo manga, but it still touches a nerve, which is why I get excited when the heroine has an actual personality beyond pleasing her man. The art was standard shojo style, which gets the job done, but doesn't stand out in any way. What made this story was Kyo herself, and the humor of her dealing with her teammates. The humor totally worked in this manga. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Ghost Slayers Ayashi (manga) [Comment▲▼] This is a two volume adaptation of the Bnes anime Ghost Slayers Ayashi. Ususally, manga adaptations are pretty bad, but this one is passable. However, the manga assumes familiarity with the anime and doesn't spend much time on introductions. Like the anime, it is episodic. Volume one is broken up into two stories, and volume 2 contains one whole story. The art retains the style used in the anime as well and comes across quite nicely on the page. I was mildly entertained by this short series. It isn't anything mindblowing, but for fans of the anime, it's worth checking out. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Decent

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Ghost in the Shell (manga) [Comment▲▼] I watched the movies and the TV show before reading this. While this was pretty much more of the same, I enjoyed the movies and the TV much better. First, the good: the art in this was in the ultra detailed 80's style and it was beautiful. The stories were very well written. Some of them were adapted into the TV series while others were combined for the movie. The bad: The art suffered from a sort of cheap sleazy porn asthetic. Every female character appeared in some sort of stripper gear while the rest of the (male) characters were dressed in normal clothes. I don't mind nudity, but the disconnect with the way the male and female charcters were portrayed sort of hindered my enjoyment of the story. It's hard to take the Major seriously when she's portrayed in the strpper squat, cameltoe on display. Thankfully, the fanservice aspect wasn't present in the movies. All the nudity there made sense in the context of the story and didn't feel cheap and pandering. I also felt the movies was more tightly plotted, as the manga stories sort of meandered a bit, jumping from one case to another without much to connect them. Because of these issues with the manga, I enjoyed the anime much more and will stick to that in the future for my GITS fix. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Gerard & Jacques (manga) [Comment▲▼] Gerard and Jaques has a unique premise in that it's set just before the French Revolution and stars a fallen aristocrat and a wealthy writer. Like another truly excellent Europe based manga, Victorian Romance Emma, I found the characters to be believably European. (A lot of manga creators seem to fail at this). Not only were the characters above par, the plot exceded my expectations too. Out of all the Fumi Yoshinaga manga I've read so far, this one ranks up there with Antique Bakery as one of my favorites. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Excellent

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Gentlemen's Agreement Between a Rabbit & a Wolf (manga) [Comment▲▼] Once again a short story collection that will be forgotten in an instant. The title story is about a couple of bickering coworkers forced to wear animal suits to promote...something ? never explained. They bang, the end. On the positive Oumi's art is great. Too bad the rest isn't. [Rating▲▼]

Output: So-so

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Input: [Read all▲▼] A Gentleman's Kiss (manga) [Comment▲▼] This is a BL about two sons of rival "business yakuza" groups. When the story opens, the two are adults and have been together for several years, keeping their relationship a secret. It has a bit of a Romeo and Juliet (or Romeo) vibe, except the factors keeping them apart are mostly internal. One half of the couple is insecure about admiting his feelings and is also afraid to commit due to family and etc. I liked this rare romance about adults. It does feature some romance cliches, such as the doomed to fail rival and an overwrought hospital scene near the end. Still, it was a good, entertaining read. Shinri Fuwa's art is of the barebones backgroundless variety, and her men are occasionally anatomically challenged, but I do like that she draws men looking like men. Overall, I liked this story and it does hold up to a second reading. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Gente - Ristorante no Hitobito (manga) [Comment▲▼] This is a prequel to Ristorante Paradiso. The story begin with the opening of the restaurant and follows the employees, both former and current. This is a slice of life manga about average people. I enjoyed reading about adults with adult problems. Unfortunatley, I really didn't find these people that interesting. Perhaps it's because there were so many characters, some who looked alike, and not enough page time to really delve into each one. The orginal book, Ristorante Paradiso, handled this much better, focusing almost soley on Nicoletta and her mother and fully deveolping their cinflict. In the end, I did like this series, although not as much as I was hoping. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Genshiken (manga) [Comment▲▼] Genshiken is a fun and realistic slice-of-life comedy about a bunch of otaku and their school club. The characters were well written and memorable. I found Kasukabe's reactions to the various nerdly activities priceless. I got a laugh out of the initiation ritual as well. The manga is pretty much full of anime and manga references and both pokes fun at and celebrates otaku culture. I don't consider myself an otaku, but I enjoyed it greatly nonetheless. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Excellent

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Genkaku Picasso (manga) [Comment▲▼] This short three volume series is about Hikari, a runty antisocial boy who draws pictures. One day he and his only friend are in an accident, and he gains the power to draw pictures of the inside of peoples hearts. These are usually surreal in nature and have to be decoded in order to solve the person's problem. Hikari has to help people or else his body will rot. The premise was really interesting, but the execution is of the standard shounen "problem of the week" variety. Fortunately, the art in this is fantastic, and made up for the mediocre writing. Since, it was such as short series, it never had the chance to get stale either. The ending was a little trite and touchy feely but a least it did end. I can understand a kid friendly ending for what ultimately is just a kid's series, although a more creative one than I'm used to seeing. Overall, I enjoyed it. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Gay's Anatomy (manga) [Comment▲▼] This is an earlier work by You Higashino. The art is not as strong as her later works. Her style is still the same but it's not as consistent, with some oddly proportioned faces. It seems as if she tried to write a "romance" here as well, but it's rife with tired tropes like the huge demanding guy dominating the girly blushing one. Bleh. She should just stick to porn. The "love scenes" in this book aren't as adventurous as I've come to expect from her later work as well. So, while in general I'm a Higashino fan, this isn't a very good book. [Rating▲▼]

