First of all, this review will be written in spanish so, if you don't speak spanish, you can leave.

One Piece es un manga que claramente depende del lector para ser calificado. Para comenzar, voy a decir que One Piece fue el primer manga que leí, y que gracias a él estoy en el mundo de los mangas y animes. Tengan eso en cuenta dentro de mi review.

A mi me encanta One Piece. Ya desde el principio nos muestra la magia del mangaka, Eiichiro Oda, dentro de todos los aspectos. La historia es increíble, no por lo que sucede, que también está muy bien pensado, sino por cómo se cuenta. Eiichiro Oda tiene una gran manera de contar la historia. Entrelaza todo lo que sucede, y puede ser que algo que no pareciera tan importante, termina siendo algo que no deberíamos haber dejado pasar. Eso sucede mucho en One Piece, puesto que Oda hace que algo suceda, y luego, cuando ya nos olvidamos de ello, lo vuelve a sacar mostrándonos todo lo que eso significa.

También, la forma que tiene él de entender e identificarnos con los personajes es impresionante. Cómo nos muestra y enseña la historia de ellos, sus poderes, y hasta cómo los consiguieron, todo, tiene un significado en One Piece. Hasta los personajes secundarios tienen una historia impresionante que hace que nos identifiquemos con ellos.

Estas son las mejores dos partes de One Piece en mi opinión, la historia y los persones. Pero One Piece tiene tanto para darnos que no creo que sea suficiente, con solo contarles esto.

Voy a hablarles de un punto que en cierto punto es negativo, y esto es la longitud de One Piece.

Mucha gente dice que no quiere comenzar a leer el manga o a ver el anime de One Piece por su longitud, me ha pasado con muchos amigos. Pero, ¿Es que Oda alarga One Piece por gusto, o por necesidad?

Son muchas las personas que dicen que Oda sigue alargando One Piece solo por el dinero, pero esto a mí me parece totalmente estúpido y no, no es porque sea fan de One Piece, sino porque las personas envidiosas no pensaron antes de decirlo.
Oda podría retirarse ahora, sin haber terminado One Piece, y podría vivir con lo que tiene por el resto de su vida. Y no se si lo saben, pero el ya ha tenido muchos problemas de salud, y aún así, duerme solo 3 horas para hacer el manga de One Piece. Está adelantado 3 capitulos del manga, y aunque hace todo esto, el manga de One Piece suele subirse todas las semanas menos una, en la que Oda me imagino que descansará, espero.

¿A ustedes les parece que Oda lo hace solo por el dinero?
Puede ser que el dinero sea necesario, todos lo necesitamos, pero con todo el sacrificio que Oda hace día a día, me parece más claro que el agua que Oda ama lo que hace, y también lo hace por nosotros, sus fans.

Por eso, otro punto que me parece increíble de One Piece, es su creador.

One Piece es una maravilla de manga, por eso, a todo el que esté dudando de leerlo se lo digo fuerte y claro, ¡LEELO!

This manhwa is a absolute masterpiece. The art style and character development is what that makes this manhwa so cool. the story is fantastic and hyping. This is the first manhwa that made me just read it continuously. It's just that good. I also don't read or watch something that I have already finished but this manhwa is so good that no matter how many times you read it, you will enjoy the art and find some clues you missed in the previous reading.
10/10 recommendations from me.
Trust me, you will love it in the first read. On the outside it may seem like just like other mangas/manhwa. and that's what I thought when I first looked it up.
once you drive into the solo leveling world, You will forget everything and will just want to read more

*Warning: spoilers for Koe no Katachi (Manga) ahead*

Koe no Katachi is a story about bulling and heavy themes likes being ostracized, so you already know it’s going to make you cry.

It’s a really good story with a very gripping plot, but it’s not for the faint of heart. It explores the discrimination and ostracizing/bullying that takes place in school, and it’s not done with finesse and subtlety. It’s really open about this, and I find this to be an admirable quality of the story. It also isn’t drama and tragedy just for the sake of having it or to make you cry, it carries actual meaning.

