My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As I Expected Vol. #03 Manga Review

If that's why you're being so nice to me...then just stop.

Creative Staff:

Original Story: Wataru Watari
Art: Naomichi Io
Character Design: Ponkan8
Translation: Jennifer Ward
Lettering: Bianca Pistillo

Cover Design: Hiroyuki Kawasome

What They Say:

Hachiman Hikigaya's travails in the Service Club continue! When his younger sister Komachi comes to the Service Club with a problem involving Hachiman's stoic, intimidating classmate Saki, he's faced with a challenge. How's he supposed to break through Saki's unflappable and frankly frightening demeanor? Is it possible that Hachiman's notorious cynicism is actually going to be good for something, for once?

The Review:
Content: (Please note that the content portion of the review may contain spoilers)
When we last left off, the Service Club (Along with Zaimokuza and Totsuka) were brainstorming ways to figure out where Saki Kawasaki works. Needless to say, this volume picks up exactly where the last one left off. And after a few panels of fan service revealing Yukinoshita and Yui in maid costumes, we're ready to get back to business! Oh, also, Saki doesn't work at the maid cafe. No surprise there.

Where she does work, however, is a high-class bar on the top floor of some fancy hotel in Chiba. After our lovable team of protagonists throw on their best dress clothes and head up there, it is revealed that Saki has slipped into delinquency due to the sheer fact that she needs money. That reason winds up being revealed not that night, but the next day when she meets with everyone at your standard McDonald's knock-off. Apparently, Saki only got this job because she wanted to go to college and didn't want to burden her family or her brother. What's even crazier than this is that Saki Kawasaki has managed to make it all the way to high school without ever hearing about scholarships. So, with some help from 8man and the gang (Which could totally be their band name if they ever started one), Saki decides it's best to focus on school. And, suddenly, everyone is happy....Until they aren't.

See, this is the part of the manga where Hachiman finally learns that Yuigahama was the 'sweets girl'. And after hearing about this, he doesn't thank her for her continued attempts at making him feel human, he basically tells her to go away. Being head over heels for the guy, Yui breaks down and runs away, making things awkward between the two from that point on. In fact, she even stops showing up to club meetings. Of course, Yukinon and Hachiman need to figure out how to get her back, but what's more important right now is going to a freakin' pet expo because penguins.

Komachi (Also known as best-girl) and Hachiman apparently go to this expo every year. Yukinoshita, on the other hand, really just likes cats. So when the dynamic brother and sister duo unexpectedly run into the cat-loving ice queen, they all decide to hang out for a bit and, what do you know, there's Yui. Of course, this is a manga, so Yuigahama interprets the chance encounter as an admittance to Hachiman and Yukinoshita being a couple and storms off once again, albeit right after Yukinoshita makes the poor choice of having, "I need to talk to you about us" being her last words of the meeting -- which, in hindsight, was a terrible move. The only way to fix this now is obviously by buying her a birthday present because, as it is right now, Yui is on track to have to worst birthday ever. Queue the mall trip!

Fortunately for us, best-girl Komachi tags along again, making this the most appearances she has had in a volume yet. Unfortunately for us, she immediately leaves and forces her brother and Yukino to go on a sort of semi-date without her. This, of course, results in Yukino fawning over stuffed animals and Hikigaya just being awkward and uncomfortable. As the "date" inches closer to its end, Haruno Yukinoshita makes her first appearance of the series as she bumps into our fake couple at the mall. If you aren't already familiar with Haruno, she's essentially the polar opposite of Yukino -- outgoing and bright. But, according to Hachiman, it's all just a front that she puts on. Eventually, Haruno leaves and we time-jump to the designated meeting time for Yui and the others. And, in an unexpected turn of events (Which is becoming an expected turn of events with all of the terrible timing these characters have), Zaimokuza shows up right as Yukino is about to spill her heart out (Or at least what's left of it) and the volume ends.

Oh, and there's also an arcade trip with Totsuka somewhere in here, so that's cool if you're into traps.

In Summary:
OreGairu continues to impress in every form of media. And while the anime had significantly more success with conveying emotion, the build-up and overall feel of this entire manga is easily still enjoyable after three volumes. You really have to give it to Watari for fleshing out such enjoyable characters. The comedy in OreGairu hits hard and the word count is rather impressive for a book of its size. Even though the art could be a bit cleaner as far as I'm concerned, this is an excellent rom-com/melodrama that only gets better from this point on.

Content Grade: A-

Art Grade: B-

Packaging Grade: B-

Text/Translation Grade: A

Age Rating: 13+

Released By: Yen Press

Release Date: December 13, 2016

MSRP: $12.99

The Isolator Vol. #01 Manga Review

Nothing is safe in this world. Whatever can happen, will happen.