Output: So-so

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Gatcha Gacha (manga) [Comment▲▼] The first volume of this is very promising. It is your standard high school set shoujo romantic comedy, yes, but the characters are a bit different than your regular stock 2D cutouts. The heroine, Yuri, is a serial dater, described as having "turned every knob in the school". She befriends a beautiful, bad natured girl named Motoko. she has a crush on a notorious womanizer, and the straightlaced class prez has a crush on her. For the most part, I enjoyed this manga, the characters are interesting and their interactions make for some fun. What bored me was the overly melodramatic past involving Motoko, her sister and Yabe. Volume 7 in particular was a low point in the series, as it focused almost soley on Motoko and an old friend from junior high. What made the series most interesting was Yuri, her strange friendship with Motoko and her misadventures with love. I was also sort of disappointed that there was no resolution for Hirao. Sure he was pretty spineless for most of the story, but he really steps up in those last few volumes, so I was rooting for him. Oh well, The series is certainly well worth reading as it is a bit different from a lot of what's available for high school shoujo romances. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] GALS! (manga) [Comment▲▼] I'm more familiar with the GALS! anime since I saw that first. I've read five volumes of the manga so far and I'm not liking it as much. I've had the rest of the series sitting on my shelf and I'm finding it hard to drum up any excitement to read it. It's still the same lighthearted shoujo comedy, but I find the jokes and situations duller without color, sound and voices. Also, maybe it's not as funny the second time around. Or, maybe I just have to be in the right mood to enjoy this thing. I'm not expecting my opinion will improve, but I'll slowly finish the last five volumes and report back. I just finished volume six. I'm really disliking Otohata at this point. The prevailing message here seems to be some sort of "keep chasing him even if he doesn't express any interest in you" and "he's only a dick to you for your own good" sort of BS. Yes, Aya is a huge pushover, but their relationship is skeeving me out. This is another variation on the standard shoujo doormat herione falls for jerky guy scenario. Four more volumes to go. Aaand I've managed to slog through volumes 7 and 8. What's really not doing it for me is the screechy slapstick. Yelling and Exaggerated reactions leave me cold in the humor department. I've finally finished the last two volumes! Sadly, the series never managed to engage me. The humor didn't click, I found the drama boring, and I couldn't connect with the characters. It's strange to me that I had this reaction, because I did end up enjoying the anime. It isn't a favorite, but I did like it. For some reason though, this manga left me cold. [Rating▲▼]

Output: So-so

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Gakuen Heaven Nakajima ver. (manga) [Comment▲▼] This incarnation of Gakuen Heaven is a little bit better than the first, but that's not saying a lot. The story is still shallow and cheesy, but You Higuri's art somewhat makes up for it. [Rating▲▼]

Output: So-so

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Gakuen Heaven (manga by You Higuri) [Comment▲▼] The story is generic and crappy. The only reason to read this is You Higuri's art. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Not really good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Gaba Kawa (manga) [Comment▲▼] I've enjoyed all of Rie Takada's work so far and Gaba Kawa is no different. It is about a demon girl who is sent to earth in order to do evil deeds and capture souls to send to hell. Unfortunately for her, she falls in love with a human boy. I found it very funny. Takada is spot on with comedy. My only complaint was the ending. It wasn't good. In fact, it was the cheapest reincarnation gimmick I've ever seen. Other that that though, I did find Gaba Kawa a fun read. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Future Lovers (manga) [Comment▲▼] What a great story this was! I found the plot to be wonderfully realistic and the characters were memorable and 3-dimentional. It was a good mixture of LOL moments mixed with well written romance. I thoroughly enjoyed it. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Excellent

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Fushigi Yûgi (manga) [Comment▲▼] It's been several years since I've seen the anime. so I decided to sit down and read Yuu Watase's classic "girl gets sucked into a fantasy realm" manga. This manga has been cribbed from so much that it's hard to go back and read it with fresh eyes. On the other hand, the cast is so memorable and the melodrama so over the top that I couldn't help but get into it anyway. The lead, Miaka, is the dumbest twit ever to grace a reverse harem shoujo, in my opinion. In true harem fashion, she's surrounded by lots of handsome men who inexplicably fall for her. The setting is fun, a fantasical ancient China, in which gods, demons and magic are commonplace. Miaka must collect her seven warriors and summon the god Suzaku to bring peace to the land. Overall, I found it mildly entertaing. I can only wonder if I would have connected better with this story if had read this when i was much younger. Then I would have been less critical of it's many flaws, such as the dumb as a box of rocks lead, the contrived way all these dudes seem to fall for her (like how she turned Noriko straight), or the character actions that are improbable or over the top (Yui for example). To be honest, the whole thing is kinda dumb, but then again, I am not a twelve year old girl. I'm glad I at least read this once. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Decent