It has a nice average length as a manga, and as such doesn't have problems with pacing and filler. Some people have found it to end abruptly, but that I think has to do with what they expected/wanted, not what the manga had set out to do. It says what it wants to say and ends on a strong note, with an uncertain but bright future. Think along the lines of Steins;Gate’s ending.

The main pair and how they interact is the star of the show. Given that Shouko is deaf and mute, everything she expresses is done so visually, both in hand language and facial features. It’s the extreme of visual storytelling, where the main characters interact without much text at all, in a similar manner to the main characters in Fujiyama-san wa Shishunki. The group dynamic when the whole cast is together is also great, and everyone faces their own monsters in the same way Shouya does. This is a story about redemption through and through, and about owing up to the past, or to oneself.

Given that the story revolves around this communication without dialogue quite a bit, I’d have expected the art to be cleaner. In that sense, I expected the artist to use fine lines to capture the subtly of human facial emotions. Instead, it’s rather rough on the form, and the lines themselves are very inconsistent. I don’t think it’s a bad art style by any means, and the way they adapted it for the movie was sublime. I think it suffers from that inconsistency, and the artist certainly did not make it easy on himself. He does the backgrounds beautifully, and the inking is great, and then the lines defining the characters don’t fit the mood of the scene. It’s some great art overall and the only real problem is that inconsistency, that and his choice of screentones can become repetitive.

Koe no Katachi a smooth read, and not an especially long one at that. It flows well, and the plot and themes make the story very engaging, at least it did for me. It’s the type of manga that can have you empathize with and understand the characters, while also making you utterly despise others. It’s a great quality to have, and for such a rollercoaster story with heavy themes, I’m glad it had it.

Overall, it’s really good, but it’s also pretty sad. Especially at the start, like holy shit what a way to start the manga. That first volume gets heavy right off the bat, and even explores some touchy aspects about the way in which children and adults act.

It’s a 10/10 from me, whatever merit that has.

Ok to start it off, i'm a huge jojo fan and i really like watching it. BUT, as i can see, reading it is not my cup of tea for THIS specific serie. I just couldn't get into it, which saddens me a lot because i heard the part 7 is the best one so far... I WILL watch it when it will have an anime adaptation one day, but for ME, and ONLY me, i couldn't enjoy part 7 as a manga. NOT because it's bad, but because i just couldn't get into the story. I will still recommand it if you like jojo, but if you only watched the animes, i would maybe suggest to wait for the anime adaptations.

I had previously watched the anime because my nephew got me into it, but I never finished season 1. Generally, I base what source of a series I'm going to watch depending on the higher ratings of either the manga or anime. Seeing that the ratings for the manga were higher than it's adaptation, I tested my luck reading this series alternatively.

The characters: they all have diverse personalities, styles and viewpoints, topics I find essential in characters. For now, I'll be focusing on the main characters. Eren Yeager, he's a caring and stubborn boy who dreams of eliminating all of the Titans and protecting humanity. Still, we've heard something like this before, so I personally don't think, as of reading around the start, that he deserves the best and original protagonist award any time soon. Mikasa Ackerman, a young girl who's often serious but caring. She's probably the best addition to the series, so if you're not watching for the other characters: watch it for her. And finally, Armin Arlert, sometimes bothersome, can be over emotional, but he's certainly the most human. Armin has true regards for his friends and humanity and is not afraid to display it through plenty of tears.

The story: The story is unique and, at least to me, impressive. There's a lot of mystery to the plot: where the Titans came from, what's in the basement? (read to find out), where's the rest of humanity? All of these questions I pray are answered throughout, to give the manga a good story, anyway, and not deliberately establish that it's an 'overrated' series.

The art: old looking (not too old) but works for the series. Isayama, Hajime's passion for making every page and panel look dark and gritty has worked out - from what I can see, at least. The character's serious, terrified and determined expressions have to be the most important and sincere elements of Hajime's compositions.

One of those series that isn't particularly exceptional at anything, but all the parts are solid enough to give it a very good base to work from. The art is decent, not great, same with the characters, villains and world building which feels like an industrial era Germany.

