The novelty of big girl-small girl isn't enough to make for the dragging, unfocused plot.
Jun 1, 2023 • Subscribe
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Small History and Big History
History has two different and related types: small and big. Big history is what you learn in school. It’s the major events of the past: the American Revolution,…


Small Packets, Big Changes
If you use Japan Post, you may've been aware of some significant changes. Krystallina covers all of that in this week's Please Save My Money.
Pick of the Year: Small Publishers and Big Genres
SEAN: It’s the end of the year, and as always I’ve forgotten 90% of what I read back in March and April. I will thus make my pick…


Lycoris Recoil: Big World, Small Story
This is a show I wanted to review for a while now, something that took off quite a bit during its air-time last year. It’s always good to…
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Fungus and Iron GN 1
This story about a dyslexic soldier finds itself excited to play in the dystopian sci-fi genre space, but ends up merely splashing in the shallow ends of its…


Natsume and Natsume GN 1
With his terrifying smile and heart of gold, Natsume-kun is basically a CGCT protagonist in a high school boy's body.


Mashle: Magic and Muscles GN 1
Mashle: Magic and Muscles is a lot of goofy fun. It plays with basic magic school story tropes, directly lampoons Harry Potter, and features a nice mix of…


Lightning and Romance GN 1-2
20-year-old Reo returns to high school to finish his education where he meets Sumire, and she's not about to let him dictate her feelings – especially not when…


Skip and Loafer GN 1-2
At this point it seems as if Skip and Loafer is a pure comedy series. That's not entirely fair or true to say, although it is definitely a…


Dandadan GN 1
A lot of manga have bawdy humor and fail, but Dandadan manages to make it work by displaying its heart alongside its horror and humor.


Tista GN 1
From the creator of SpyxFamily comes a difficult story, replete with themes of what we owe those who "save" us and just how much power any one person…


Ayashimon GN 1
This volume is packed with everything from yakuza action to twisted backstories to humans against monsters. Does this manga from the creator of Hell’s Paradise manage to bring…
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SINoALICE GN 1
This manga adaptation of the popular mobile game gambles on a risky decision: to deliberately confuse its readers on what's real and what's just a dream.


Centaurs GN 1
Dark historical fantasy doesn't get much better than this.


FANGS GN 1
FANGS is a story that is most likely going to have the most appeal for readers who enjoy both vampires and BL, and it will probably still have…


MonsTABOO GN 1
Take a bit of social commentary on twisted, corrupt adults, add in schoolgirls who use monsters as transformed weapons to fight them, and then throw in a game…
Ayashimon GN 1
Most of us have probably tried it at some point. What “it” means varies, but the definition is always “something that works in my favorite story.” Whether


Higehiro GN 1
Is there actually some insightful character stuff present that looks like it can take full advantage of this arrangement? The answer is surprisingly yes for a good chunk…


Barbarities GN 1
Barbarities' first volume is an interesting opening to a political BL tale. The politics and the side romance may be a little more intriguing than Joel and Adam…


Life GN 1
Two decades after its initial release, Life presents a viciously recognizable picture of the social hellscape that middle and high school can be.
Tista GN 1
Before there was SPY x FAMILY there was Tista. Tatsuya Endō's first serialized work shares some themes with his latest – heroine Tista Lone is an orphan who
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Semelparous GN 1
It feels more like the book is interested in gratuitous girl-on-girl groping than in exploring or creating a relationship.


MAO GN 1
Takahashi's latest seems to borrow elements from her previous popular works, but does it add anything new to her tried and true recipe?


Helck GN 1
A human makes a play for demon king, stating he hates humankind just as much as a demon should. He just has to convince Red Vamirio, and her…
Void Terrarium Review – One Small Robot against One Big World
Void Terrarium, also known as void tRrLM(); //, is a roguelike game released by NIS America earlier this month on the Nintendo Switch and PS4. In the game,…
Void Terrarium Review – One Small Robot against One Big World
Void Terrarium, also known as void tRrLM(); //, is a roguelike game released by NIS America earlier this month on the Nintendo Switch and PS4. In the game,…


Tokyo Aliens GN 1
This first volume of Tokyo Aliens is a solid start to what looks like a promising series, but plays it safe in regards to what's in store for…


Tesla Note GN 1
Because the anime adaptation made some questionable artistic choices, it's worth mentioning that the manga is much more attractive on the art front.
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Nana & Kaoru GN 1
BDSM-curious should check out Nana & Kaoru, a manga that respects the realities of its subject matter (and is pretty hot).


Mame Coordinate GN 1
This manga about modeling tries to balance the glam with the less than savory aspect of the job, but is the problem really its protagonist?


Sakamoto Days GN 1
A retired assassin finds domestic bliss and opens a convenience store, but the crime world isn't ready to let Sakamoto go.


Dark Gathering GN 1
I mean it when I say I wasn't expecting to be terrified from reading Dark Gathering. This surprise isn't a downside. That this story was able to genuinely…
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Kageki Shoujo!! GN 1
Like its heroine, Kageki Shojo!! is just getting started but shows enormous promise.
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Yuri Espoir GN 1
Yuri Espoir is an odd combination of froth and sadness. The way that the world seems hellbent on crushing Kokoro under the burden of false heteronormativity is undeniably…


Heart Gear GN 1
Sci-fi fans will find a lot to love in this Isaac Asimov-inspired story about an artificial lifeform becoming human through its interactions with a human child


Choujin X GN 1
From the same creative mind that brought us the hit manga series Tokyo Ghoul comes another rather dark outing from creator Sui Ishida. If you were a fan...
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Tephlon Funk GN 1
Inspired by Cowboy Bebop and Spike Lee films, Tephlon Funk is a lot, but I think that ultimately that's a good thing.
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Seaside Stranger GN 1
It's just as much about how Shun comes to understand that he deserves to be happy and that Mio truly does love him for (rather than in spite…


Hello, Melancholic! GN 1
This is by and large an extremely familiar story – but that doesn't mean it can't be a good one if told well, and through this first volume,…


Dai Dark GN 1
From the creator of Dorohedoro comes a new series about a man, his supposedly magic bones, and the out-of-this-world characters who try to obtain them.
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Afro Samurai GN 1
Striking art can't make up for a barebones story with little narrative or characterization to chew on.
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Rainbow Days GN 1
If the anime failed to hold your attention, you'll want to check out the source material for a much more entertaining read.
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Otherside Picnic GN 1
Otherside Picnic creates a creepy world that gives a sense of vast, unexplored space and dangers lurking just below your line of sight.
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Lovely Muco! GN 1
There's a satisfying simplicity in following the life of Muco and her owner.


Shadows House GN 1
Anime viewers may get a lot more out of this introductory volume of the manga that inspired it, because if you're armed with a bit more knowledge, the…
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Usotoki Rhetoric GN 1
Set in 1926, this rural detective tale follows a teen sleuth who can tell when people are lying.


Kemono Jihen GN 1
Kimono Jihen is a combination of folklore, fantasy, and horror. It's got a beating heart underneath the grimness and this volume is a solid start to the series.
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Great Pretender GN 1
The story of the Great Pretender is one of a good person trying desperately to be a bad guy in a world where everyone is out for themselves.
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Captain Corinth GN 1
At this point in genre saturation, a space soldier being dropped into a medieval fantasy planet feels positively revelatory.


Papa and Daddy's Home Cooking GN 1-3
Toyota's tale establishes that fathers adjusting to single parenthood and realizing that even if they don't feel like adequate parents, they'll ultimately be just fine, no matter what…