Sep 29, 2024
what a hidden gem! I just finished the series online after finding the first 7 volumes second hand and I think it became one of my favorite manga. it is incredibly fun, silly, and even at times thoughtful and i absolutely recommend it to anyone who is interested in older character-focused stuff. I've given it a while to sit with me and here are my thoughts!
(this review is mostly spoiler-free but i do mention some things that occur in later volumes, so keep that in mind, and skip to the tldr if you want to avoid details.)
firstly, the characters (9.5/10) are very fleshed out
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and they really seem to grow with time. nobody is forgotten, few characters become less relevant, and the way their relationships progress and the way they grow is really lovely to see. it's portrayed very realistically in a lot of ways, they sort of feel like your friends by the time you're done, like you've grown with them and seen what they've seen. also, very few character traits are dropped, and even background characters and one off enemies can become significant later. it's really nice to see something this tightly written in a lot of ways. that said, there are a lot of characters to keep track of. for this reason i think it's best binged. also, a couple things aren't elaborated on too much, like natsuki's blade which seems more significant at the start (and may have been done to differentiate her from Kotetsu, a character from another popular work of his- they both have pretty similar designs). however, i think this is more of a plot problem, and is easily overshadowed by everything the series does right.
i also think the art (9/10) is really enjoyable! the style is adorable and definitely grew on me, and while some of the shapes of things seem a little wonky especially at the start, there is clearly a lot of effort put in. the backgrounds in particular look really good and contribute to the world building very well, and MEE clearly put a lot of effort into shading some of them. the character designs are also great, they're so cute! they're all so easily recognizable too, great character design! i haven't seen the anime but it seems like the character designs were heavily changed and i find that to be so sad as it's such a core aspect of the manga to me. i love how round and cute it all is, the expressions are really great and can lead to some great comedy and great emotions- the characters feel so fleshed out! that said, it can switch to being cool when the action gets exciting! really, though, the best trait of the art in my opinion is the way it flows. there's a certain movement implied by all the round lines and the general bouncy way everything is drawn which makes it a joy to read and makes it very easy to understand what's happening without being pulled out of the story by confusing art choices. it does this for everything from casual conversations to action scenes and it works well and it just makes you want to read more, especially by the end! very addictive! it's done quite masterfully and i really grew to love his style while reading it. if his other works were translated into English i would be very excited to check them out- honestly, might try my best to figure out some of the raws even.
it's plot (8.5/10) is also strong! the chapters tend to cover fairly episodic stories but they usually reveal something about the characters, the world, etc. and there's a feeling of progression in it constantly. the way some chapters take place significantly later than the previous one helps with this i think, as the effects of the changes in previous chapters are seen quickly and it feels like checking in on old friends. plus, it doesn't have to go too into detail about stuff like how things got fixed, waiting for characters to recover, etc. due to this- plot points are easily explained without boring prolonged scenes of it happening, but it still feels grounded and relatable and it takes its' time with things. like i said, some plot points are left on the sidelines, but considering it ran for about a decade it's pretty cohesive. a lot of the individual stories have great plots too- very fun action, mystery, romance, and occasionally even more thoughtful things like a little questioning of the flawed society around them- and the overall plot is sweet and competently done.
one major thing to note is that it focuses a lot on romance and character relationships, certainly more than the action, but typically in a fun, lighthearted way. i think it's best described as a romantic comedy, the action stuff merely supports it, but both are fantastic in their own right. it is really funny at points too! i definitely laughed out loud! i personally love this style of silly older shounen character-focused comedy and i love how fun the world is, it never gets too melodramatic with repercussions of things due to the characters' abilities keeping them from suffering serious injury for the most part- i think this actually makes it more relatable. the characters aren't constantly in life-or-death situations so the feelings of the characters can be the focus when it wants it to be and are close to what anyone reading could experience. it has a lot of fairly typical workplace romcom stuff, but done very well in a very fun setting that keeps you on your toes. the fantastic world building only makes more fun things possible and is really the perfect backdrop for anything to unfold- time travel, gods just messing around, supernatural powers, teleportation, cute cat girl ecchi, big badass fights, etc. and really what else could you want? there's also a lot of fun slice of life stuff interspersed with the comedy, it feels very human and the characters are handled extremely well. there are a few scenes earlier on though which do come across pretty poorly and don't handle sexual topics well (not fantastic consent especially) but i'm someone fairly sensitive to such things (though, used to anime bullshit) and it definitely wasn't very offputting to me. i do think the mangaka grew along with the characters as it becomes more mature as it goes and has a really nice worldview that gets you smiling easily, all the characters really feel like they're trying their best and it's adorable!
TLDR: if you like silly older action, comedy, cute romance, great characters, and art that's cute and unique i really think it's worth a read. it's like checking in on good friends who sometimes take you on crazy, exciting adventures and sometimes just sit around and talk about how life's been going, and it all takes place in such a vibrant world with fun stories that make it nearly impossible to put down! a strong 9/10!
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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