I suppose the strongest point about FMA is the bond between the brothers and their tragic backstory, it fits well into the narrative to form a basis of why they're doing what they do, rather than them just being a couple of stubborn headed kids who want to be a pirate or something. I disliked Winry and her awkward romance with Ed and their comedic moments left a lot to be desired. I give the show props for having a planned out beginning, middle and ending rather than inventing new villains and conflicts.

Overall it's a good manga but I slightly prefer the Brotherhood adaptation it's one of the few series that I think works better as an anime.

Story -
To be honest the only part of Vagabond I cannot call amazing is the story, the pacing is funky, the arcs don't blend too well and in most arc all you are doing is waiting for the climaxing huge event. Overall it at least has one that makes sense and doesn't leave you thinking "ok,,, what was that". 7/10

Art -
Impossible to point out any flaws. The art in Vagabond is incomparable to anything else I've seen and is hard to put into words. 10/10.

Characters -
There are both fun and enjoyable characters (Matahachi) and serious and well evolved characters (Musachi). Enough said. Musachi's evolution with his ideas of strength and what it means to live by a sword are both meaningful and impactful to the reader. 9/10.

Enjoyment -
10/10. Enjoyment is hard to put into words so very simply: I had fun; I laughed; I serioused; I sadded; I was amazed.

As a modern classic that also helped me get into the medium of manga and anime, I hold Death Note in warm regard. This naturally led to me deciding to reread the entire manga when I got back into said mediums two or so years ago by purchasing the Black Editions. While I still enjoyed myself, I found myself developing new opinions and feelings regarding this title.

[Story - 7]

In case if you don't know what this manga is about, here's the elevator pitch: A high-school kid finds a notebook that can kill people, and decides to become a god with it. From there, he is drawn into a world of psychological games and plans upon plans.

Now, if that doesn't quite hook you in......that's okay, actually! I now understand why it might not appeal to some people: whether it reeks of pretention (to a point), seems to prioritize plot over character (which can be argued both for and against), or any other reason. However, I feel that its core being the 'games' that Light, our protagonist, both initiates and participates in is a huge strength for the title. Even if it does come at the cost of some characterization, it's still riveting to read along and try to anticipate (or foresee, if it's a reread) how these events will play out.

Because of this focus on thriller elements, Death Note has pretty good pacing; For Part I (L), it's all tightly woven together to build towards that shockingly divisive climax we all know. Even the 'breather' scenes serve to build, as they are either ruminations on the themes or developing the relationships between everyone involved. Part II (Near/Mello) is a bit weaker than I would have liked to remember; It has a tendency to get wrapped up in the inner workings of character's minds, along with the plans these characters develop and partake in, but it still succeeds in developing the tension towards that epic finale in SPITE of said deviations.

Thematically, Death Note is.......actually holding up pretty good. As somebody who is going through a coming-of-age, it was interesting to see an extremely-warped version of this appear in the title through Light, Near, and Mello. I don't mean that in a literal sense (though a corruption of one can be seen), but in a sense of one's moral compass and definitions of what 'justice' & 'crimes' are. While it's a bit ham-fisted at times, the discussions of how morality is perceived by society, both at large and by certain factions within it such as the media and law enforcement, held in these 108 chapters is worth reading. Outside of the core theme of 'moral relativity', I believe there isn't a lot to be said in Death Note. Any other themes people may find, such as mob mentalities or the ethics about the death penalty, ultimately tie back into this one.

[Art - 10]

I'm gonna be honest, I still love Obata as a mangaka. I just can't bring myself to nitpick on his work, which is OH so beautifully rendered in a 'gothic urban fantasy' art style. His choice in wardrobe for every human (Light's honor student apparel, L's slob savant look), the gorgeous otherworldly designs of the Shinigami, the tantalizing realism of the settings, the simplicity & clarity in the action, and even the very faces + bodies of the characters all tie together to perfectly portray just what is going on. It gets even better when Ohba crosses over into the mental ruminations and monologues of certain characters, with brilliant symbolism and an even more distant feeling in how it's rendered.

TL;DR If you're gonna read it for one reason, read it for the art.