Creative Staff:

Original Story: Reki Kawahara

Art: Naoki Koshimizu

Character Design: Shimeji

Translation: Jenny McKeon

Lettering: Scott Brandon Jones & Xian Michele Lee

What They Say:

Mysterious objects from space have landed, embedding themselves within human beings around the world and granting them impossible powers according to their deepest wishes. Seventeen-year-old Utsugi Minoru's only wish is to be able to live apart from the world and events around him. But will he remain the same after experiencing his new powers and new dangers?

The Review:

Content: (Please note that the content portion of the review may contain spoilers)

Reki Kawahara is a name in the anime and manga industry that, despite having a limited selection of titles, is still relatively well-known. After his first series, Accel World, missed the mark several years back due to the controversial appearance of its protagonist, Sword Art Online picked up the slack and became an absolute phenomenon within anime and manga culture -- particularly in the west. That being said, Kawahara's newest story, The Isolator, has a lot to live up to if it's going to be able to stand next to something as colossal as SAO. One more thing to note before we get into the nitty-gritty, however, is that this book is drawn entirely by Naoki Koshimizu, a mangaka so fresh that he doesn't even have a Myanimelist page yet. But don't let that fool you -- this man can draw.

The Isolator follows the typical Kawahara pattern of an unlikely male candidate being given super powers and learning to harness them via an attractive, powerful female co-protagonist who would totally win if the two were to get into a fight. This time around, our male character is the aloof and antisocial Minoru Utsugi, who simply wants to lead a life where no one bothers him. Suffice it to say, that doesn't happen. Utusgi is randomly approached by a strange, black orb one night that buries itself inside his chest, ending any dreams he had of living a normal life. Three months later, after being hit by some jerk on a bike, Utsugi's power [granted by the orb] awakens. He doesn't feel anything. This power becomes relevant again just several pages later when these other jerks from the track team call Utusgi out behind the school and try to jump him. So if there's anything we have learned from the first two chapters, it's that Utsugi's pain is somehow being negated and that there are a lot of mean people wherever he lives.

Among all of these unfriendly faces, however, there is one saint -- Tomomi Minowa (Who I'm pretty sure is the Chiyuri Kurashima of this series). Minowa seems to be the only person in town willing to talk to Utsugi. She is also the only person in town who remembers something about him that he's spent the last several years trying to forget. "Wow, it must really be a terrible secret," is what you're probably thinking, right? Well boy, are you wrong. Utusgi's deepest, darkest secret is that this one time...he yelled at a teacher! Wow! What a scarring backstory! In fact, Utsugi seems to care more about this 'tragic' event than when his entire 'effing family was brutally murdered in front of him. But apart from our main character's inability to prioritize the sadness of his past, we have an average, everyday protagonist that just really likes to run for some reason. This, of course, hides behind the guise of Utsugi 'running to forget' but really, I just think they needed to make this guy seem damaged right off the bat. 

Anyway, after all of this initial character development and stuff comes to a close, we're introduced to several new characters, albeit briefly. One of these characters is Yumiko Azu, the Kuroyukihime of the series. Other than her, we have some dude who is presumably her sidekick (For now) and the dumbest protagonist I have seen in years -- The Biter. "Wow, what does that guy do?" you must be thinking. Well, get this, ladies and gentlemen...He bites people. To death. "Oh, well he probably looks cool at least, right?" Wrong. Instead of having a cool transformation or even a slightly threatening appearance in general, his mouth turns into a wolf's mouth -- making him the stupidest looking villain of all time. He's just some angry dude with half of a wolf-face. Combine that with the fact that he is nicknamed "The Biter" and that he literally says, at multiple points, "I'm going to bite you!" and it becomes pretty damn hard to take this manga seriously.

But even with that being said, there was still something about this volume that I enjoyed. I'm not sure if it's simply due to the fact that it's almost a carbon copy of Accel World, but I really did wind up liking it somehow. After this "Biter" dude is finally gone, I feel like this can really go somewhere. For this being an actual first manga from Koshimizu, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little impressed. The artwork is actually pretty fantastic and Shimeji's character designs are beautiful. Even Utsugi, despite how much I already dislike him, looks awesome. The strange thing is, Kawahara's story is actually the weakest part of this manga -- which is surprising considering how intricate his stories normally are. Maybe that will change with time; maybe it just wasn't portrayed well in the first volume. Who knows? What I do know, however, is that fans of Kawahara's can still find something in The Isolator. For those of you that haven't checked out any of his work, don't start with this.