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Full House (manhwa) [Comment▲▼] This manhwa makes use of several hoary old romance tropes, such as The Marriage of Convenience and The Big Misunderstanding. Yet, even though I knew when the creator was going with the story, I still found myself hooked. Ryder and Ellie were such a well matched couple that I couldn't help but root for them. In stories like this, it's about the journey than the destination. Soo Yon Won is also the creator of one of my favorite, Let Dai. While this story isn't quite as fresh, I still found it highly enjoyable. Her art is lovely and detailed, with beautiful character designs and excellent background art. Unfortunately, this series has only been published up to volume four. I had to make due with the dreaded scans to get the rest of the story. I would absolutely love to have the rest of the series on my shelf though. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Very good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Fruits Basket (manga) [Comment▲▼] I know this is massively popular, but I only marginally enjoyed it. *ducks the rotten tomatoes* Perhaps if I had read this as a young teen instead of a grown adult, it would have had more of an impact on me. From my perspective, it seemed to wallow in the melodrama, almost like it was forced. Bad characters are super evil and twisted and the good characters were oh so good and it was a little bit unbelieveable to me. Tohru in particular I had a problem with, other than being perfectly good and saintly, she had no personality or character development what-so-ever. On the other hand, Kyo and Yuki both go through changes and I felt this series was more about them than anyone. Takaya's art also matures thoughout the series, as she visible ages up her characters as time goes on. On the other hand, her character designs do not have a lot of variation, so sometimes I got them mixed up. I did think the main romace between Kyo and Tohru was sweet and nicely written, if (again) a bit too melodramatic. Their reasons for being apart struck me as overblown, but maybe that's my adult perpective. I do remember being a teen and thinking inconsequential things were much more important than they really are, but as an adult I can't help but thinking it's a bit stupid. My final verdict: the series was just "good", nothing great and I doubt I'll ever reread it. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] From Up Above (manga) [Comment▲▼] This series was published in 2006 and has only the one volume published but it ends with a "to be continued". I appears it has been abandoned and it doesn't look like the mangaka is working on anything else either. (Maybe got tired of the slave wages and got another job?) Regardless, this book isn't really that good. A boy is struck by lightning and is now followed around by some sort of cat/lightning god who was sealed away by the boy in a previous life. The cat/man thing is demanding the boy give him back his "mana" but the boy doesn't remember a thing. Near the end, the pair encounter another god/demon thing and the book ends just as a confrontation is imminent. The set up is kinda interesting, but since it ultimately doesn't go anywhere the book just feels pointless. As it is, I can't recommend this one. [Rating▲▼]

Output: So-so

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Input: [Read all▲▼] From Far Away (manga) [Comment▲▼] From Far Away is your basic "girl gets sucked into another realm" shojo story. This series was excellent for the first few volumes, but the plot really slowed down around the mid point. As for the art, it was fairly good, but not outstanding. Overall, I enjoyed From Far Away, but I don't think it's one of the more memorable series I've read. I'd give it a B-/C+ [Rating▲▼]

Output: Decent

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Freefall Romance (manga) [Comment▲▼] The plot can be summed up as "romance between coworkers". It's simple but for a one volume story, it worked. I thought it was decent. I liked the art as well. I recently reread this as I didn't know at the time it was part of a larger story. I think I appreciated it more having had a little backstory on the main character. I've also read a lot more yaoi between now and then and having come across so many duds makes this story look so much better. It's simple, yes, but it is well written for what it is: a nice clean salaryman romance. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] A Foreign Love Affair (manga) [Comment▲▼] The plot is simple. A Yakuza guy on honeymoon with his arranged marriage bride ends up having an affair with an Italian dude. Pretty much this manga's point is to undress a guy in a kimono. The plot is shallow, but the naked parts are hot. Ayano Yamane's art is really detailed, and she draws "manly". Anyway, I wasn't expecting great literature when I read this, just simple entertainment, for which it succeeded. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Decent

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Forbidden Dance (manga) [Comment▲▼] This is an early work from Hinako Aishihara, the mangaka who brought us "Sand Chronicles", and it shows. Whew! It's rough. The art is very sloppy, with proportions all over the place. The thing looked like it was drawn by a class of five year olds, seriously. The plot and characters are similarly underdeveloped. Ashihara admits that this was her very first serialization, so I will cut her some slack as she obviously improved on her later series. A couple of the oneshots used to pad out the volumes hint at being better. In these, the mangaka was able to create some high drama, which the main story tried and failed to achieve. Thankfully this was only four volumes long and I found it interesting as a curiousity; an early work from a decent mangaka. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Not really good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Flowers & Bees (manga) [Comment▲▼] Flowers and Bees is an absolutely hilarious story of a guy who will go to great lengths to get girls to like him. Unlike a lot of other comedies, this one actually goes somewhere, neatly concluding the story in just 7 volumes. I liked the character designs as well; everyone had their own distinct look, even the ugly people. My only teeny tiny complaint is that I wish the end hadn't been so abrupt. Other than that, I loved it! [Rating▲▼]

Output: Excellent

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Flower of Life (manga) [Comment▲▼] This is an excellent high school slice-of-life manga by Fumi Yoshinaga. Her characters are always so human and realistic, as is the way they interact. Her plots never feel contrived or cliche. Her humor is truly funny. Its more subtle and not of the gag/slapstick variety. Really, I haven't read a bad manga by her yet, and Flower of Life is no exception. I loved it. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Excellent

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Flower in a Storm (manga) [Comment▲▼] The premise of this two volume series is completely ridiculous, and the mangaka knows it. It doesn't take itself seriously, which is a point in its favor. It's also entertaining. But, it crossed the line from ridiculously fun to just stupid a few times and I started to lose interest. I liked the two bonus stories at the end of each volume far more than the main story. They're both serious, understated romance stories and I thought they were much more well written. I'd like to read a longer work from this mangaka in her more serious style. This silly manga with its wacky premise fell flat for me. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Decent

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Input: [Read all▲▼] (The) Flat Earth Exchange (manga) [Comment▲▼] I've read and seen this premise before, in which the protagonist is cryogenic-ally frozen and wakes up to find a very changed future world. This one really doesn't offer anything new, but I enjoy these types of stories, so I was entertained. The mangaka wrote the first few volumes much earlier than the conclusion and it shows. The earlier art looks very dated to the vastly improved later chapters. Since the series is only four volumes long, a lot of the charcters are short changed in development, and a lot of plot threads are left dangling. Fortunately, s/he managed to wrap it up with the conclusion of a story arc so it still feels satisfying even though it needs a sequel. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Decent