[Character - 7]

This is probably the one aspect of the manga that I have the most different emotions about compared to my first foray. It's still pretty solid, but I can see some of the cracks start to show.

I'll try to keep the positives short since everybody and their mother has sung praises about it: Light Yagami's transformation from a diligent, yet bored, student to the maniacal, yet arrogant, Kira is so fascinating to see no matter how many times you go through it. It's especially helpful that you're shown every step he takes towards reaching this persona, and the steps he takes following this apex. L is the perfect foil for Light: While he's quite the match for him, and possibly the only person who could be, he's outright ambiguous about what he has in store. This moral ambiguity in our designated antagonist greatly helps depict the core theme of Grey vs. Gray Morality. While a lot of people might not like them, Near, Mello, Misa, and Mikami serve as both great foils for L/Light AND as people who genuinely contribute to the themes and plot occurring. Near, in particular, is somebody I adore; In my honest opinion, he's not just an 'L expy', as some may decry, but a deconstruction of what L WAS when it came to certain traits such as his ambivalence towards people and general moral ambiguity (shared with Mello). Couple this with sprinklings of originality such as an absurd fixation with toys reflecting a state of boredom (and innate youth) and a similarly dishevelled appearance, and you have one of my favourite characters in the whole medium.

However, with these positives, I've found that I have certain issues with how people are written here. For starters: While I don't quite demand that EVERYBODY be reasonably fleshed out, I would have liked to see more development for supporting characters that AREN'T Soichiro or Matsuda. I do recall a few minor characters receiving some, such as Aizawa and certain Yotsuba members, but they usually don't get a lot. I attribute this to the focus on our core cast and the games they play, but I would have liked to see some peripheral development to see how the plot and themes might impact people outside of this inner circle of sorts.

Another issue I have is rather spoilery, so I'll have to be rather vague: Light's actions in the endgame. It just seems odd that he wouldn't have accounted for such twists to have occurred, even if he was enveloped in the hubris he would have inevitably developed. Speaking with the perspective of Matsuda's theory in the final chapter to be at least partially true, it's especially baffling when you consider that he was able to still contact Mikami preceding the series of events that kickstart the endgame. I'm still okay with how the finale turned out in terms of dramatic appeal, but it gets frustrating to dwell on when you start to think about the logic behind how it arrived to that point.

More issues that I have, but are more nitpicky, are: Misa's apparent lack of growth even taking her comedic value into account + her actions in the endgame, Mello somehow not predicting how /THAT/ would have happened, and a lack of insight save for one great chapter into Mikami's POV.

[Enjoyment/Overall - 8]

To restate the opening lines, it was still enjoyable to go through this modern manga classic again after so many years of not engaging with it and having matured a bit more. I would recommend this to absolutely anyone, whether they be a newbie to animanga, an experienced consumer who hasn't touched it somehow, or even a veteran who has gone through it once or twice. I guarantee you'll find something new to think about because of it, whether or not you like it all that much.

I loved this Manga . The story is really interesting . Yona the protagonist is not a weak girl but a really strong character , I loved her character development throughout the series, unlike other series of this genre , shes not a damsel in distress but now is turning into a powerful warrior. The plot is intriguing it keeps you hooked . All the characters have their equal importance and have been developed brilliantly . Hak, her protector and friend has been with her , he loves her but never expressed . It has all the elements. The four dragons have become great allies to her who respect her. I liked the development of each character in this. Soo Won is really a mystery , his character is contradicting to his actions. I will love to read more of this

What I thought is the Real Monster. SPOILERS AHEAD TO THOSE WHO HAVE NOT WATCHED MONSTER BY URUSAWA

