ah, nostalgia... Aria is one of the very first mangas i ever read (if you're curious, my very
first manga was Peach Fuzz lmao). it's an extremely comfy slice-of-life series that takes place
on a terraformed Mars of the future, where water covers about 90% of the planet's surface. Akari
and her friends are training to become gondoliers, but she makes sure that they all take the
time to soak in the beautiful Neo-Venetian landscape
Tip: if you want to read the whole series, you need to start with the two
volumes of Aqua. it's not some separate prequel series, they're the actual first two published volumes
of Aria
BREAKING NEWS: These Bitches Gay!!
while Bloom Into You is a relatively typical yuri manga (it's two high school girls
falling in love), i really enjoy the depth of the characters and how the focal relationship
develops over time. and Yuu is a character i personally really appreciate--she struggles
with her long-standing inability to develop romantic feelings for others, frustrated by how easy
it is for other people to fall in love. i can't think of any other romantic story i've seen that
has a character like that, so it makes this story very refreshing
reading this manga is just me constantly nodding and going "he just like me fr"
it feels weirdly indulgent to read a comic that's focused on the Journey and Struggles
of Being An Artist, but by god experiencing Yatora's sudden intense interest in creating art and
his resulting triumphs, widened artistic perspectives, and Intense Self-Doubt feels like he's
reaching thru the pages and punching me in the gut. too much of this shit is RELATABLE!!!!!
creating art is such a fulfilling experience, but the desire to improve your craft can really
weigh you down if you're not careful
im very curious what reading this is like for non-artists, bc so much of this story feels so
familiar
didn't expect the wombo combo of Cooking Manga and D&D Dungeon Crawling to be such a potent
elixir but guess what!! it's got a great cast of charming and goofy characters, mouth-watering
monster-based recipes, and some REALLY good solid art. the core concept of "these idiots need to
get thru this dungeon but they don't have money to buy food" is executed to such a delightful extent,
and the story's kinda funny bc at first it feels like it's mostly gonna focus on the
cooking aspect, but then these goons keep stumbling into more and more plot
can't emphasize enough how good the art is, both the people and monsters are drawn with
such lively expert draftsmanship
a short and sweet one volume manga about an incarcerated woman who's training to become a
hairdresser
thankfully it's a story that's fairly grounded and thoughtful towards its characters,
opting not to sensationalize the setting but, instead, provide some gentle character
development for everyone who steps into this salon
i love the old lady so much, wishing nothing but the best for her 😭🙏
imagine a world of magic where everyone is capable of brutal violence but ALSO: everyone is some
unique brand of dumbass. that's exactly what makes Dorohedoro so appealing to me, that Tastey,
Delicious dichotomy between "wow that was preddy violent" and "haha love this idiot :)". i also
really like how this story handles its world building, where you'll be introduced to some wacky
zany new thing and you just gotta sit back and be like "maybe the story will explain this
eventually"
i do enjoy the chaotic scribbly quality of the art, altho sometimes it gets REAL hard to
tell what the hell is going on in a panel. Q Hayashida please use more gray tones im begging you
now, im about to present a pretty wild take here but................. i think Fullmetal
Alchemist is good
i had multiple people telling me for years that this story is pretty dang good, so when
i finally got around to it i Finally Understood (i actually watched the OG anime first, but we
don't need to talk about that mess lmao). it's got a finely interwoven plot that methodically lays down
its pieces, building up to a very satisfying final arc. thru its nuanced cast of characters it explores
some heavy topics, plus any story that has a main theme of Fuck The Military will always have me like 👀
im THE member of the Armstrong Siblings Fanclub
god i love the art in this series 😩 its lovely storybook aesthetic complements the story's Superb
Vibes, utilizing tons stark black and white contrast for really striking compositions. and i love the
characters! love when a story pulls off a good cute child/guardian dynamic, Shiva is perhaps The Most
Child Of All Time
however, i can't tell if i like the ending or not?? i think it's bc like, the last
leg of the story shakes things up a Bit but also leaves some aspects of the story vague, so i'll
eventually have to reread the story to get a better sense of what the mangaka's intentions were
(and whether i think they were successful)
one teenager who lost her parents in a car accident + one aunt who had a rocky relationship with
her niece's late mother = delicious josei pain
i always get so excited when i find a character drama where the characters actually feel
real and nuanced and everyone's lives intertwine organically. Asa and Makio find themselves
living together after that horrific car accident, but they're about as polar opposite as you can
get; one's a sociable high schooler with an endearing level of naive bluntness, while the
other's a 35-year-old novelist who is much more reserved. together, they navigate their
complicated, messy feelings towards the deaths of Asa's parents in a very genuine and raw way (if not
sometimes a little wordy and navel gazey)
only series im listing in both my manga and anime favs bc hot damn!! this is one of my Favs
y'all!!!
