hexashadow1312

"The festival like world, had slowly settled to a leisurely pace. To think that an era... came to its twilight so pleasantly. I think i will continue... watching this twilight world...as long as time flows".

Nothing remains motionless; all - whether quickly or quietly - moving, mutating, turning, hesitating between being and non-being.
The world is conceived as a single stream, eternal emergence and disappearance: some things go away, others come; some blossom, others wither and dry up; some become stronger, others weaken; The wet dries, the dry moistens; some things are created, formed, others are destroyed. Formed with time again transformed. Everything gradually passes from one state to another. Appearance and disappearance, life and death, birth and death - being and non-being constantly pass into each other. Change, origin, disappearance is an endless process of transition from non-existence to being and vice versa: something that does not exists - begins to exist or disappears what it was. Everywhere birth and everywhere death.

So, Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou - popular manga in Japan and abroad, written by Hitoshi Ashinano.

Format:

Manga written in a laconic style that allows you to take it to the works of literature. In some chapters completely absent dialogues, and the feelings and the atmosphere transmitted only by graphically. And this is one of the basic qualities and features of manga. Melancholically and succinctly, this original style quickly hypnotizes the reader, plunging it into this amazing world.

Story:

The story takes place in the distant future after an unknown disaster. The main character - woman-robot Alpha, which looks exactly like a human. She lives in a small cafe, in which waiting for the "host".

Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou - is several interconnected stories that describe the world of Alpha. Humanity has reached unprecedented heights in the science and technology, but the cutting-edge of the city is gradually overgrown with grass and go under water. Motorways are filled with sand and crumbling. Sunset of humanity...

The author very skillfully portrays the charm in sad things, through the protagonist, It shows something that people usually do not pay attention. Alpha is a kind of a window for readers in this "era of twilights".

Characters:

So, story telling on behalf of Alpha, throughout his life, she meets other characters who, in turn, give her a new look at the world. The main thing is pay attention is how well the characters interact with each other, that is, they paid a lot of attention, such as Takahiro and Matsuki does grow up before our eyes. I can not call no one manga, where the characters revealed so well. This difficult to convey in words, how brilliant this idea, author shows the Alpha, as an immortal robot, thus creates a perfect environment for the disclosure of the other characters. Alpha - never gets old, but the surrounding people are gradually changing, this is the whole essence of the drama and melancholy, Alpha (and the reader) will see how things will change, all begins to fade, earlier civilized and noisy life.

Art and style:

Art is made at a very high level, although it may have drawbacks, namely in faces characters, but environment shown is very beautiful. From the first chapter of the manga, the first thing you notice - this is the beauty of the environment, some episodes are striking rendering quality and landscapes force to admire them for hours. Sometimes, even the simplest landscapes beckon his post-apocalyptic style, it is causing a lot of interest to details.

As for style, it stands out separately. YKK has its own invented by author the art style. Here we see the old technology, radio, gas stations, fields, all this gives tranquility and relaxation while reading. Soothing, unhurried, sometimes bitter pace of storytelling give set of different emotions in the soul. Style largely corresponds to the relaxed atmosphere. Certainly this is one of those things by which this work can be considered a true masterpiece.

Overall:

The conclusion to this series is very subtle moment, since it is not easy to mention all great aspects of such a large work (manga was published 12 years).

In summary, YKK does not belong to any genre to which it refers, but ideally show their best advantages. I think that is hardly possible to find such a deep and thoughtful stories related in one, except in Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou.

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Look around you ... feel all this life that around you. Think about the change of seasons and look again at the sky filled with ever-changing clouds. Understand that all exists independently from you and not for you, but with you. Try to least once in life, believe in what you have lived and will live forever - as part of this ever-evolving world. Should we be afraid of death, if the world will not end out with you?

The joy of existence - is not the main goal in life? A method and measure, you choose for yourself...

This book's main draw is the non-stop action and the sheer spectacle of it when taken as a whole. The scenes of complete destruction are fucking raw; you can almost FEEL the painstaking lengths Otomo went to so that his book's art was out of this world. Those, along with the detailed and frenetic action scenes, should be considered for induction into the Louvre; not even kidding.

