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Oct 11, 2025
Coming from Makoto Ojiro, who wrote the masterpiece that is "Kimi wa Houkago Insomia", I expected another well-written work, and I was not disappointed.
Story: 7.5/10
It's a story about two middle schoolers falling in love, so romance isn't really over the top besides hand-holding and hugging here. The overall story feels cute and wholesome, and quite nostalgic in some parts. I feel like the author could've given a clearer ending about their future, but I don't mind this ending.
Characters: 7/10
I loved the dynamic between Fujiyama and Kanba, it feels very natural for two teenagers. Also Fujiyama's cute lol.
Art: 7.5/10
The art can be a bit choppy, but
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I think it's to convey a sense of nostalgia? The scenes are incredibly detailed though.
Enjoyment: 8/10
I binged it in like 2 hours. It doesn't feel boring at all.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Oct 7, 2025
Jirai nan desu ka? Chihara-san is your typical "yankee girl x shy boy" rom-com. The art style is cute and fits the characters quite well.
The story is your average slice-of-life comedy manga with hints of romance, although in the later chapters the romance is more apparent. There isn't much of a clear plot since each chapter is so short, but it's still good enough to understand the direction of the story.
The side characters are also quite likeable.
It's not groundbreakingly good, but it's good enough for what it brings to the table. If you're a fan of trope-y slowburns, this is for you. If you
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want something refreshing, maybe leave this for a later date.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Sep 27, 2025
Most forms of media, like manga and anime, has its audience. Nagatoro-san is no exception to the rule. Some people may dislike or even dislike it, while others may enjoy reading it. Personally, I fall into the latter category.
Why? I believe that Nagatoro-san is a very enjoyable story about two teenagers maturing and finding themselves and their place in the world.
First, let's address what I believe is the main turnoff of this manga - its ruthless depiction of bullying and teasing, especially in the first few chapters. Nagatoro is presented as merciless character who bullies her upperclassman (or you might say senpai) because he
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looks and acts like an introverted loser. Personally, I understand why some people get turned off by this - she's a dick for sure. What I feel like people miss is how she bullies her senpai. She's not thoughtless, and you could feel a sense of kindness even in her most degrading acts. She knows when to stop, and most importantly, she doesn't act that way towards everyone she meets. It's just him, Hachiouji, that she acts like this, simply because she sees something in him.
Getting over the rocky start, this story truly converges into a unique tale of maturing. Contrary to her exterior, Nagatoro is a normal high school girl with very normal high school girl troubles. She's scared of people surpassing her, and so she cuts off her only hobby - judo. She just wants to be in her own world, and not be hurt by the sight of people triumphing over her. This in turn makes her empty inside. However, Hachiouji only has his hobby as his validating point. He doesn't excel in sports or academics, but he enjoys, and is good at art, and he makes it his only support. He believes that art is all he needs to get the peace and tranquil he wants in his school days.
Looking at her senpai, who she mocks because he seems to only care about art, Nagatoro realizes how important judo is to her. She needs a validation point too. She doesn't want to be remembered as the ordinary high school girl who looks like a deliquent and has no hobbies. She doesn't want to spend her high school days in boredom. She wants to change.
Looking at his kouhai, who seems to be the worst person in the world, Hachiouji realizes how narrow he has been. How boring the peace and calm he has been seeking will make his school days. How beautiful and exciting the world around him is. How, even in his pathetic state, he wants to be somewhat outgoing as Nagatoro. He wants to change.
Both of them owe each other for that change. It's like finding your missing puzzle piece to complete yourself, to become an adult, to shed all of the childish thoughts and habits that is still hanging on to you. That is what makes this manga so charming and exciting to read. You want to find out how they grow and become closer to each other.
Aside from the duo, the other characters do a great role of supporting and encouraging them in their search for themselves. The characters have an amazing dynamic which feels very natural despite being awkward at times.
We could not talk about Nagatoro-san without mentioning Nanashi's amazing art. Sure, it could be repetitive at times, but the facial expressions and judo scenes (and the art in general) are really well-drawn and make great meme material.
Overall, this is a great manga about coming-of-age. Change is hard, teenagers can have a tough time learning how to deal with the people around them. This is a great and wholesome portrayal of how finding your missing piece can have a profound impact on how you see the world around you.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Sep 22, 2025
Takopii no Genzai is, for lack of a better word, disgustingly amazing.
The depiction of evil and domestic violence in Takopii no Genzai is viewed raw, through an unfiltered lens, by a human-ish octopus who fails to understand even the most basic of evil. Greed, misery, hatred, everything. Takopii oversimplifies these twisted feelings as mere confusion, or rather it is so blinded by it's own lack of knowledge that it fails to distinguish bruises and blood from simple verbal conflict. Each time, Takopii tries to fix these oversimplified problems by magic, thinking naively that all will be well and harmony will be restored. Alas, the road
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to hell is paved with good intentions. No amount of water can extinguish a burning fire if we, as humans, keep adding fuel to it. We can't just expect things to magically resolve if we are the ones actively perpetuating it.