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Input: [Read all▲▼] (The) First Stage of Love (manga) [Comment▲▼] Here's another collection of short stories. These were extremely forgettable. I can barely remember them scarcely an hour after reading it. Oh wait, the last story about the fat kid was a cut above the others, but still it was far too short. I keep reading these short story collections, but very few of them have managed to impress me. [Rating▲▼]

Output: So-so

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Feverish (manga) [Comment▲▼] Feverish was very bland and completely generic. I can scarcely remember it just minuted after finishing it. Nothing about it stood out in nay way. It wasn't offensive, just really boring, with boring cardboard cutout characters and a boring shallow plot. There is much better BL out there. Read that instead. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Not really good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Family (manga by Yuuya) [Comment▲▼] Not much to write about here, as the story is about as shallow is it comes. It features a "love" triangle between three brothers, the middle one being adopted. This was originally published as doujinshi according to the mangaka. It really nothing more than pointless smut. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Weak

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Falling into Love (manga) [Comment▲▼] Nothing I've read by Takashi Kanzaki has been any good. The stories have all been typical yaoi fare full of the same old tropes. This book is no different, but I like her art, so I keep giving her books a chance. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Not really good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] A Fallen Saint's Kiss (manga) [Comment▲▼] All of You Higashino's work I've read so far has been plotless smut and this book is no different. This one is a BDSM themed student/teacher high school thing. Higashino's art style tends to run toward the angular and masculine, so her schoolboys look a little old and that's cool with me. There's also no hearts/flowers/sparkle in this book, so those looking for sappy romance are sure to be disappointed. As far as I'm concerned, the book succeeds at what it's trying to do. I thought it was hot. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Decent

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Fallen Moon (manga) [Comment▲▼] This is an antholgy collection. I hesitate to call these short stories as they're more like story fragments. The collection is choppy, since the fragments aren't related. I found the whole thing to be poorly written overall. The art isn't bad though. Character designs are sufficiently detailed and the panels are not devoid of backgrounds. Having read another lackluster offering by this mangaka, Othello, I'm going to be giving future works a pass. Hopefully licensors do as well, because it's a shame that forgetable dreck like this gets published while many quality titles remain unlicensed. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Weak

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Fake Fur (manga) [Comment▲▼] I was pleasantly suprised by this manga. I found the relationships depicted within to be a lot more realisticly portrayed than the majority of romance manga. No eyeroll inducing, cheesy, sappy lines or contrived situations are used. I found it refreshing and I really liked it. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] FAKE (manga) [Comment▲▼] When I originally tried this manga, I couldn't get into it. I had read two volumes and thought the "mystery" plots were boring and cheezy and the two kids, Bikky and Carol, were annoying as hell. (WTF kind of name is Bikky anyway?) I recently tried it again, as it is a BL classic and I wanted to see if my opinion had changed. Now, since I now have more familiarity with the genre, I can appreiciate Fake for what is is: basically a homosexual buddy cop story. The interactions between the main characters is where this series shines. The dialog is quite funny. The actual plot of the series does seem to begin with episodic cases, but as the series goes on they begin to relate to each other to form a larger story. I'd say the weakest plotwise was the hotel murder mystery in volume two. The kids are sill annoying, but thankfully their screen time is diminished as the series goes on. The best thing about this series is the relationship and the natural way it progresses. After reading a ton of short BL oneshots where the characters declare their love in chapter one and get in on in chapter two, something like Fake with it's actual plot and slower progression is a breath of fresh air. I'm so glad I gave this series another chance. I totally get it now. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Exotic and Delicious Fate (manga) [Comment▲▼] Miyagi is a restaurant manager who enters into a relationship with the new chef. The plot of this was soap opera like. Miyagi turns out to be a "secret baby", and the chef is hiding a secret as well. This could have been entertaining if the characterization were not flimsy as hell. I will not remember these characters tomorrow. [Rating▲▼]

Output: So-so

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Everlasting Love (manga) [Comment▲▼] Here we have yet another collection of BL short stories. This one is average and forgettable for the most part. There was one story that was a slight cut above the rest, but they all basically share the common problem that short stories tend to have, and that's a lack of depth. [Rating▲▼]

Output: So-so

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Eureka Seven (manga) [Comment▲▼] I watched the anime before I picked up this manga. While the story was the same in general, the way it unfolded was a bit different, so it was more like an alternate retalling than a rehash of the previous material. The character designs were kept intact from the anime, which I appreciated, because I did like the art in Eureka Seven quite a bit. Since the manga is only 6 volumes long, much of the character and relationship development is skimped on. It's not so much of a problem if you've seen the anime, because you are able to fill in the blanks yourself. If I hadn't seen it, I don't think I would have enjoyed reading this nearly as much. Eureka Seven is one of my favorites, and I liked being able to revisit the story and characters again. I thought the manga was pretty good. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Very good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] (La) Esperança (manga) [Comment▲▼] I took me a couple of volumes to warm up to this title. Once the characters grew on me however, I found myself wanting to find out what happens next. La Esperanca is a very chaste school boy romance set in catholic boys school in a pseudo European France-like country. I liked the atmospheric art and cathedral settings. I felt Kawai's wispy ephemeral art was well suited to such a setting. The plot was very angsty and almost crossed the line for me at times into pure melodrama. It managed not to go too far though and I enjoyed it very much. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] ES (manga) [Comment▲▼] What a great story ES was! A perfect length at eight volumes long, ES was an evenly paced and compact story. No endless filler here. I also really like Soryo's art style. Her characters are drawn with very clean lines and the backgrounds are nicely detailed. It was refreshing to read about adult characters for once as well. I liked ES so much that I can't think of one complaint. This definitely tops Mars as Fuyumi Soryo's best. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Masterpiece

