Post by Sargai on Jul 5, 2015 23:10:21 GMT -5
I've been reading some manga lately. Just romance. So, y'know, if you aren't into that...
Horimiya
I was introduced to Horiyama through the OVA adaptation, Hori-sama to Miyamura-kun, which has a much longer name than the source material because... I dunno, long titles are the hip things these days. In any case, the OVA hooked me good and then me down with a violent shove into traffic because it is only three episodes long and ends before things progress. The manga is good. It is sweet and funny and doesn't employ the typical manufactured drama that one usually finds in romance manga. Really, for a good while there, the manga is actually quite compelling and satisfying. The problem I have is the pacing, which was fine for a long while and then started to slow as the cast grew. The author has made an admirable attempt to develop and include secondary characters in the story and that leads to a lot of humor and even a little romance, but it forces the main arc off to the side, where things that should have been dealt with are left hanging in the air for several chapters or not resolved at all. Still, I read what was available of the manga in a night and it had me squeeing and laughing the entire way through. I'd recommend it in a heartbeat.
Bonnouji
Oh, Bonnouji. I read this one because it was recommended to those who enjoyed the above and that was kind of a mistake because the two have nothing in common. The thing you need to know about Bonnouji is that the pacing is horrendous and you won't even realize it until the manga points it out to you. For instance, the first chapter revolves around the main characters meeting after Ozawa's boyfriend of five years breaks up with her--she is introduced to Oyamada's warehouse room of random crap and starts to hang out there all the time. Somewhere in the next couple chapters, she mentions that her boyfriend broke up with her two years previous. That moment is the first indication that any time at all has passed, let alone two years. It continues like this pretty much the whole way through.
The characters just aren't that great either. Ozawa spends most of the time drinking or being drunk and Oyamada, the chillest of geeks, spends most of the time thinking she's cute and allowing her to do whatever she wants. Any problem that arises between the two is almost immediately solved by Oyomada being the most easy-going mofo around... even when the problem is about how he is so easy-going.
It was OK. I wouldn't recommend it though.
Horimiya
I was introduced to Horiyama through the OVA adaptation, Hori-sama to Miyamura-kun, which has a much longer name than the source material because... I dunno, long titles are the hip things these days. In any case, the OVA hooked me good and then me down with a violent shove into traffic because it is only three episodes long and ends before things progress. The manga is good. It is sweet and funny and doesn't employ the typical manufactured drama that one usually finds in romance manga. Really, for a good while there, the manga is actually quite compelling and satisfying. The problem I have is the pacing, which was fine for a long while and then started to slow as the cast grew. The author has made an admirable attempt to develop and include secondary characters in the story and that leads to a lot of humor and even a little romance, but it forces the main arc off to the side, where things that should have been dealt with are left hanging in the air for several chapters or not resolved at all. Still, I read what was available of the manga in a night and it had me squeeing and laughing the entire way through. I'd recommend it in a heartbeat.
Bonnouji
Oh, Bonnouji. I read this one because it was recommended to those who enjoyed the above and that was kind of a mistake because the two have nothing in common. The thing you need to know about Bonnouji is that the pacing is horrendous and you won't even realize it until the manga points it out to you. For instance, the first chapter revolves around the main characters meeting after Ozawa's boyfriend of five years breaks up with her--she is introduced to Oyamada's warehouse room of random crap and starts to hang out there all the time. Somewhere in the next couple chapters, she mentions that her boyfriend broke up with her two years previous. That moment is the first indication that any time at all has passed, let alone two years. It continues like this pretty much the whole way through.
The characters just aren't that great either. Ozawa spends most of the time drinking or being drunk and Oyamada, the chillest of geeks, spends most of the time thinking she's cute and allowing her to do whatever she wants. Any problem that arises between the two is almost immediately solved by Oyomada being the most easy-going mofo around... even when the problem is about how he is so easy-going.
It was OK. I wouldn't recommend it though.