Contrary to Takopii's destructive naivety, Shizuka, the main human character, truly believes that people hurting each other is a mere fact of life, because she was raised in such a bleak and terrible environment. Family?. None. Friends? None. And when her only pillar of support gets taken away while trying to exercise its primal instinct of saving people, she crumbles like a decrepit building. When her only source of happiness, her light gets switched off, she faces toward who she believes is the root of her problems, Marina. Equipped with her premature twisted ideologies and a partner who will go to great lengths to make her happy, she commits a heinous crime: murdering Marina. And since not an ounce of happiness is left in her, she naturally feels no such thing as remorse. Shizuka is defined by cruelty, before happiness and tranquil can even have a chance to get to her.
In a way, you could say that Shizuka and Marina are defined by their parents. Shizuka is only concerned for herself because her mother is a selfish arse who only cares about making money and pleasing other men while neglecting her own child. Marina is forced to vent her anger on someone else precisely because her mother decided to use her as an outlet for her problems. Oh, and Azuma. Molded to be another perfect version of his perfect brother Junya, he suffers from an overall lack of support even from his close family. Test scores don't matter if they aren't perfect, says his mother, because Junya always gets a perfect score. This toxicity from such a young age kllls all resilience and freedom a child can have.
Regarding such a heavy plot and cast, the animation truly does it justice. Dare I say it, the animation is probably the best aspect of this anime. The watered-down color palette, the rough and bleak scenes, all create a sense of uneasiness that perfectly suits the theme. The amount of detail is outstanding, or even a bit too realistic for some. The sound department is good enough, but the sound effects were just right and the voice actors truly gave everything to convey pain, sadness, regret, innocence.
In my opinion, the series gets too carried away trying to leave everything to the audience's interpretation. It's understandable, but in some parts it feels like the series is muddled with too little clear information about what is going on. Towards the end, when the plot is being wrapped up, the need to cram so much philosophy ultimately makes it a bit unclear. The need to encourage discussion will fail when even the plot is confusing at times. I feel like the resolution is a bit subpar. While the act of sacrificing itself is commendable, things don't just magically turn out to be normal. It feels like that in an attempt to wrap up the story, the writer tried to create a good ending, but it turned out to be a bit of a mess. For this reason, the series felt open and unfinished.
Takopii is an excellent anime. While not perfect, it strives to convey its themes of poor parenting, abuse, and hope, and I feel like it has succeded in such a role.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Jul 31, 2025
This is a refreshing and quite unique manga, despite using the "tragedy" cliche, it does make up by portraying honestly one of the most realistic cast of characters I have ever read. The storyline is quite messy in the first half (since it introduces quite a few characters), but all of them are incredibly well-rounded and have great depth. Hiro, Daiki, Hina coming to terms and making up with each other in the end, the three of them living together as family and accepting each other, Mao finally accepting her father, stepmother and stepsister, Sugimoto learning how to love, ... I also love the intricate
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details in portraying the character's emotions to the point that you could relate yourself in them. The resolution with Mao's mother can feel a bit rushed and I don't feel like she deserves a good ending, but oh well, maybe it is just because Mao is forgiving and willing to accept her for who she is.
The artwork can be a bit messy at times, but if you enjoy the story and characters then that may not be a problem.
Overall, Taiyou no Ie is truly remarkable and unique, and I would recommend this to anyone seeking a refresh from all the modern, cliche-y mangas or anyone seeking something realistic but also tragic and wholesome.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Jul 22, 2025
Story: 8
The story may feel a little dragged out in the first 100 to 120 chapters or so, because it is quite literally Takagi teasing Nishikata over and over. However, each chapter has a quite unique story, and the characters feel very much alive and act like kids their age (which is 12-14 years old) - playful-ish, sometimes mature but very pure and innocent. The supporting characters do play a role (albeit a bit insignificant), especially in the last 10 or 20 chapters. Readers seeking more mature characters or storyline might feel that this manga is a bit boring, though.
The mangaka occasionally drops a
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time-skip to their adulthood and/or child, which may be confusing but it guarantees a good ending.
Characters: 9
This manga has quite wholesome characters (since they are middle schoolers), and no (or next to none) drama or toxicity is found. Nishikata (the MC) is quite the dense MC (which is not surprising considering his age). Readers may find his overthinking annoying, but I think it complements the story well.
Art: 8
The art is nothing special, but simple in a good way.
Enjoyment: 10
This manga is perfect for a late-night, wholesome, no-frills read. The characters and story are well-designed, and the art won't distract you from the story. The story might be a bit boring if you were to binge read it, though.
Rating: 9
Other series you might enjoy if you enjoy this:
Kubo-san wa Mob wo Yurunasai (Yukimori Nene)
Kawaii Dake Janai Shikimori-san (Maki Keigo)
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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