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Entangled Circumstances (manga) [Comment▲▼] This is a rather run of the mill salaryman romance. One man is being pursued singlemindedly by the other, who finally wears down his object of affection and gets his guy. It's short, predictable and nothing new. Also, Kikuya's art style is not really to my tastes, as the characters are drawn too boyish looking to be adults. If this was a schoolboy romance, the style would fit right in. Ultimately, the book was mildly entertaining, but nothing more. I doubt I'll remember it tomorrow. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Decent

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Endless Rain (manga) [Comment▲▼] This one can be best summed up as a melodramatic soap opera. The plot and characters are pretty shallow. It's not a memorable book, but I thought it was fun and entertaining, and that's about it. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Decent

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Empty Heart (manga) [Comment▲▼] I liked Masara Minase's wonderfully twisted "Lies and Kisses" and found this book to be enjoyable too. At the start of the story, Takumi is already in love with his older brother's friend who also happens to be his teacher. The teacher used to be in love with Takumi's brother Ryuuta. Takumi throws himself at Usami sensei in hopes that he will notice him. Despite how this sounds, the age difference isn't really a factor here. Minase draws characters with a more "adult" look, so Takumi looks more like an older teen instead of a blushing schoolboy. Usami is only a few years older as well. So a premise that could have been creepy is just only mildly inappropriate. My only annoyance was Usami's out of town friend who randomly shows up and crashes at his place. I found his accent annoying to read and he was basically a cheap plot device to get the characters to admit their feelings. I also wish it had been a bit longer. A lot of these BL one shots are so short that they don't have much emotional impact, unlike say a "Let Dai" where the romance has to develop over many volumes. Other than that, it was entertaining for what it was. I do like Minase's work and I hope to see more of it in the future. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Emma (manga) [Comment▲▼] I actually put off reading this for awhile, as I wasn't immediately grabbed by the first volume. Once I picked it back up and read further, I couldn't put it down. The level of detail in the art alone is just amazing. I've never read something set in another country that feels so authentic. The mangaka surely did her research. The story is a romance between a maid and a man from a well off family and the difficulties they face due to the class difference. It is fleshed out with a large cast of characters, many of whom are revisited in the side stories in volumes 8-10. The ending was absolutely perfect, a giant wedding in volume 10. I loved this series and it will go down as one of my favoirtes. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Masterpiece

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Emerald (manga) [Comment▲▼] This is a collection of short stories by the Blade of the Immortal mangaka. My favorite was the title story, a western. It was the closest to BotI in tone and execution. The others we are a bit more "out there". Some super creepy such as the masochist dad in the second story or just a regular kind of weird like the virtual reality story starring a mangaka. Overall, I enjoyed the collection but the only story with "keeper" value in my opinion is Emerald. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Electric Hands (manga) [Comment▲▼] I like Taishi Zaou's manga. At first glance they always appear to be your typical cliche stories, but she always seems to mess with the common tropes just enough to make them interesting to me. My favorite story in this anthology was the one with the two brothers who attempt to seduce their new stepbrother. I really wasn't expecting it to go in the direction it did. I really like her art too, her characters are drawn cleanly with nice bold lines. This type of story (anthology of blushing schoolboys) is usually one that gets panned by me, yet I enjoyed this one. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Eerie Queerie! (manga) [Comment▲▼] This is a rather silly little series about a high school boy who has an affinity for ghost and is constantly getting possessed. His first possession is a girl who has a crush on one of his classmates. After sending the ghost off to the afterlife, the boys become friends, sort of. This is a boys' love series, so there's a bit more to the relationship between the boys. I thought it was cute and I wasn't annoyed by the silliness of the premise like I usually am with these tyes of series. I think because this is a series and allowed for more room to develop that I was able to get into it. The mangaka admits that this was her first published series and the art was pretty rough in the first volume, but improved greatly by the end of the series. In the end, I mildly enjoyed this series. It's light, silly and fluffy. Just good brainrotting fun. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Decent

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Eensy Weensy Monster (manga) [Comment▲▼] This is short and sweet two volume romantic comedy from the Kare Kano mangaka. Since it was only to volumes, I was able to enjoy it much more than Kare Kano, which I thought was needlessly drawn out. Instead, here the characters are cute, well written, and manage to work their differences out in the first volume. The second is devoted to their developing relationship. The art is much more polished in this series as well, it is several years newer after all. Overall, I quite liked it. It doesn't break any new ground, but it's a lighthearted and cute diversion. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Earthian (manga) [Comment▲▼] The only other Yun Kouga manga I've read has been the truly excellent Loveless. So, perhaps my expectations were too high, because I didn't like Earthian nearly as much. It was "ok" at best. For one, the plot was all over the place, with the story jumping around and introducing random characters and events with seemingly no direction. It did manage to find some cohesion by the end, but it wasn't enough to make up for the chaotic beginning. The art was a bit on the dated side as well. This was clearly an older work when compared to Loveless. Tokyopop's release of this series was excellent though. The books were far above most US releases in quality, with color pages, embossed covers and really nice quality paper/printing. Too bad the content wasn't as good as the packaging. Don't get me wrong, I did mildly enjoy Earthian, even with its flaws. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Decent

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Durarara!! (manga) [Comment▲▼] Having already viewed the anime this is based on, reading this manga felt a bit redundant. It is four volumes long and only follows two of the intertwining arcs from the anime, Celty's search for her head and the creation of the Dollars. This isn't a bad adaptation, the story is still fun, the characters are certainly memorable, and the art is decent as well. But overall, I found the anime to be a much richer experience. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Decent