Oh and the story and characters are great too. Despite his dickish sneer and uh... biological idiosyncrasies, Tetsuo is a very organic character.

Most people will probably know Hitoshi Tomizawa from Alien 9, a bizarre little manga made into OVA. It was unfinished and a little convoluted but interested many with the very unusual premise and atmosphere. Propeller Heaven has both of those again but this time with the execution so horrid it made me regret what little time I spent on it.

Propeller Heaven is about… something, I think? It’s hard to even summarize what the hell it was about cause you’re dropped in the middle of the story and try to figure out what’s going on along the way. There’s no clear setup and the plot structure is like a tangled slinky that was dropped under a car a few times on top of that. What I gathered is that this is a world with real people and synthetic people who are either entirely manmade or were previously human or maybe it’s both nobody actually knows cause it’s never quite clear. Synthetic humans seem to serve to protect real humans but some synthetic humans are not okay with it and seem to want to reprogram real humans to make a world that’s better for synthetics cause real humans treat them badly or they are forced to do something? It’s never clear cause the big bad just kinda appears and eventually they go on about how humans are terrible while brainwashing everybody. The ending implies that this sort of revolution of synthetics happens over and over so what you see is just a part of the loop or at least that’s what I got from this.

Am I correct? Maybe, maybe not. This story is such convoluted and deliberately obtuse garbage that it’s hard to even properly grasp whether your assumptions are correct or you’re going off of wrong clues. Even assuming that I’m right and there is some sort of narrative about human nature in this, is there any value to this manga? Does it say anything? I don’t think so and it doesn’t compensate it with action or character moments or art or really anything. The action consists of a synthetics turning into giant propellers and cutting up other synthetics a few times. The characters are just drawing with little else to them and art while charming and unique is not good enough to warrant reading based on art alone.

If you think I’m completely wrong about the story please tell me, if there’s something I missed and there’s actually more to this than I think (which I honestly doubt) I would like to hear it.

As is this is not worth reading, even with how short it is.

Ah, another manga adaptation from game..

As fan of RPGMaker game, i was excited to know that Yume Nikki has it own manga.. The story itself is about a girl who always dream about same things, and someday she decided to exploring her dream..

Story: 8 / 10

In-game, there has no actual plot, just explore her dream. But in manga adaptation, there has actual plot. I didn't expected that, but that is good things.. Although it has actual plot, i little bit disappointed that as story go on, because Yume Nikki lack exploring things..

Art: 7 / 10

In my opinion, the art style well fit together along the story.. The art and drawing will leave us impression that the main character trapped in creepy place..

Character: 6 / 10

You can found at least 4 main character in Yume Nikki manga, but it lack supporting character (ex: monsters, person, etc). The main character has it own personality and purpose, but the supporting character isn't mentioned too much..

Enjoyment: 7 / 10

I'm not always usually read any manga. I enjoy this manga, but I not enjoy it as much as the game.

Overall: 7 / 10

Overall, it just average.. Not much happened in manga adaptation. If you played the game before, you might wanna read this manga.. If you never played the game before, i will suggest you to play the game before to know "what's going on" in this manga. If you insist to not play the game, and directly want to read the Manga adaptation, i will not recommend it to you..

I can say this right here and now to get it out of the way. I DO NOT care about the art of a manga I care for a story. But I despised this art with every fiber of my being.

I really really liked the first Battle Royale, I would put it in my top 3. When I heard there was a second Battle Royale I bet you could see the joy on my face. I was so very disappointed.

The Storyline was too different from the first and the art and characters were not developed whatsoever. This is the only manga I have or ever will drop in my life.

To keep this review short I'll just say this:
Son... I am disappoint.

Overall rating:
1/10

イレブンアイズ - 11eyes -Tsumi to Batsu to Aganai no Shoujo - Surprisingly, I caught myself re-reading the manga with its mixture of harem, action and drama in a beautiful school setting, combined with a parallel world scenario, even though I just wanted to dust it off. Because the manga has seduced me to watch the anime again, I would like to give it a little credit despite its weaknesses. Although I opted for a manga review because I think the manga is less confusing and therefore funnier. However, having seen the anime again, the review will also reflect my opinion about it, as well.