I believe the Monster in the series..is in every character...everyone in this series has something to drive them to do cruel or tragic things but Tenma, our protagonist overcame his Monster. In the first few episodes as a great neurosurgeon he was taken advantage of the director and others, to the point that he wishes for them to be "better off dead" or was implied but the director and others were also driven by their monster (their hunger for money and fame). Tenma when the director and the rest are killed, he overcame his "Monster" but his monster is different from the monster the other characters have. Being a naturally kind-hearted person the "Monster" he had was the cause of the "monster" the director and co. had (the one being a thirst for fame and money). Tenma's Monster was that he wants the Director and co's "Monster" to be gone. Meaning Tenma's monster was him wishing the evil desires of those people to be gone. Thus, him being kind-hearted his Monster was something for the good of other people thou his desire to obliterate those "Monster" had good intention, is still bad for it is counted as killing (though he didn't physically hurt them, wishing something is still as morally bad as the actual action) and that Monster he has is what makes him different from other characters in this story. Tenma overcame his Monster....he realized that all people's lives are equal after he saved Johan? He saves Johan who is the embodiment of an actual "Monster" being the darkest desires and nature that people can have. Performing surgery and saving Johan instead of the politician actually and metaphorically saves Tenma from his "Monster" (which is that he wants bad ppl to be gone or something along those lines).

Johan on the other hand his beliefs are so similar yet fairly different from dr. Tenma "All people are equal in death" Johan carried the burden of all the "Monster" ppl had. He killed the director and co. whom Tenma wished to be gone and as Johan keep evolving by having ppl manipulated, to exploit their deepest dark desire, and drive them to do things. He evolved to be the "Devil". Now, Tenma wants to kill Johan, for saving him, for reviving the "Monster" which affects everybody but Tenma ironically overcame his "Monster" because of Johan (by saving Johan and realizing that all lives are equal). Johan manipulates the darkness all people had that is deep within and we are reminded of that when he talks to the prostitute who pretended to be Margot. He said that there is deeper darkness. I can't blame Johan for becoming the Monster and Devil after the things he has gone through but I do not justify all the evil things he had done. I love how the ending goes. Tenma throughout this series saves everyone he has met ( even sometimes oblivious about it) by overcoming those people's "Monster" inside. And also those people he has saved in return saved other people (whom Tenma haven't encountered in this series) to overcome their "Monster". And this chain of saving (unbeknown to Tenma he has caused) reaches this story's conclusion by saving the embodiment of "Monster" who is Johan. All the side characters are important for all have shared a little bit of responsibility to create the embodiment of "Monster" a.k.a. Johan. And I guess this is the beauty of this Story. Admit it or not everyone has a little bit of a monster inside them. Sometimes in our life, we want to snap and let our shadows take over for caring in this world takes a toll on everyone. Johan with his nihilist perspective manipulated and drives the people to the point of insanity showed me that our society creates monsters that not caring and an actual person can do horrendous things and that drove Johan in extreme. He was the embodiment of our society, a monster that sadly was created by our selfish desires. However, Dr. Tenma thought to me that all lives are equal. That everyone no matter who deserves to live and we have no right to take it. He is a genuinely kind person, who has compassion towards others. He represents what our society can be, what our humanity can be. I know that even in our current state, someone and somebody definitely show compassion and that is what makes our world beautiful. It might not be a perfect world but it is beautiful. Despite all sufferings, hope and compassion would definitely shine.


Just a 10/10 for this perfect psychological thriller anime.

As someone who considers themselves an enthusiast when it comes to the Mystery genre, be that in books, anime, or games, this LN's story is among the top and one of the few things I have experienced in general that I would confidently call a Masterpiece. There is a review sharker, that has sharked Code Geass and many other series on various accounts that is pretty high up on the reviews the reviews for the series, but I wouldn't think much into it in comparison to the many who disagree, as well as the LN's record for being consistently Top 10 on the LN list on here for years now, even if lists don't say everything. There is naturally going to be a minority who think a good mystery book's just being difficult "to be difficult" because not all things are clear in the beginning, but it ramps up nicely without dragging along it's pacing, and there are always mysteries around the corner despite that. Some answers are complex and the simple ones that exist are buried within it so there's hardly a difference.