In Summary:

The Isolator, despite being an impressive display of Naoki Koshimizu's artwork, has many flaws that wind up creating an ultimately dissatisfying reading experience. You will spend one-half of this volume questioning the thought process of the overtly antisocial protagonist and the second half laughing at the idea of a villain named "The Biter" who's mouth looks like an evil duckbill. This manga, in its current state, scores no points for originality, being what is essentially a carbon copy of Kawahara's own 'Accel World'. I will give Kawahara credit, however, for leaving the digital universe out of this one. It's nice to see him taking steps in a new direction...Kind of.

Content Grade: C

Art Grade: A-

Packaging Grade: C-

Text/Translation Grade: B-

Age Rating: 13+

Released By: Yen Press

Release Date: January 24, 2017

MSRP: $12.99

Rewrite Episode #15 Anime Review

Honeymoon Over a Silent Ocean

What They Say:

Kazamatsuri, a modern, well-developed city renowned for its burgeoning greenery and rich Japanese culture, is home to Kotarou Tennouji, a high schooler least privy to the place's shared values. Content to fill his pockets with frivolity, the proud and nosy boy whiles away his time pestering the self-proclaimed delinquent Haruhiko and indulging in his amorous feelings toward the oddball Kotori.

Equipped with the superhuman ability to permanently rewrite any part of his body to multiply his strength or speed, Kotarou is naturally drawn to the supernatural. One special meeting with the lone member and president of the Occult Research Club, the "Witch" Akane Senri, leads to Kotarou reviving the Occult Club by recruiting Kotori and three other members: the clumsy transfer student Chihaya, the strict class representative Lucia, and the unassuming Shizuru. As Kotarou unveils hidden secrets of each member of the Occult Club through their shared adventures, he will inevitably encounter a fate that only he might be able to rewrite.

The Review:
Content: (Please note that the content portion of the review may contain spoilers)

Now that Kotarou isn't worried of being slaughtered by Kagari anymore, we can finally get the ball rolling in terms of this season's plot. And what better way to start that off than by overloading Kotarou's brain with literally every last bit of information pertaining to planet Earth conveniently piled up under one tree? That's right, folks. Kotarou now possesses more knowledge than any other human to ever walk the face of the Earth. In fact, he possesses so much knowledge that he can now rewrite the world itself instead of just his own physical capabilities. Or maybe he's been able to do that all along? I'm not really sure. That part wasn't exactly clear.

This is all fine and good -- I mean, what human being wouldn't seize the opportunity to obtain every secret the world has to offer? But Kotarou, caught up in the heat of the moment, winds up obtaining a little "too much" information, eventually going mad. Fortunately for him, Kagari shows up and is able to stop him from killing himself and the one other person (If you can even call her that) that exists in the current world. After all of this is said and done, we're left with the idea that all of those blue leyline things underneath the tree are actually branches (Or routes) that life could possibly take. Each branch that comes to an end is a universe in which human life could not be saved. And, unfortunately for everyone, it seems like every branch is coming to an end. Which then goes on to reveal Kagari's true purpose -- finding a route in which humanity does survive.

Kotarou, figuring this out at an incredibly opportune moment, decides right then and there that his mission is going to be protecting Kagari no matter what the cost. Little does he know, that was his mission for about half of the first damn season. Either way, he decides this right on time considering monsters have started appearing once again -- and all of them want Kagari's blood. But here's the kicker, all of those monsters were sent out by the spirit of Sakura Kashima (Who I guess still lingers around even after her body has passed). Kotarou, knowing full-well that he can't possibly combat all of these monsters, finally figures out that he can just respawn his friends to help him out. And while this seems like exactly what we've been waiting for since the start of this season, the manner in which his friends reappear completely misses the mark and does so without even an ounce of sentiment -- something incredibly rare for a KEY series. In fact, the reappearance of the Occult Club is so sudden that you barely have time to feel anything. Had the episode used even a minute of the ten that it spent on Kotarou's magical body floating through space on this scene instead, the episode may have actually meant something.

The good side to this is that all of our heroines are back. The bad side, however, is that I'm pretty sure they're all still dead. But I guess we'll just have to wait and see how things play out.

In Summary:

Despite a variety of impressive visuals and some of the strongest dialogue the series has seen, episode fifteen misses out on the sentiment so typically synonymous with KEY animation. The first half of the episode is overwhelmingly slow, which causes unavoidable pacing issues in the latter half. Even though some of our favorite characters are finally brought back into the picture, we're left with too many questions that Rewrite was not capable of answering despite all of this episode's time utilized on that alone. I'm sure the series will recover once again, but a slip-up at such an important moment in the season is too disheartening to overlook.

Grade: C

Streamed By: Crunchyroll