Story: Cliché, but with potential, sadly both Manga & Anime leave much of it unused (6/10)
The fragments of an emerald tablet bestow various magical abilities and tremendous spiritual powers. For a small group of students, the idyllic city of Ayamegaoka, where they live and go to school, is transformed into a nightmarish fighting arena with the emergence of a parallel world, the so-called "Red Night". In order to survive, they must fight for their lives and at the same time find the explanation for the phenomenon, hoping to cross an end to the nightmare. That doesn't sound so bad, does it? On the contrary, have you ever wondered why the prologue of the anime is spoken in Hungarian and even the episode titles like "Red Night - Piros éjszaka" are translated? I will return to this thought in the context of the character description. Unfortunately, much of the story's potential remains untapped or at least not fully exploited. Ironically, although Manga and Anime were created in parallel, they have different deficiencies in their implementation depending on the medium. As already mentioned, the manga follows a path of the visual novel, which, while not innovative, is less confusing due to its more thoughtful structure. However, it lacks essential background information on the characters, and the reader remains in the dark and has to guess why. On the other hand, the anime is missing a red thread and moreover, the brutal entry to the anime, followed by a short filler, is already confusing or even discouraging for an audience unfamiliar with the story. The confusing narrative style unfortunately continues in the anime, this has a strong influence on the character development and is also perceived as disturbing. What's tragic about it is, that you notice the disturbance, but due to the lack of explanation you can not say exactly what bothers you.

Characters: A lot unrevealed, therefore damned to be more or less stereotypes (5/10)
All characters would have had both potential and background, but the desire to learn more about them isn't quite fulfilled.
Minase Yuka:
Let's start with her because she is the most misunderstood character. In Manga she is a normal childhood friend who grew up in the same orphanage as Kakeru and his older sister. The introduction to the anime seeks to reveal that Yuka's memories are concealed by amnesia, since she witnessed the chaos caused by the awakening of her fragment at the orphanage, in which Kakeru's big sister also committed suicide. Incidentally, this is the brutal entry to the anime. Directing and storytelling tried to revive the interest in anime, so that Yuka was unnecessarily transformed into an obsessive Yandere. However, what remains in the manga and anime is the strong bond to Kakeru, either because of a real love or a great sense of guilt.
Verard:
The mysterious man appears in Kakerus dreams. In order to create tension is not immediately mentioned that Verard is a king of the medieval times who ruled the fictional Eastern European country of Drasuvania and which powers he possessed as a owner of the Eye of Aeon. His appearance and name (Verard = Vlad) as well as the period around the 15th century suggest the reference to the Carpathians in Romania. Thus the prologue spoken in Hungarian would also be plausible, since the official language at that time in "Transylvania" was Hungarian due to the balance of power. You'll ask, what does all this have to do with the fairy girl in the crystal cube?
Lisette Vertorre: (the cute, fragile girl in the huge crystal)
Due to historical references the most interesting figure as well as the core of the whole story. Born in the year of the Lord 1195, her fate was overshadowed by the atrocities of a medieval crusade of the Roman Catholic Church against the Cathas, A.D. 1209 - 1229 (Abligenser Crusade). In particular, the destruction of the occitan town of Béziers in 1209, a small reference to this background can be found in episode 10. Verard and the love of his life both look at a burning town that is supposed to be a capital in Drasuvania, but it reflects the silhouette the town of Béziers. The resemblance of this scene to the Gothic cathedral of Saint-Nazaire, which towers over the houses of the town, the Bridge of Pont Vieux, the River Orb and trees on the bank of the water is unmistakable. And of course you are right in saying that this is historically wrong, because the Béziers was destroyed in 1209 and the fictional King Verard lived from 1428 to 1459. This faux pas is certainly due to the tight budget, but it is confusing and does not explain the dramatic change that Lisette had to go through.
Satsuki Kakeru:
At first glance he seems rather unmotivated. In anime, this is compounded by the fact that he is reduced to "I want to protect". His attempt to develop a little is postponed because of the introduction of another character and comedy. His dreams of a former king are important, but he needs too much time to realize that his eye (of Aeon) has secret powers. The name is well chosen, because it means roughly medieval or eternal as a Latin transliteration from the biblical Greek ὁ αἰών. The owner possesses all the memories and abilities of all the previous ones, which in a first step allows the prediction of attacks by enemies. On the other hand, it explains why a king of the Middle Ages appears in his dreams.
Teruya Tadashi:
His character is not so exaggerated in the manga, he also plays the comedian here, but in the anime I found the character a bit annoying. However, this also reflects the fact that, in my opinion, this time could have been better used for characterization or background information.
Hirohara Yukiko:
The lovable and communicative girl has a multiple personality disorder due to a traumatic childhood. A cute accessory helps to control her personality. Her emotional world and relationship towards Takahisa would be very interesting, but is only briefly touched upon in the anime. A small request, if someone knows, from which language the beautiful sentence comes: "Faado sehteio frecse en tora", that I would like to know. It does not seem to be Hungarian, although she is also from the fictitious Drasuvania.
Tajima Takahisa:
Due to the fact that the anime is different, he has to play the role of school hooligan, uncouth, a rowdy but still a good guy. Although he is a stereotype par excellence, the role of the cheeky hothead fits perfectly with a pyromaniac.
Kusakabe Misuzu:
The main fighting force of the small group. In the manga, which focuses more on this character, it becomes clear that she is much more feminine than it seems. Unfortunately, this looks like a sheer weakness in the anime, as the truth literally pull the rug out from under her feet.
To explain the character of Liselotte Werkmeister and the six black knights, on the one hand, it would be too much and on the other, there should still be some tension, but they are interesting too.