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Duetto (manga) [Comment▲▼] Half of this book was taken up by a story about two guys in a long distance relationship. There was a time skip every chapter, which made the whole thing feel rather disjointed. The art and panelling in this one was rather ametuerish as well, as I had trouble reading the flow of events and telling characters apart. The last two stories, which were written later in Kujyou's carrer, saw a marked imporvement visually, but were still paper thin in the writing and characterization department. The second to the last story, "Secret", actually creeped me out, as it featured "father-con". Overall, this thing is just the sort of forgettable poorly written dreck that I dislike and find often in the BL genre. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Not really good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Dry Heat (manga) [Comment▲▼] More Yugi Yamada! Having read all her other work printed in English, this is more of the same, with her wonderful humor and expressive art and characters. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Dramacon (world manga) [Comment▲▼] Dramacon is a three volume short that takes place at an anime convention. Since I've never been to a convention, I had no point of reference for this story. The story was fairly enjoyable and the humor worked for me. I did find the plot to be rather predictable though. Overall, I enjoyed it as a light fluffy read. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Dragon Head (manga) [Comment▲▼] This is a great entry into the survival horror genre. It was very creepy and my eyes were glued to the page. The plot was quick and action packed and the twists kept coming. The series is absolutely brutal, with almost over the top violence and despair. It's not one I'll reread often, but it has a permanant place on my shelf. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Very good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Dragon Girl (manga) [Comment▲▼] Dragon Girl was just another cliche ridden high school set shoujo. The protagonist (whose name I have already forgotten) wishes to join the school's cheering squad. The squad only has one member at the start and is opposed by an elite student council group with the prerequisite cheesy name for such groups: "Platinums". This was about as bland and unoriginal as it gets. Even the big plot twist in volume two was visible from about 10,000 miles away. The characters were particularly underdeveloped, with one note personalities and maybe only the barest mention of any backstory. It helps when using a lot cliches to at least make the characters worth reading about but nope, not here. As for the positives, the art was clean and attractive, and the story was at least inoffensive, if painfully mediocre. [Rating▲▼]

Output: So-so

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Doubt!! (manga by K. Izumi) [Comment▲▼] This series is by the same creator as the hilarious Seiho Boys' High School. While the story is not nearly as strong, as it's a typical plain girl makeover gets popular guy scenario, the humor is enough to draw me in, as it can be quite funny. The writing got a little sexist for me a times though, as the underlying message seemed to be something along the lines of being pretty is most important for girls, and dating the handsome playboy is somehow more desirable than your self respect. I don't know why Ai didn't just dump prettyboy-kun when she found out he was three timing her, instead of vowing to "try harder". Some "prizes" really aren't worth winning you know? As a comedy I felt the series succeeded, but as a romance, I felt it completely failed. Even still, I was entertained while reading the series and I felt the main character, Ai, was relate-able, it a bit misguided. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Double Trouble (manga) [Comment▲▼] This is another barely mediocre book by Takashi Kanzaki (His Arrogance, Falling into Love). Here the tired old "all boys school where everyone is queer" trope is dusted off. The main story involves a guy with a split personality, his stepbrother who has a crush on him, and the crusher's roommate who in turn has a crush on him. It is really, really stupid. The guy has a split personality only because the roommate hypnotized him (whut?!). This is also an older book, so the art is rougher, characters go off model and facial proportions are wonky as hell. The only redeeming factor I can give it is that it is just dumb enough to be entertaining. [Rating▲▼]

Output: So-so

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Double Cast (manga) [Comment▲▼] This one volume story is an understated romance between two rival actors, one who is an up and coming star and another who's career is starting to decline. The relationship initially starts out antagonistic, with the two guys competing for roles and generally pushing each other to be better. Things eventually turn romantic, and feelings are confessed at the very end. I quite liked this book, as a lot of the tired tropes are missing and both characters look like men. There's no "only gay for you" as both characters easily admit that they prefer dudes. The character's actions are believable as well. My only gripe is the length of the story. I wish it was a bit longer and had more depth, because relationships have far more to them than the initial confession + first kiss. The set up was well done, so I wanted to see more of these characters and how their relationship played out. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Dorothea (manga) [Comment▲▼] This takes place in medieval Germany and features a young albino woman named Dorothea who joins a mercenary group in order to protect her homeland. Because of her red eyes and white hair, she is accused of being a witch and is hunted by religious fanatics and inquistors. Despite the ugliness and violence of the time period depicted here, the setting of this didn't quite feel authentic. I prefer to look at the story more as a "medieval" fantasy romp, rather like those fantasy novels featuring some chick in chainmail on the cover wielding and impossibly heavy looking sword. In that vein, Dorothea is a very entertaining little action series. Even the fake middle ages style dialog adds to the fun. (Zounds!) The art isn't bad, though it doesn't have a discernable style, but it doesn't detract. It does focus a little too closely on Dorotheas tits at times, which made sense when I learned the mangaka mostly writes Hentai manga. Despite that, I did enjoy this little six volume action/historical/fantasy series. I'm not going to run out and read the mangaka's other output though. =/ [Rating▲▼]

Output: Good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Don't Say Anymore Darling (manga) [Comment▲▼] This is a collection of short stories from the same manga-ka as Antique bakery. I found it pretty uneven. A couple of the stories I really liked, but then I'd read something like that android story (Ewww!) or that "last man on Earth" thing (WTF?). So, while the selection was diverse, I was overall unimpressed. This collection doesn't hold a candle to other works by Fumi Yoshinaga. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Decent

