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Oct 2, 2025
Whimsical and cozy. Pizzicato no Nemuru Mori feels like a shoujo story mixed in with some Ghibli fantasy.
"If you're going through a hard time, time to turn the tables.
While you're at it, change your room! Change it! Change everything!
Go on an adventure, Emilie!"
Following the lines of her favorite book, Emily decided to change things up by visiting her family's villa during a hard time. Her travel was greeted with surprises, meeting a mysterious traveler and unexpected companions that will color her short escapede and slowly heal her.
Emily's healing journey drawn in the cute and airy art style, and the town setting with a little bit
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of fantasy gives off a comfy feeling. The story touches upon some more somber topics like loneliness, but the way the story is told and inclusion of lively companions make the story feels more optimistic throughout. The companions' designs seem simple, but quite effective in telling the story and bringing in the fantasy image.
Although it is sometimes feels like a slice-of-life journey, there is some plot, as well as mystery from untold story of the characters—another driving force of this manga. All the characters have depth that will be discovered as the story goes. In the story, not only Emily is helped. The mysterious traveler, Shura, is discovering himself with Emily with the support of each other and the companions. Along with the cozy vibes, a sweet romance a'la shoujo is giving a little bit of excitement on this story.
It's a perfect read when you are looking for something sweet and warm. The only thing I regret is that although the story had a conclusion, it does feel kind of rushed and a little unsatisfying. At the same time, it is unpredictable yet hopeful—like a neverending adventure.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Sep 27, 2025
Lovely art and exciting premise, let down by the execution of story. Fast romance with not enough development, and lackluster story about aspiring artists.
Museru Kurai no Ai wo Ageru, or Choking on Love is a shoujo romance story sets in college. That in itself is pretty exciting, since manga sets after high school is not as common, especially with shoujo. College days is the time when one starts discovering about their aspirations, trying to be independent, and possibly forming more serious romantic relationships. We could see all these aspects from our main protagonist—Hibari—a design student who is trying to balance lectures, assignments, and a part-time
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job. Hibari's challenges don't stop there, as she also struggles with low esteem, thinking of herself as being ordinary and having her art being criticized as being too plain. One day, she met the bold and free musician—Gaku—that will soon change her life. Just like what Gaku commented about Hibari's design, this story has "a really good base". The plot has a lot of potential, unfortunately it just failed to deliver.
The romance moves too fast, Gaku and Hibari become a couple almost instantly. Although it may be believable for the unpredictable Gaku to quickly develop interest for Hibari and pursue her immidiately, Hibari is actually a more serious and guarded person. It is unconvincing that she falls really fast for Gaku's approach that seems very forceful at times. Not to mention, they barely knew each other! Their relationship does not feel very genuine. There were too little build up for them to become a believable couple, minimizing their chemistry and depth in their relationship.
Dreams and art seem like a major focus in this manga as well, with both main leads pursuing their goals as a designer and musician. Hibari's life as an aspiring designer also changed ever since she met Gaku. She received opportunities in her field, and gets compliments on her designs. However, it feels like a "too much tell, not enough show" where the story is trying to convince that Hibari's design has improved but still only showing her plain designs. Gaku's band life story is also not too interesting to follow. Even when something happens with the band, it never feel like it will turn into something significant. It may felt that way because of Gaku's carefreeness, or how he is mostly characterized by how in love he is with Hibari.
Speaking of characterization, Hibari and Gaku seems to be strictly defined by their characters from the beginning of the story—the serious and insecure designer Hibari, and the free-spirited musician Gaku who fell in love with Hibari—with little to no development throughout. The manga feels like an elongated premise with little to no development, kind of bizzare since the plot moves very quickly especially when it comes to the main leads getting together. Might be because things happened in the beginning, the rest felt like there's not much change.
There are few things I enjoyed from it, such as the side love story, but most of all is the art. It is clean and pretty, just overall pleasant to see. Unfortunately, there are way too many flaws—big and small—that eventually is just hard for me to look over. Sure, it can be enjoyable for those who love the serious girl x carefree guy couple dynamic, but even that is not so original. There are better written works with similar dynamic that doesn't force itself to have believable chemistry between the characters.
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
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Sep 16, 2025
A heartbreaking but moving story about trauma and love.
Even when the story seems to still be in its early stages, this manga really stands out. It brings attention to the struggles that vulnerable children face, and the child welfare system in Japan. The details put into this manga shows how well researched it is. Besides being very informative about how the system works, it also gives a realistic view on how childhood trauma and environment affects someone's point of view and decisions in the long run as the story is told from when the characters are still children, and slowly growing up as adults.
It is
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an emotional and heartwrenching read where you can feel about the characters. However, the way it is written beautifully with showing of hope and love between the characters also makes the story almost healing.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Oct 19, 2024
Lured in by the premise of an atypical high school rom-com protagonist, but he ends up being the very reason that drags this typical high school rom-com story down.
Instead of following the usual anti-social MC, this series also known as Chiramune follows a story from the point of view of the most popular guy in class: Chitose Saku. One problem with most stories within the same subgenre is to justify the way the heroines fall for the unsocial protagonist. Being the sociable, handsome, smart, and athletic guy should have made it easy to understand why Chitose was able to have an established harem from the
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get go. Unfortunately, Chitose Saku is not the charming guy this manga is trying to portray him as.