*Story*

One of my favorite things about the series is the way the writer does the order of events and it does not have Chapters, but rather "days". So let's say you just read day 1100 (made up #) and you heavily enjoyed what you've just read. Then deeper into the book the writer may go back to the day before it, day 1099, and suddenly what you read before has an *entirely* different meaning and on top of that this meaning will *make sense*, rather than doing it just for the sake of it. Another cool thing about the writing is, take the first book where the same day repeats over and over. Because of the way the book's written, say you are in this scenario and you start out with a pencil on the right side of your desk every day. Then 100s of days later this pencil is on the opposite side, and it never goes back the same way again. *Nothing* else has changed. A small detail like that will eventually drive you nuts because you'll have no choice but to sit there and go *why* did it happen? How does this relate to the dreadful situation I'm trapped in? And of course this will all go back to *who* is the reason you are there to begin with, as "boxes" are the reason you are there and they are done by a person. They can also only be canceled by the user who granted said wish, or flat out death.


The pacing was also done well and in terms of quality there never a single book that felt like it dipped regardless of the scenario taking place. Each box felt drastically different, and well written to the point where you sympathize heavily with the main characters even if those you don't agree with or don't like. I also really liked how every tag actually made sense. For example it has a "romance" tag but refreshingly enough there was actual, genuine, romance, and this was usually carefully woven into the plot. Not that crap where characters obviously like each other but never ever comes about it and what is done is cute.

*Art*

There is only so few art in each of the books but what is there is good too look at and appears at the moments it should.

*Characters*

Not only does it have incredible, unique characters, but many are also self aware. For example there are characters who you may think have a view and morals that heavily differentiate from your own. However just because that is the case, that doesn't mean they aren't aware and you can "Naruto talk" them into "realizing" it. Many are smart enough to know what you're talking about, they just made a choice for themselves regardless and that's the beauty of it. It's not a world where everyone's wrong for not agreeing with the protagonists, and this is also why many will leave you surprised or sometimes even speechless, but I was never irritated at the *writer* for his choices. In addition even though technically Kazuki and Aya are the main characters, the cast around them feel very important too. You have to understand them like you do the others to understand the book and even the final ending. Character development is also heavily prevalent, characters will fool you if you think any exist to be generic archetypes. I also really, really liked the relationship between Aya and Kazuki throughout the whole book. That shit felt iconic.

*Enjoyment*

Like many reviews state on here, this series is a Masterpiece to me. I want to be able to list something bad or not as good for the sake of it seeming "genuine" but I can't. I literally loved everything about it and I'm really happy I read it. So much so that I'm afraid of the possibility of it getting any anime adaptations. On one hand if pulled off it could be incredible, but on the other if the pacing is rushed or there isn't enough episodes to do it justice, it could be poorly mispresented.

*Overall*

Overall to this day it is my favorite Mystery LN of all time and I think anyone who's looking for a good series that properly balances horror, mystery, and romance elements should pick this up. You'll know by reading the first Volume if it's something you'd enjoy. If you know of the youtuber "The Anime Man" he has actually done a review on it in the past and apparently greatly enjoyed it as well.

Without spoiling to my best ability I will try and explain my overall feeling on this manga, and for sure it's a definite must read.. Unless you're not here for a very graphic story that tugs on the very meaning of catharsis. Otherwise if you were looking for something similar to Madoka Magica if even stronger then this is for you.

I found this series out from a post on a social media of all things from a friend back in 2017, stating they had a positive experience with the show. Their post included the opening sequence of 'Underground River' from the anime and well quite literally I was sold.

The music by Kevin Penkin just like Tsukushi Akihito's work on backdrops work together to create something that feels almost like a legendary work of art. Art clashes between beautifully stunning to cute quite a lot which compliments it quite a bit and provides relief after an emotional quest. Further into the story I feel like the art improves a lot. I personally recommend listening to the anime's OST while reading for a great experience.

After watching the anime and experiencing the emotional roller coaster which makes you feel genuinely sorry and sympathetic for the cast. I decided to hop straight into the manga, given my curiosity at the end was killing me to know what was next. To only experience so much more than the anime ever offered bar the music of course.

While to some the pacing can seem too fast for some to build any amount of connection to the characters, however I believe it's warranted. To me the story is about the abyss, well that more than the characters but don't get me wrong. You're in for an amazing story with characters that have morals (or lack there of) and motives and personalities that seemingly contradict why they are why they are.

A main reason to what pulled me into this series is the mystery. I love not really being told so much as it builds up the questions every slight time something is kind of brought up.

