Manga Review: Cat Street

"If you're not happy, then other people can't be happy."

Synopsis: Keito Aoyama started her acting career at a young age. After a certain incident, Keito stopped acting, and shunned herself from the outside world for seven years. One day, Keito meets with a stranger that urges Keito to go to his free school. Keito, only having the education of an elementary student, goes to the free school and finds out that everyone there has their own “special” problem. She befriends Rei Saeki, a former middle school soccer player, Kouichi Mine, a computer genius, and Momiji Noda, a clothing designer. The four students consider themselves “stray” cats and become good friends.

Story-10/10

The story of Cat Street follows Keito and how she changes from being a lonely outcast to a person with caring friends. The timeline of the story spans several years, from teens to their early twenties. The pacing of the story is great and the plot is always moving. Cat Street has a balance between romance and friendship. Keito does not immediately fall in love; she stumbles along the way throughout the story. The ending was satisfying, and I enjoyed the fact that the manga was short, only under 40 chapters.

Characters-10/10

From the four main characters, I liked every single one of them. The way they each solved their problems made the characters seem more realistic. We get to see them grow up and confront their past. None of the characters seemed generic. I was surprised how Cat Street was able to develop such characters in less than 40 chapters.

Artwork-9/10
The artwork from Cat Street differed from other types of Shoujo mangas. Again, the characters looked more realistic with this type of artwork, than the typical “anime” style looks. There was nothing to be surprise about from the artwork, but it felt clean and simple.

Final Score-10/10

Final Thoughts- Even though Cat Street was such a short manga, I thought that the manga was able to cover as much as it was able to. Nothing seemed forced out, nor the pacing of the manga changed due to its shortness. The characters are likable and realistic, which is a major plus for the manga. The concept of a person that is trying to live their life has been done a lot of times, but Cat Street makes the journey seem more realistic than other Shoujo mangas. I recommend this manga because it’s so short, but it’s really great. Recommended for anyone looking for a little bit more from a high school romance. 

Manga Review: Fruits Basket

 

"If my memories are erased... can we still be friends?"- Tohru Honda

Synopsis: Tohru Honda lives in a tent after the death of her mother. She moves into the house of the Sohma, after her tent is destroyed by a landslide. The current occupants that reside in the house are Yuki, the “prince”, Kyo, a destructive person, and Shigure, the legal guardian of the household. Tohru finds out that the Sohma family is cursed. When the opposite sex hugs a Sohma member, they will turn into their respective Zodiac animal. After learning this curse, Tohru is determined to break it and free the Sohma family.

Story-9/10

The plot is unique and interesting. It does a great job on focusing three main characters: Tohru, Yuki, and Kyo. The story focuses on the change of the three characters throughout the manga. But, I thought that the manga gave Yuki more “story” time than Kyo.  What gives the manga a score of nine is the pacing of the story. At some points, the story is slow, and at other points, the story changes its pace and moves fast, which caused me to back-track a couple of times. There are a lot of emotional scenes, but each of them was too similar to each other. The ending was very satisfying, and it did a great job resolving every character’s 

problems

Characters-10/10

The strongest point of the manga is the character development. Having three main characters and fifteen-plus supporting characters, I was amazed how the manga developed every character that was introduced. Every character that was shown played their part in the story very well. There was not one character I did not like. If the character wasn’t cool, then they were cute. If the character was cute, then they were cool. Each Sohma family member had a dark past that forced them to act the way they are. My only complaint is that the problems that occurred to each Sohma family member were similar to another. Other than that, Fruit Basket did a great job on character development, showing how each one of the character grew up and changed.

Artwork-9/10

As stated before, if the character didn’t look cool, then they were cute, vice-versa. The artwork fitted the story of the manga. I had some trouble distinguishing male-female characters, but I got used to it. Beautiful sceneries, accompanied by the cute/cool artwork of the characters, the artwork of the manga receive 9/10.

Final Score-10/10

Final Thoughts- I really liked this manga. There were no characters that I disliked, and the background of each one is very emotional. The story does a great job balancing the fifteen-plus characters in the manga, making sure that each one had its “story” time. The concept of using the Zodiac animals was great and original. The artwork made the characters look more feminine, but it was perfect for the story. I recommend reading the manga first, then watching the anime. Simply, because the manga doesn’t feel rush like the anime. 

Manga Review: Suzuka

"Why did you have to say that...?"- Suzuka

Synopsis: Yamato Akitsuki moves into the city to go to high school. He stays at his aunt’s all-girls dorm, and cleans the bath houses for rent. Yamato spots a girl doing a high jump in the school yard and instantly falls in love with her. He later finds out that the girl’s name is Suzuka, and Suzuka lives next door to Yamato. Yamato has to win Suzuka’s heart, with his clumsiness, but Suzuka’s heart is filled with the past.

Story- 8/10

I liked the story of Suzuka. But what gives it a score of 8, is some of the unneeded dialogue and some plot holes. I felt after one point of the manga, it began to slow down, but it still kept me interested. Many people were “iffy” about the ending, but I thought it was very satisfying. There are some “tear-jerking “moments, and those moments were the highlight of the manga.

Characters- 9/10

At first, I felt that the characters were going to be generic. You have the clumsy main character that can’t be hated. His “cool” and “girl-chasing” best friend. A shy girl that will eventually learn how to be out going. A Tsundere-type girl that hates the main character. But, why the high score? Because the characters each have their own reasons for being what they are. I felt that the characters grew throughout the whole manga. Each character that was introduced played an important role in the plot, or the main characters’ development.

Artwork-9/10

Well… art can’t be judged, but I give the artwork a 9/10. Simply, because there were a lot of beautiful scenery with Yamato and Suzuka. Each character wore something new every day and to accommodate with the season. I think the artwork was a very strong point for the manga. But warning, there are a couple of “ecchi/fan service” scenes in the manga,… but who’s complaining.

Total Score-9/10

Final Thoughts- I really like this manga. The story was well thought out, and satisfying. The characters were interesting, despite the generic uses. The artwork is beautiful, and should receive more attention that it already has. Read the manga, then watch the anime. The manga gives out more “emotion” than the anime has to offer. Suzuka is a manga that I would read again in the future, just for the fun of it.

Ravages of Time

The Ravages of Time is a manhua by Chan Mou. The story is essentially the Romance of the three Kingdoms all over again. The time period has been adapted into many forms such as Dynasty Warriors and Ikkitousen, but The Ravages of Time is different.

The story is not focused on Liu Bei and his oath brothers. Instead, almost everyone is given time to develop in the story. Even unlikeable people like Yuan Shu are given a lot of plot significance. The initial chapters may be confusing, but the manhua's style is uniquely powerful. Chan Mou gives off different philosophies about the chaotic time and gives conflicting ideas equal support. The known characters of the time period receive different interpretations that seem to be more historically accurate. For example, Lu Bu is portrayed commonly as a powerful but unintelligent warrior in Dynasty Warriors. In The Ravages of Time, he is both strong and intelligent, capable of making schemes.

There is only one warning: the manhua is not complete yet. It is 300+ chapters in, and the end is nowhere in sight. Furthermore, rereading may be needed to understand who everyone is.