Chitose Saku is a conceited narcissist - appaling traits but can be good for a story if actually treated well. However, Chitose is shown as the ideal person in this story, never reprimanded for acting or saying anything remotely repulsive and instead always rewarded as being the cool guy. When someone dislike him, that person is the one at wrong. Any flaws Chitose may have becomes invalid in the world of this manga because he is just perfect here. By stepping back a little, he is actually as or even more cringeworthy than the anti-social MCs pretending to be the know-it-all. Chiramune makes it worse than the next rom-com story because Chitose is shown to actually know how the world works, when in reality it only works because it is Chitose's world.
In Chitose's world, everything revolves around him, including the characters. Team Chitose - as he calls it - consisted of him, 2 other athletic guys, and 4 girls. Every single character only has meaningful conversations with him, and there are almost no chemistry between the other characters - almost like they only stick together because of Chitose. Seeing how conceited Chitose is, it is also hard to believe that he would have minions following and girls lining up for him instead of running away if not because of how the world of the manga works. He created the hierarchy himself, categorize people into archetypes, and groups people he deemed as the good popular kids vs not. He dictates on how one should live their youth.
I can see it being entertaining for fans of stories within the same subgenre, which is the high school rom-com stories - particularly ones originated from light novels - because they are way more similar than they're not. However, with how the protagonist is written, it's better to just read other similar books and skip this one.
Reviewer’s Rating: 2
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Oct 18, 2024
Idol X Idol Story! is introducing something new to the 2D idol sphere by bringing something that's common from the 3D idol world.
As an idol fan, it's always exciting for me to see an element I often see with real idols being brought up in idol anime or manga. In this case, the plot of having idols going through an idol survival show where girls that have dreams of becoming idols are competing with each other to get a spot in the final group.
There are a lot of potential from the premise alone. As idols that perform in groups, they have to work together and
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form bonds. Add the competitive element, and drama is bound to happen as well. All these facilitate character development and excitement for the plot.
Like many idol series, the story is character-driven. It has quite a big cast from the get go with everyone having unique traits. Unfortunately, the story can be a little bit rushed and some characters aren't developed enough, reducing the impact on some twists later on. However, it is something that gets better over time as each characters are slowly getting more and more of their story told, allowing readers to know and connect with them more.
The drama in this manga is executed pretty lightly, which can be a minus or a plus depending on individual taste. I personally expected heavier drama often seen in idol survival shows, so this manga can feel a bit dull at times with its more laid-back drama. However, it would probably be perfect for those who likes something that's more chill.
It's not the perfect idol manga, but it is bringing something new that touch upon a really prominent subject in the real idol world while still making it suitable for manga audience through its unique characters. It is worth a try for those who like idols - 2D and 3D alike - and CGDCT fans who is looking for just a little bit more spice from the usual relaxing fluffy slice of life. It is probably not for someone who is looking more into the world of real idol industry with a more serious and deep approach, nor it is for those looking for romance since the manga really focuses on the characters' dreams of becoming idols.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Jan 18, 2024
Beautiful human drama with gorgeous aquatic artwork.
Deep Sea Aquarium MagMell is ultimately a human drama sets in an aquarium for deep sea creatures. Although there is a foreshadowing for a bigger story that slowly unfolds, the delivery is more of a character-driven slice of life. The manga is focused on the people connected with the protagonist and the aquarium, diving deeper into their lives.
The aquatic theme never left. Besides the incredible aquatic scenery, every stories have fascinating details about a deep sea creature that drives the character development as we learn more about them.
It is a very charming series, written and drawn
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beautifully with a serene atmosphere befitting of its stories and themes.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Aug 24, 2023
Ui x Kon isn't for everyone but is excellent in its own niche: the fairytale-like shoujo romance targeted for the younger audience. Just like fairy-tale stories, this title have that innocence, child-like romance full of hopes. While it doesn't have that magical feel from fairy-tales, it has that unbelievability aspect coming from the premise.
The story based on a school that pairs their students to find the perfect couple to be wedded at the end of the school journey and inherit a big-name game company. It sounds very silly, but precisely because of that premise that this manga became a very fun and exciting read, and
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is what's special about it.
The cast is also refreshing despite having the typical tropes at first glance. All of them have some depth in them and develop gradually throughout the series. The MC is very straightforward and pure-hearted, which affects the people around her as well and make the story more enjoyable to read as it avoids any type of misunderstandings or other conflicts before it gets frustrating.
I wouldn't recommend it for everyone. The art is nothing special, some dialogues may be cheesy, some actions may be over the top - but if you are looking for a light and fun romance manga, especially one that feels very "shoujo" then this one is worth the try!
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Oct 6, 2020
Saku-chan to Nozomi-kun feels more mature than the usual shoujo manga.
The story deals with growing up and family conflicts. Burdened with a trauma, growing up is not easy for the main girl in this story. However, she found comfort in her classmate whom she relates to as they both try to find their own identity.
Even with the short length, the story executed the growth of the characters well. The theme of growing up with a trauma, how it affects their life and relationship with others, and how they resolve it is told concisely in the 2 volumes of this manga.
Besides the heavier theme than
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most shoujo manga, the art style also helps in makng this manga feels more mature with the simpler style and lack of sparkly or over-the-top effects.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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