Visuals: manga graceful (7/10), but anime adaptation could not reproduce (4/10)
The manga has a certain grace and bears the signature of a professional manga-ka. Instead, the anime shows in this regard another of his weaknesses through a shabby animation and unfortunate proportions. In particular, it is noticeable that the fan service makes it worse, e.g. Yuka's skirt has a damage there, where it gives deep insights. All in all, the adaptation is sloppy and generic. Surprisingly, the only highlight of the animation, and although CGI usually is not my cup of tea, is the implementation of the five swords that Misuzu keeps in her fingernails by using a dimensional magic. This is a successful visual effect and good computer graphics. On the other hand, the swords have some interesting historical references. I will name two swords as an example, and there are even seven if you add the two swords of Kusakabe Misao, Onikiri and Kumokiri. The Tachibana Dousetsu Raikiri is a reference to the legendary sword of Tachibana Dousetsu, a Japanese samurai of the Sengoku period who owned a famous sword called Chidori to Raikiri. The Kannagiri Nagamitsu is a reference to Bizen Nagamitsu, who was a very famous Japanese sword maker and son of Bizen Mitsutada, founder of the Bizen Osafune School.

Sounds: only refers to anime (6/10)
The BGM was composed by Sakamoto Shoichiro, Hosoe Shinjii, Shimizu Tatsuya and Kurose Keisuke, the music is not a highlight, but fits well to the action and does not affect the synchronization. A nice piece of music is "akai yoru", because it is not played on a piano or grand piano as usual, but on a spinet. "Kou ni Tranarishimono" is also a successful composition of organ music and J-TechnoPop.
The OP "Arrival of Tears" sung by Ayane (Hirata Junko) is simply great. The animation is typical, but not bad, putting the audience in the right mood for the anime.
Asriel's ED "Sequentia" has a similar style and fits well to the end of the episodes.
The list of voice actors leaves nothing to be desired, especially the voice of Kusakabe Misuzu, spoken by Asakawa Yû (Shikyûetsu Kitsune), whose voice and skills as a seiyû, I greatly appreciate. Unfortunately, good voice actors can only reproduce what the script says. Here is another big weakness of the anime, the dialogue directing. The dialogues are clichéd and are so overdrawn that it's just a pity. Nevertheless, there is a highlight, namely the narrator of the prologue, Faragó András, whose intonation at the beginning of a series exerts a particularly strong attraction.