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Don't Rush Love (manga) [Comment▲▼] Mio Tennohji's manga are all of the "plot, what plot" variety. This book, "Don't Rush Love" is no different. It trots out the tired old "all boys school where everyone is queer" trope yet again, and has a couple of boys rooming in dorms who hook up. There isn't much to say about this, as characters were pretty cardboard and there was a lot of sex. Frankly, I just found it tiresome. Porn is supposed to be titillating, but this book was rather boring and rote. [Rating▲▼]

Output: So-so

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Don't Blame Me (manga) [Comment▲▼] Don't Blame me follows a bunch of college film club members and their relationships. I liked it, but only mildly. Yugi Yamada's art looks really odd from some angles and really good from others. It's distinctive though, I'll give her that. The plot was decent, if not spectacular. The characters were sort of forgettable. I was entertained by this, but I thought Close the Last Door (also by Yamada) was much better. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Decent

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Dolis (manga) [Comment▲▼] This was a one volume short about people with Serious Issues. I couldn't relate at all with the characters or the story. It was too "emo" for me. The art was off-putting as well, with very distorted facial features (even for manga). My verdict: give this one a pass. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Weak

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Dogs: Prelude (manga) [Comment▲▼] This manga contains 4 short stories and is a prequel to the Dogs: Bullets and Carnage series. It's basically a set up introducing all of the characters. It's very faced paced and action packed, and also stylishly drawn, with lots of exaggerated poses and bullet effects. I was entertained by this volume and I really want to check out the main series now, so in that light it was successful in whetting my appetite for more. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Dog Style (manga) [Comment▲▼] I've been extremely disappointed with the quality of BL that's being released lately, so I went back and reread this series. I remember liking it quite a bit the first time around and I'm happy to say it holds up to a second reading. What sets this series apart from all the shallow one shots are some actual honest to goodness three dimentional characters. Teru is a bit of a loner and a delinquent who's been ditched by his best friend in favor of a new girlfriend. Miki has some abuse and abandonment issues and a sort of crush on his best friend. Both the friends in both scenarios are brothers, so Teru and Miki happen to run into each other now and then and form a sort of relationship. Much of the series is about the two exploring their feelings and defining said relationship. It's not all heavy drama though, as Motoni has a knack for comedic expression. There is a bit of comedy in this series, but it's more the situational sort and not the annoying slapstick variety. There are no chibi's in sight. I quite like this series. I like how the character and their feelings are explored in depth and not just glossed over for a cheap happy ending. Both characters were convincing as highschool boys, goofing off and horsing around. They both were drawn in the same style and liked that the mangaka ignored that tired old trope of making one character the "girl" stand in. Even their first time isn't stereotypical with the boys complaining about how it was uncomfortable. (some good comedy there. I laughed.) Even though I've read this, it was just as if not more enjoyable the second time around. I wish more like this was brought over instead bland anthologies and saccarine schoolboy stories. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Very good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] A Distant Neighborhood (manga) [Comment▲▼] A salaryman facing a midlife crisis wakes up to find himself reliving his 15 year old life. It's two volumes long, but the story is complete and satisfying and well developed. In fact, I loved it. Taniguchi's art is really lovely as well. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Masterpiece

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Dining Bar Akira (manga) [Comment▲▼] This is one of the few yaoi I've encounted that could be about actual gay dudes. The characters look and act like regular guys. The plot is simple: a manager at a restaurant gets a confession from one of the waiters. The rest deals with their developing relationship. There are none of the typical yaoi conventions. It's not cutesy, and there are no pretty boys. I found it extremely refreshing and loved it. This one's a keeper. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Excellent

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Input: [Read all▲▼] (The) Devil's Secret (manga) [Comment▲▼] This is an anthology by popular BL mangaka Hinako Takanaga. I never really got into her work, and this book didn't change my mind. The stories are all short, shallow and forgettable fare, with cardboard characters and cliche scenarios. [Rating▲▼]

Output: So-so

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Devil's Infirmary (manga) [Comment▲▼] I usually have to divorce myself from reality in order to read the more porny BL manga. This book is no different, as it involves a school nurse hitting on his students. It's fine as a porn set-up but it would be icky in real life. This is a typical sex=love plot as well. I was entertained by the book, but it's certainly not Shakespeare. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Decent

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Input: [Read all▲▼] (The) Devil Does Exist (manga) [Comment▲▼] The premise sounded interesting, and it was for the first volume. Other than that I found most of the conflicts to be silly and inconsequential. Since the "drama" was really silly, the plot wasn't very interesting. The characters were pretty boring as well. Kayano was your standard spineless "good girl" type. And Takeru was just dull. I did read to the end just to see how it all turned out, but I prefer more maturity in my romance series. [Rating▲▼]

Output: So-so

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Input: [Read all▲▼] A Devil and Her Love Song (manga) [Comment▲▼] At first glance this is yet another high school set shoujo romance. What sets this one apart form all the others is a unique heroine. Maria isn't your typical everygirl or a genki tomboy, she's actually the stereotypical popular girl, except she's blunt and speaks her mind which doesn't win her any friends. She transfers into a new school in volume one and quickly makes enemies of almost the entire class. The story is basically about her finding acceptance (and romance of course). I found it to be well done (mostly). There is a plot point where Shin avoids Maria for several volumes that I found a bit overwrought. Otherwise, the series is very good and avoids stepping into soap opera territory. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Very good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Desire Sensibility (manga) [Comment▲▼] This is a pretty straight forward workplace romance. Kosugi works part time at a customer service call center and has a crush on his boss, Ogata. It doesn't really break any new ground and it's predictable as hell, but I found the story pleasant enough. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Decent