Story: 10
Art: 10
Character: 9
Enjoyment: 10
Overall: 10

Overall I recommend this 100%. Maybe not to someone that is new to manga and anime but absolutely if you're looking for something to get emotionally invested into.

The original artwork, which was by the Mangaka (Author) himself ONE was terrible; however the plot was very entertaining, even if it was quite random. Once ONE's work was adapted by YUSUKE MURATA the story seemed to progress more and at times you would forget that the manga is a PARODY and will make you focus on the ACTION and COMEDY.

Although people may think that this manga, that has now been turned to a popular anime, isn't anything to fuss over. If you have read it, it is manly for enjoyment so I say give it a try as it is currently in my 'Top 5 Favourite Manga '!

Ok, so, this is a really hard one to talk about.

I'm mostly writing this review because most of the ones published are from earlier points of the story and considering how everything changes through ths story it seemed fitting to do one in it's actual point.

To describe the plot, it's centered on a main character called phosphophilite. In personality is pretty much like Akko Kagari, at least on the start, and it's goal is to find a job that it can do to help the other and find it's own place in the group.

This androginous gem is in a world where they are in constant attacks of a strange race called the lunarians that every few days invade the island the inhabit to break them and steal their broken gem bodies. This gives some conflict and a somewhat constant threat considering that when the plot progresses the attacks of the lunarians become more and more bizarre and hard to deal with.

Lore wise is pretty unique, it gives the right amount of information to know and understand it's world while it keeps lots of secrets for the protagonist to solve. The only complaint I could have is that they really take a long time to actually unveil them and it's basically all of them almost at the same time so from some point forward there¿s not much to discover anymore.

All of this is a really nice setup that is maintained for most of the series until things change really drastically from the middle point forward. I won't specify much on it, but I will say that it's a really painful story but that I would recommend because of it's uniqueness and interesting way of developing.

(mild spoilers, nothing specific, but beware)

So, to summarize the hard part to talk about, this is a story that changes it's tone gradually but really, really drastically. The story unfolds in a way that repeats certain patterns in several arcs until everything changes midpoint and it kind of stalls pretty hard. The situation is really interesting but the complexity they end up delving in once the misteries are revealed slow the pace a lot from middle point forward.

The tone, characters, plot, everything is radically different from one half and the other, not a bad thing precisely because this is a consequence of the natural development of the plot they are dealing with, but it can be really jarring if one is not prepared to see the profound lows the characters can get in once things start getting really messed up.

Getting out of that, the art is pretty interesting, simplistic but really adequate to show the physical changes the protagonist goes through. There's some really interesting simbolism and narrative structure based on budhism and narratives they use. In general I would recommend it as a really unique experience that definitely not everyone is going to appreciate because of the strange and particular ways the narrative and the plot end up going to.

In general, a story a lot more interesting than entertaining.

By now I have re-read YKK in full 3 times, and all I can say is that with each reread my enjoyment for this manga has only grown. Every reread has offered up new secrets and details I hadn't noticed, or had forgotten.

Note: I highly recommend finding a cozy soundtrack and listening while reading this. Personally, doing so has enhanced my experience tenfold. If you don't have any particular music in mind, I recommend the soundtracks to the YKK OVA's as they do quite well at capturing the tone of the series.

Ashinano Hitoshi's art goes from good to great to amazing over the course of the first dozen chapters. He knows how to capture serenity within his linework and produce absolutely beautiful scenery. I find that my favorite phase of his artistic evolution is around the middle, where it retains a decent amount of detail, but with more simlified forms than the very first few chapters. While I enjoy the latter half, it does get, a lot simpler. Of course that's not a bad thing by any means, I just like a balance. However, the artwork by the end of YKK is something I think worked for his next series, Kabu no Isaki even better, as his simplified forms are complemented by the vastness of the sky.

The characters are delightful and feel very natural in their portrayal. He allows us to experience the world through them, and their experiences help add to the subtle worldbuilding.

tl;dr
YKK is an absolute masterpiece, and if you ever need a story to soothe the soul and help you appreciate the little things in life this is it.