The manga has flaws, but is still at least entertaining average, all in all (6/10). The anime, however, can not convince because of its serious mistakes, especially the bad writing and a rather unpretentious visual implementation (4/10).

Thanks for reading and have fun reading the manga.

One of the more curious fantasies people have is becoming involved in a complicated relationship with another person. What is curious, indeed, is why the relationship appears so much more interesting than any that society would otherwise describe as "normal", or even *shudder* "healthy". Rakujitsu no Pathos uses many of the tropes to be found in hentai productions, something that Tsuyatsuya is already well-versed with, but there is always a careful realisation that boundaries are necessary to exacerbate the situation. That is why there are a sizeable group of people who do not wish to have intercourse straight away but after teasing it. Some just want to keep teasing, because, honestly, what would be more boring than do the deed without any preface- are we animals who are content with simply fucking for the sake of the evolutionary drive?

Rakujitsu no Pathos is good precisely because the author's skill in depicting what is considered an outright taboo relationship by most of society is put to extensive use- a woman who once thought herself better than others for not indulging in sex finds herself craving for it once she lets herself free, a man learns that he is not emotionally attached to the women he wants to bone, and we learn the circumstances that would turn otherwise "responsible" and "upstanding" people (yes, even the mangaka who draws hentai) into the participants of encounters which involve going to second and third base, but never the first nor hitting a home run. The woman is alone, bored out of her mind, and has realised how much she likes sex. She was, previously, also the teacher of her current neighbour. The neighbour, of course, harboured sexual feelings towards the teacher, even groping her, but, now that she is bored and he is an adult, it does not appear to be a trespass any longer but a "cute" gesture by an equally "cute" little man. Her husband is 12 years older than her, and she still wants to be the good wife, but the husband does next to nothing to reaffirm his wife's commitment to him. Why should she feel like she is his servant? She is a human being too. She has needs, and wants to feel needed...

Makoto, the woman, finds, in her "cute" one-time student, Aki, the person who will reciprocate these feelings. That someone else may instead have him for their own purposes at the expense of Makoto is unacceptable to her. The feelings grow. They touch each other. Slowly. Makoto finds a different side to manhood. Aki basks in the chance to let his most childish feelings bubble up to the surface. They come closer. But... isn't Makoto a good wife?

Besides, Aki has his assistant, Masami, putting her moves on him. Shouldn't she act like an adult? Yes, yes. But it is so difficult to do that when Aki-kun looks at her with those needy eyes, and it is so much fun imagining Aki-kun doing all the naughty things that her husband is so thoroughly incapable of. Makoto does not want to care. Her head goes all over the place. She cannot kiss, nor have sex with him, because then they will have breached an unwritten rule in her mind. Aki knows how illogical his teacher's thoughts are, but he doesn't care either, so long as he gets to touch her and take her where she wants to go. He'll play along with whatever stupid thing she wants him to do, and she won't mind too much when he comes too strongly on to her.

The sun sets slowly. The pupils widen and the child gives its mother that very hungry look, the look that the mother expects and is excited by. She removes the folds of her shirt. The child finally stops crying...

While insubstantial for most, and lacking in the presence of a large cast of characters, I believe that the specific emotions that the manga indulges in cannot accommodate a large roster of characters, genre storytelling, or melodrama. The psychological depth of the characters is most suited to a manga that reflects the "illicit" give-and-take relationship of the people we see in our news feeds which talk about the wives who had sexual relations with their neighbours, who were once their students. Our responses to the news feeds are defence mechanisms- "we wouldn't ever dream of doing this", we tell ourselves, aside from "shame on her" and "I thought women were more discerning; the guy must be a smooth-talker". I understand that, to many, another male's perspective on how women might have near-insatiable appetites might appear to be yet another exploitative depiction of women. Maybe they are right. But I, a cis-male to be completely fair (the last time I say that out loud anywhere), am not so sure. Perhaps men allow desire its due place in the mind more often...? Or is the point of male desire a way to explore power? What if the women being in power are just another male fantasy? Doesn't that mean that the women have no choice but to express their sexuality only if the men allow the to?