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Input: [Read all▲▼] (The) Desert Prince (manga) [Comment▲▼] I like Shu^3 Sakurai's manga. They tend toward stupid silly fun, and this book is no different. The title story is a ridiculously over the top Arabian prince romance and the story after that is a parody of "tough guy" yakuza BL. The rest of the stories weren't so memorable. Even still, I occasionally enjoy reading a book that doesn't take itself seriously at all. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Decent

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


Input: [Read all▲▼] Depression of the Anti-Romanticist (manga) [Comment▲▼] I actually liked the title story here. The characters meet in bar, where one is a host and the other is a customer, and their relationship develops slowly and naturally and doesn't feel forced. There appears to be effort put into developing the characters some as well. Unfortunately, the story abruptly ends on a cliffhanger. I assume there is going to be a sequel at some point, because as it is this story is clearly unfinished. Years later, a second volume appears! This one wraps up the story nicely. There really isn't any new ground tread here, but the romance is nice and the addition of Mizuki's (sp?) family gives it a nice touch or realism. The flood drama came a bit out of left field, I guess the mangaka couldn't think of a more subtle way to force the characters to admit their feelings at the end. Still, i liked the series overall. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Decent

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


Input: [Read all▲▼] (The) Demon Ororon (manga) [Comment▲▼] This was only an "OK" read. I was not a fan of the art style either. Something about it felt very chaotic. I occasionally had trouble differentiating between the characters and a lot of the fonts were a pain to read. All of this wouldn't have been a problem if I were completely drawn in to the story. Unfortunately, I wasn't. [Rating▲▼]

Output: So-so

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


Input: [Read all▲▼] Delivery Cupid (manga) [Comment▲▼] This is the first CJ Michalski manga I read and it wasn't very good. The title story was about an aspiring cupid (literally) who shoots shady looking target but accidentally stabs himself with his own arrow. Really the stories were all of the "meet, have sex, I love you, the end" type. Boring. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Not really good

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


Input: [Read all▲▼] Deeply Loving a Maniac (manga) [Comment▲▼] This is yet another You Higashino smutfest, this time about an otaku, Morita, who transfers his obessions with 2-D anime girls on to Sakura instead. I found this book a little more comedic than expected from a Higashino title. I was amused when Morita couldn't control his fantasizing and it bled into his day to day life. Apparently, this book is the middle book of a three book series. It can be read alone, although I would really like to read the first book, in which Morita and Sakura met and first started going out. Hopefully 801 media will go back and publish it. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Good

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Dear Myself (manga) [Comment▲▼] Meh. I didn't find this tale of codependency romantic at all. It's a tale of two high school boys, one who is an amnesiac who has recovered his memories but has forgotten everything in between, including his boyfriend. The boyfriend has abandonment issues. I thought Daigo needed some meds, or better yet, a straight jacket. And what in fresh hell was that short story in World's End, about the 20 yr old being molested by his 18 yr old step dad? Yeah, you read it right. It was creepy as fuck. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Not really good

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


Input: [Read all▲▼] Days of Cool Idols! (manga) [Comment▲▼] This is a very shallow one shot about a plain glasses wearing boy who transfers to a special school for idols. When he takes off his glasses and puts on a wig, he looks just like another famous (female) idol, who has a stalker and has turned into a shut in. So, he's drafted to be her body double and perform in her place. Yawn. It actually sounds more interesting than it is. It wasn't bad, just very very mediocre, of the sort that I have trouble saying even anythong about it as it leaves that little of an impression. Even the art is undistinguishable from a thousand other generic shoujo. [Rating▲▼]

Output: So-so

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


Input: [Read all▲▼] (The) Day I Become a Butterfly (manga) [Comment▲▼] This collection of short stories can barely be called boy's love, much less yaoi. For one, I thought the character in the first story was female until I noticed the pronoun. Also, a few of the stories are centered around typical shojo boy X girl relationships. Despite the genre confusion, this is a pretty good set of short stories with a somewhat melancholic portrayal of teen love. I liked it. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Good

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


Input: [Read all▲▼] (The) Dawn of Love (manga) [Comment▲▼] Here is a simple romance between a college student and a promiscuous classmate. This is the sort of BL I prefer reading, one with adult characters who persue a relationship together, with no rape is love crap or weird fetishy BS. The characters in this story are a bit one dimentional and the plot is super shallow, yet I was entertained by it all the same. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Decent

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


Input: [Read all▲▼] Darkside Blues (manga) [Comment▲▼] This is a one volume manga by the Vampire Hunter D creator, Hideyuki Kikuchi. Whenver I read his work, I feel like I've gone back in time to the 90's. This one takes place in a gritty futuristic world controlled by a giant mega corporation, Persona Century. The characters are rebels who fight its tyrannical rule. Into all of this appears "Darkside" who comes into the world driving a carriage through a myserious portal. None of this is ever explained, and I was kinda struggling to see the point of his presence in the story. There are several other characters that appear and do nothing as well. Even the character important to the plot are under developed. In fact, the more I think about it, this book was kinda a nonsensical mess. The one point in it's favor though was the gorgeous art. Very retro and detailed, it made it easier to read about paper thin characters and a plot that barely made sense. [Rating▲▼]

Output: So-so

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Input: [Read all▲▼] Darker Than Black (manga) [Comment▲▼] This two volume anime spinoff contained some interesting ideas, but they were poorly executed. The plot just goes along wthout any real explanation. I have never seen the anime (which I have read is much much better), so I was not familiar with the universe beforehand. That lack of explanation makes the story feel somewhat disjointed and hard to relate to. The art doesn't help, it's amaturish at best. The proportions are all wrong, the panel layout lacks flow, and action scenes are poorly laid out and hard to follow. Ultimately, this manga just isn't very good. I'd still like to see the anime though. [Rating▲▼]

Output: Not really good

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