aesthetically, Land of the Lustrous is utterly captivating--consistently striking compositions
utilize bold black fills to frame graceful figures in the midst of flashy combat and crushing
agony. and lemme tell you, these sentient rock people never get a break babey!! i always love a story
that's not afraid to stick a knife in my back and twist it
over and over and over. also: love how Phos's character development is expressed in a very
physical way. go off miserable frankenstein thing
i have some gripes about how the story is paced in later parts, but overall i adore this
series
i am in fact a Chainsaw Man Enjoyer, and i think that series is extremely fun, but Fujimoto has
been blowing me away with his short comics. this one especially was a kick to the stomach
:'^)
Fujimoto has a way of making his stories feel almost voyeuristically personal, where each turn
of the page peels away a layer of his skin, peering deeper into his
soul. this tale of two young artists striving to become professional manga artists feels so
steeped in personal experience. the inspired drive to improve your craft. the many, many,
many lonely hours practicing. the absurd power of looking up to another artist. the
immense joy of collaborating with someone you look up to. all
ending in sickeningly personal heartbreak
Manga For When You Wanna Feel Depressed
Tomoyo has just discovered that her best friend, Mariko, committed suicide, and
impulsively steals Mariko's ashes from her awful father. while not necessarily a groundbreaking
plot for this type of tale, its grounded and visceral emotions are gripping and genuine. i also love
the art--it's very charming and expressive, adding a frantic energy to many scenes
it's only one volume long, so i can't say too much else without spoiling stuff. just!
read it!!
a poignant tale of a high school boy who, after being outed as gay at school, finds
a small LGBTQ community to gradually become comfortable in his own skin. everyone there has
their own unique identity struggles, with a large focus on how,
despite it being impossible for anyone to completely comprehend or relate to what others
are going thru, they can still try their best to understand each other and thoughtfully lift
each other up
unfortunately, the ending feels pretty rushed, but idk if it was planned
that way or if the manga got axed. either way i still love this story
this was my first Urasawa manga and i've never read Astro Boy so im sure that i didn't fully
absorb the sheer raw power of this combination. even so:
this manga rips
based off the Astro Boy arc "The Greatest Robot on Earth," this manga transforms
it into a murder mystery led by Gesicht, a highly advanced android detective. the big focus is on the
one great robot question: what differences are there really between humans and robots?
im awestruck by how Urasawa can make 90% of the shots purely talking heads but make it
work so WELL
college student Satoko decides to study abroad in the USA, but is shocked to find
out that her new roommate, Nada, is a Muslim woman from Saudi Arabia! a nice little
slice-of-life edutainment series, focusing on Satoko learning more about
Muslim culture and traditions. but it isn't a one-way curiosity--Nada is also curious
about Satoko's culture, and they trade quite a bit of culture shock in America
as an American who doesn't share either of their cultures, it was always interesting to
learn more about their distinct cultures and pretty funny to witness what shocked them about my
own country
i watched the anime in a binge haze and immediately scuttled over to the manga to cheer on
my dear darling children!! go get 'em Hick Nerd Girl Protag!!
it's a rom-com where all the characters got Good Genuine Depth who gradually forge
Meaningful Relationships with one another and that's the kind of character writing im craving
out here!!
the budding romance is slow, but it's slow in a way that feels realistic for them and not
like they're drawing things out purely for some will-they-won't-they bullshit. these kids are
learning more about themselves thru each other and got some baggage to wade thru, okay?
also: good trans rep!!
highschooler Aimi starts having dreams about a surreal alien planet, soon meeting another girl
her age who is apparently trapped there. can they figure out what in the world is going on fast
enough before alien dangers befall them?
i think im mostly drawn to the potential of this story--it presents an intriguing
alien world with a captivating mystery, but when i finished reading it i found myself wishing
that the alien world itself was more fleshed out. it's still definitely a worthwhile four volume
excursion tho
malewife. guydude. scrunkly dunkly blingo blongo yakuza husband.
sometimes i wanna sit back, relax, and witness an ex-yakuza man threaten his roomba with
bodily harm bc it can't vacuum corners worth a shit. he LOVES maintaining his
household to the highest standards, he LOVES a good bargain sale, and most importantly he LOVES
his WIFE!!!
also GOD im so glad that the humor isn't rooted in making fun of Tatsu for doing
"feminine" housework, instead we're making fun of his bombastic attempts at
functioning within civilian society
powerful contender for The Most Beautiful Manga Art I've Ever Seen Witnessed
the draftsmanship is WILD everything is drawn with such care, and its
storybook-esque hatching is really charming!! also pleasantly shocked by this story's nuanced
exploration of disability--it uses a magical fantasy setting to examine the accessibility of
both educational settings and the world at large
i do have Some issues with the story's pacing (it's pretty go go go a lot of the
time and Loves to end chapters on cliffhangers), but honestly i can't hold it against any comic
creator for not wanting to spend 5000 real world years to get anywhere in their story lmao
iyashikei, my beloved genre............ u,w,u
do you want to sit back and relax as Alpha, an android woman, runs a tiny out-of-the-way
shop in post-apocalyptic japan? of course you do.
you catch glimpses of what happened to the
world as Alpha goes about her laidback daily life--sand engulfs empty highways, streetlights
sparkle underneath sea waves, humanity lives out its "twilight years" in an idyllic
countryside. this quiet life passes by day by day as Alpha brews coffee, tools around on her
moped, and snaps pictures on a camera delivered to her by a new friend. everything's wrapped in
a blanket of quiet joy and melancholy, with the deep appreciation of everyday experiences
that's a staple of this genre
Yotsuba is THE tiny anime child and i WILL protect her at all costs!!!
a slice-of-life comedy but run by the most scatterbrained energy ball of a
five-year-old the world has ever seen. Yotsuba is just SO cute 😭 she runs around harassing her
friendly neighbors and comprehends maybe 0.01% of objects she observes. and it's a genuinely
funny story! tbh not a lot of mangas get me to Actually laugh out loud but this one did a few
times
if other slice-of-lifes don't got you feeling sentimental about the little things in
life, maybe seeing life thru the eyes of a chaos entity baby child will