I don't know. All I know is, Tsuyatsuya appears to be intimately familiar with the categories of desire- at the very least, Aki seems like a real person. I will be eagerly awaiting for more from him.

Story: 6 it’s basically Pokémon meets shin Megami tensei but it’s written as a shounen. I personally find no problem in it other than that it’s a bit cliche and the later half of the story goes a bit off the rails. Also it ends on a cliffhanger ending but at a point where it’s not the worst thing in the world.
Art: 9 The best thing about this manga is the unquie demon designs which go in a monster of the week like order. The end chapter descriptions are always fun to read and have a good full body shot of each creatures design. Plus I enjoy the strange way they emerge from the user. The overall art is also pretty having fun somewhat brutal action scenes with the characters making fine if not a bit of generic facial expressions. Also the Mc main monster has quite a edgy but still badass design.
Character 6: Most of the characters are pretty flat not to the point of being unbearable but don’t expect anything to knew, they all nicely fit into their caricatures fine.
Enjoyment: 7 Honestly it’s pretty enjoyable if you are out of things to read and are looking for a fun, some what darker shouldn’t. Especially if you love manga that present the monster of the week type of story line then you will probably enjoy this manga.
Overal: 7 a solid action manga for sure, it has no particular negatives that really stand out as long as you know what your getting into which is darker pokemon /2000s show that ran that had a collection of monsters.

Another guilty-pleasure read for me. Insufficient Direction (originally published 2002-2004) is a slice-of-domestic-life manga by Moyoco Anno. It is primarily a chronicle of her marriage to Hideaki Anno, an irreformable otaku and the creator of one of my favorite media of all time, Neon Genesis Evangelion. Broken up into about 20 short “episodes”, Insufficient Direction offers witty vignettes about their married life, and a tonne of anime references to boot.

It’s no secret to those who know me that I have a bit of an obsession with Hideaki Anno in general (and Neon Genesis Evangelion in particular), so I was already primed to enjoy the work. Moyo describes “Director-kun” in his natural/domestic environment, and it really is just too fun to look away. Hideaki Anno is something of an otaku’s otaku (just look at his depiction in the pre-Evangelion film Otaku no Video), with a genuinely unironic love for tokusatsu films and all things Gundam, Ultraman, and Kamen Rider-related. Your heart can’t help but be warned by the scenes of Hideaki waking up early in the morning to catch the 7:30 AM broadcast of a children’s ninja show (doubly so if you remember that he made End of Evangelion).

Moyoco Anno (who depicts herself as an infant called “Rompers” throughout) is best known for her female-targeted josei manga, but is quite the otaku herself. (She notes early on that only in comparison to Hideaki is she “normal” in her interests). Their marriage might not be perfect, but it is clearly loving. They argue over collections of shopping bags and cereal box toys, sing along to anime soundtracks, hand out doujinshi to the guests at their wedding. But they also fret about their weight, try to stay healthy, manage their finances, and go to the spa in Australia. It is, indeed, a lovely relationship to read.

The forward of the book contains something like 30 pages of annotations explaining all the references to Japanese pop culture made within the manga. If you’re a lonely nerd like me and obsessively want to compile a list of the major influences on Hideaki Anno’s work, then this is an amazing resource. There is an anime adaptation of the series (which is only about 30 minutes long in total), which is just as good as the manga. (Incidentally, this is the first time since I think Evangelion itself that I’ve completely read the manga for an anime I’ve watched). The manga contains a few episodes that aren’t included in the anime, though sometimes the flow of the anime is better-suited to landing the humor. Both are highly recommended.

To summarize this series in one word: PAIN

SOME SPOILERS AHEAD

Story

This is genuinely painful to read. In a great way. Musume no Tomodachi portrays the unblemished consequences of the societal taboos, namely age-gap relationships, and failure to follow societal norms. The darkness is much more relevant and empathetic than something intense like murder or rape, because many of us may struggle and question some of society's unspoken rules, making this series painfully relevant to our lives.

