Another five days, and another five different types of manga. Again this week has provided a mixed bag of titles, from mainstream shounen, to the supernatural, to boy love, so on with the post!
December 6th
Suiiki (2 Vols Complete)
Status: Read
Impressions: Far and away this is the best manga that I've encountered so far during 25 Days. I must say that when I discovered that one of the manga on my list was by Yuki Urushibara (creator of Mushishi) I couldn't wait to read this. Luckily, I was not disappointed. Suiiki follows the story of a long-forgotten village and one family's connection with it. It's very much the sort of manga one would expect from Urushibara, a gentle, supernatural drama with a quiet charm of its own. My only quibble is that there isn't more of her manga out there. If anyone likes the tone of Mushishi, go read this immediately, as I seriously believe you will enjoy it.
Rating: 4.5/5
December 7th
Ge: Good Ending (8+ Vols Ongoing)
Status: Reading at 1 volume
Impressions: Based on a game, Good Ending is about Seiji Utsumi, his affection for his senpai, Iketani, and the help he receives from beautiful classmate, Yuki. I hadn't expected to like this too much, but surprisingly, I found it quite enjoyable. it strikes me as a typical romance based on a game, and I have an idea of how things will eventually turn out, however, currently, I'm enjoying the ride. There's a decent amount of comedy mixed in with the plot and while it's possibly that it'll wear thin, at the moment Utsumi's hapless idiocy is rather amusing. At the moment, I'd say that Good Ending is the ideal thing to open up when you want to switch off and unwind.
Rating: 3.5/5
Bonus: GE: Good Ending Oneshot (Oneshot)
Status: Read
Impressions: Since I'd started to read Good Ending, I decided to take a look at the one shot that started it all. By nature of being so short, there's no time to dwell on events, so everything jumps ahead quickly. However, I did find it interesting as it gives some idea of where the main manga will go from where I am (not that it comes as much of a surprise).
Rating: 3/5
December 8th
Monster Hunter Orage (4 Vols Complete)
Status: Reading at 1 volume
Impressions: I have to admit that when this was requested I smiled as it was already on my want to read list. I do enjoy Hiro mashima's work, and having played a little of Monster Hunter Tri, I was intrigued by a manga based upon the franchise. So far, I'm only a little way in, but it bears all the Mashima hallmarks: the wacky comedy, awesome poses of awesomeness and some kick-arse action. The central concept is certainly engaging enough, but I'm wary of making much more judgement until I'm further in. Definitely can't wait to continue this one.
Rating: 4/5
December 9th
Café Latte Rhapsody (1 Vol Complete)
Status: Read
Impressions: I used to love shounen-ai and yaoi in every form imaginable. Nowadays, while I still enjoy the occasional romp into these genres, I don't tend to gravitate to them so much. Café Latte Rhapsody is a short and sweet tale about two men finding each other and entering into a relationship. The twist this time is that one is younger than the other and despite looking like a harsh and scary man is about as opposite from that image as you can get - he's a timid, caring and horrifically awkward boy. Generally this was an easy-read but I did find myself getting REALLY annoyed at Keito. His excessive clinginess annoyed me to know end as he ended up just seeming like little more than a pitiful puppy taking shelter from the rain. I imagine that anyone who really enjoys this genre will like this title, but I can't say I was blown away by it.
Rating: 3/5
December 10th
Otome no Iroha (1 Vol Complete)
Status: Read
Impressions: Despite having been able to keep up to the at least one post a day deadline, due to a sudden bout of intese but incredibly awesome Anime Planet badge work, I ended up getting a little behind on my 25 days reading. So I decided to pick up an easier one-volume offering for today's submission giving me time to get ahead again. My pick was Otome no Iroha a comic manga about twins whose genders are reversed overnight. In general I found this a bit of a throwaway read. It was good fun - certainly the horror of Iroha waking up with meat and two veg between her legs was pretty damn funny - but far from a masterpiece. Most infuriating of all was the ending, in that it basically didn't. One aspect was wrapped up, but nothing was properly resolved and was left wide open for a sequel that never came. Overall, worth a read if you like gender bender and have a spare half hour or so, but horrifically rushed/lame ending.
Rating: 3/5
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