Whereas other slice-of-life, drama series generally follow plot structure, this series seems like it's in an infinite climb of rising action. The slow, steady, looming drama and excellent cliffhangers make for an unreachable climax. Just when I think shit can't get any worse, each chapter proves me wrong. The suspense and indefinite delay of resolutions really claws at my heart. Every time I see a new update, my heart always sinks and my breath tightens in anticipation for what else will go wrong.

I'm a sucker for age-gap series, it's always interesting to see how authors tread upon delicate, taboo matters. Musume no Tomodachi portrays the subject of age-gap relationships in a refreshing manner. The consequences follow through in the most dire manner and we see how their relationship affects everyone around them. There is not a speck of hope or acceptance, only hardship and disapproval.



Characters

The characters are, to put it simply, fucked up. It's clearly conveyed just how shitty their lives have been, so their questionable, sometimes downright "wrong", actions have never annoyed me. Instead, it just strengthens their character.

Kousuke, the main character. Lost his wife, has a shut-in daughter who won't talk to him, works like a dog and silently pressured by societal norms. So when his only salvation is Koto, a teen girl, he jumps at the chance at escaping his life temporarily. However, this seemingly rehabilitative relationship only worsens his mental/emotional state, tipping his moral scale and turning his life for the absolute worse. He's nearly never in a healthy mindset. Eventually, the only thing he yearns for is escapism from societal demands, in the form of Koto. Thus, he traps himself in an eternal downward spiral of despair and angst.

Koto, the main heroine and femme fetale. Initially presented as an angelic deus ex machina for the exhausted Kousuke, she's steadily characterized as someone the same as Kousuke. Someone that lives to maintain a constraining image. As opposed to Kousuke maintaining his image in respect to societal norms, Koto maintains her image in respect to her mother's wishes. Her family life is just as broken as Kousuke's. As opposed to Kousuke's family situation, where he's rejected by his only family, Koto is latched onto by and is necessary for her mother. Rather, she's an object for her mother, a mere possession to fill in the missing holes in their family. Koto is just as broken as Kousuke, and equally seeks out escapism in him just as he does.

Kousuke's daughter shut herself out from the world and her father after her mother's death. However, she eventually opens up again to Kousuke and their situation seems to have taken for a better turn. However, upon witnessing Kousuke and Koto's intimate relationship, her parent-child relationship was once severed. She isn't characterized by societal/familial pressure as intensely as Kousuke and Koto, but instead by her utter confusion.

Koto's mother, arguably the antagonist of this series. Left by her husband, her personality takes for the worst. Manipulative, controlling and selfish, she will do whatever it takes to keep Koto wrapped around her finger. Her character is defined by her chaotic love for Koto. Seemingly a more moral cause than what Kousuke and Koto possess, as a parent's love and nurture is expected, but her motives are arguably much more dark and worse than anyone else's.



Art

Stylistically, aesthetically pleasing and works incredibly well. The art is finely detailed and wonderful to look at, but it's strength lies in the "show, not tell". The facial expressions never warrant explanatory dialogue for a character's feelings and motives. It's quite literally all there, plastered on the face, slight gestures and body movements. It creates the usual stuffy, tense atmosphere and smoothly conveys the internal. Sometimes, it's almost like I'm watching, not reading. The character designs are quite nice, as well. I especially love Koto's design. Her blush, big teddy bear eyes and soft looks exudes a feeling of relief and angelic ... but there's also something there that contrasts that perceived image.





Enjoyment

I love reading despite the pain. It's rare for me to not get annoyed by the characters' dumb actions in drama, but here? It's painfully enjoyable to see it all. Honestly, I'd put this on the same level as Oshimi Shuzo's works, like The Flowers of Evil and Blood on the Tracks. I love the dark empathy and immortality, the sense of catharsis is one hell of a drug, man. 10/10.



Final Words

If you've enjoyed The Flowers of Evil, Oyasumi Punpun, Blood on the Tracks and other heavy drama series, I believe you'll find great enjoyment in Musume no Tomodachi. Successfully creating a constant air of quiet tread and discomfort and portraying the dire consequences of societal self-images and taboos, I think this is one of the best on-going slice-of-life drama manga.