Manga Spotlight: Eyeshield 21

Wow...it's been a freaking long time since I last posted...
Well, at first, it was some indecison, and then some laziness, and then exams, then I was busy again. But I've decided to dedicate some time to making another post, and hopefully start some regular posts again.

Well, when I mean busy, I really mean so. My friend and I (for now, I shall refer to him as CJ), have been busy on a new project. It is still in the developmental stage, but the first product should be coming out in a while. It was a lot more work than I thought it would be, and I can imagine how much work he has to do as well :P Hopefully we can get it off the ground and launched successfully. Also, hopefully, I can post some more fun fiction and maybe poems/song parodies on the blog soon. But I digress; today's forecast is American Football. Yes, it is Eyeshield 21.

Title: Eyeshield 21

Author: Riichiro Inagaki

Artist: Yusuke Murata

Magazine: Weekly Shonen Jump

Chapters: 333

Status: Finished

Synopsis: Kobayakawa Sena is a short and timid boy who just got into Deimon High School. Unimpressive and not very smart, he is constantly bullied and forced to run errands. Later, he joins the American Football club as a secretary. On the same day, one of the football club players, Hiruma Yoichi, spots him running away from a bunch of bullies, and recognises his talent and speed, and "recruits" him as a player. To prevent other high schools from finding him and recruiting him, he is disguised as the legendary player from America, Eyeshield 21. Playing under disguise and that moniker, Sena soon delves into the world of American Football, as the team, Deimon Devil Bats, fights for the right to play in the Christmas Bowl, the most prestigious high school American Football match.

Review: Hey, a sports manga. When will I get to an actual fighting one? Who the hell knows. Right now, I'm only going to review finished series, so there. For those of you who didn't know, Eyeshield 21 ended just this year, before to-Love-ru. Ignoring that, I generally avoid sports manga, or at least I did. Being a sportsperson, and hearing all the shit about Prince of Tennis (I still haven't read it; I feel a bit insulted by it being a tennis player and all), I was very apprehensive about reading about a sport when I could watch or play it. But, due to the insistence of a friend, I began reading, and before I knew it, I was hooked. The art of the manga is very good, and though a bit over the top, it captures the story very well. The amount of research done is good as well.

For the plot, the start is boring at times, especially all the shit about Sakuraba (What a prick), and it takes a while for steam to build up. But once we hit about the start of the tokyo play-offs, namely against Kyoshin Poseidon, that is when the real action starts. The matches before are good in showing the development of the team, and the training arc is interesting too, but screw that, the matches from then on are absolutely AWESOME.

Yes. Awesome. Anything and everything happens, and everything from injuries to pure brilliant play comes up. Bonecrunching action, mind games, and all out thriller. I have reread some of the matches several times, and let me just say the match against the dinosaurs was the most epic shit ever. Okay, that was a bit of a spoiler, but I needed to say that. The matchflow is brilliantly constructed, and the plays, even more so.

Another strong point are the characters. Yes, there are some characters whom I find pricks (Monta and Sakuraba are the culpits there), but there are a lot of good characters that support each other, and there is great chemistry between characters. A lot of interesting and funny characters, but a lot of cool ones as well. Too many notable ones. But there is one: Hiruma Youichi. Yes, he is one of the best manga characters ever. He is not physically amazing, yet his hard working attitude is inspiring. He is an anti-hero; he uses under handed methods and trick plays to fulfil his objectives, being able to blackmail practically any person. He is violent and often uses firearms as well. The opposite of an ideal sportsman. Yet, his actions are funny at the same time, and his insults add even more humour. He also uses many trick plays, both funny, thrilling and nothing short of brilliant. As the team leader and quarterback, heis the catalyst of most of the story, and is also undoubtedly the most popular character as well. In the dinosaur game, he is just legendary. Nothing else. He is a great character, and you will understand why if you read the manga. Without him, this manga would be a shadow of what it is. It would FAIL.

I have some issues with the story, though. I mean, some of it is a bit lame and rather silly; shuttle pass? NASA Aliens? Come on, be a little less stupid. No team in their right mind would base EVERY SINGLE ONE of their plays, names and techniques on their team's nickname. That's retarded. Also, there is the issue of the realism (Gaou for example). For some people, they won't mind it, but for me (Who enjoyed Cross Game and Slam Dunk), some realism is appreciated, please. There will be sportsmen will agree with me. Some parts of the story did bore me (Sakuraba, you bastard), and the last arc was HORRIBLY done. I think that's the problem when you get cancelled, or whatever. Bad last arc. Leave it with the arc before, and it would have been good enough.

Summary: Some realism is needed, and some parts of the story were boring/not well done. However, the parts which were are absolutely amazing, and that's what counts. The cast as a whole is great as well, and there is a lot of diversity. Hiruma is just an amazingly done character, and is probably the deepest one of them all. The artwork and story is really good as well. Extremely recommended, especially for Shonen readers. Gutbusting humour and bonecrunching action awaits you, so I reccommend you start reading.

Score: 10/10

Manga Spotlight: Ichigo 100%

Well, it's been too long since the last post, so I've decided to do yet another review, this time on a different manga. The only similarity between this and the previous work is the ecchi, though this would be the main genre of this series. Never mind that, on we go!

Title: Ichigo 100% (Strawberry 100%)

Author: Kawashita Mizuki

Magazine: Weekly Shonen Jump

Chapters: 167

Status: Finished

Synopsis: Manaka Junpei is a middle schooler whose aspiration is to be a film maker (and he has talent for it). One day, on a roof, he sees a beautiful with strawberry panties. Similarly, he finds a nerdy girl later, Tojo Aya, after finding her notebook with a written story, it being her passion. He soon becomes friends with her, whilst trying to find out who is the girl with strawberry panties, who is rumoured to be the cutest girl in school, Nishino Tsukasa. Later in high school, he has to balance his aspirations to be a movie maker, whilst dealing witht he two girls, Nishino, his girlfriend, and Tojo, his close friend and the strawberry girl. Things get more compicated when Minamito Yui, his childhood friend, and Kitaōji Satsuki, a new girl and his new close friend, get introduced in the story, bringing up many ecchi and romantic stories.

Review: Wow. Ecchi. Well, not my favourite genre by far, but I'll ignore that. Well, looking at the artwork, I found it to be good and bad. Well, the girls certainly look cute, and for ecchi manga, that is certainly important. But, somehow, it ends up being rather generic in the end, and guess it really is whether you like that particular style or not. Generally good artwork, but then again, the girls don't really look quite their age...(Just my opinion, not like mangas are very realistic anyway). So, that's one side.

Generally, when I look at an ecchi or romantic story, I tend to look at two things; the characters, and the plot. Looking at characters-wise, the main cast is generally quite strong. In particular, Tojo, Nishino and Kitaoji form a very interesting and highly contrasting cast with only one thing in common; their love for... (obvious who it is). Their personality contrasts and the way they tackle their relationships are all pretty different, and that gives the story some diversity. Manaka, the main protagonist, is okay in my opinion. He's not useless, yes, but then again, he keep thinking random thoughts, and why I hate this will be covered later. But generally a pretty okay main guy. Looks okay so far.

Now, here comes the problem; the plot. Yes, I would say that the first ten plus chapters and the last ten or so chapters are very well done in terms of plot, in particular how the ending is vastly different from most romantic stories (Big surprises in store for you). Okay, up to the start of high school, it look fine. Then it happens. The plot stagnates. Yes. That means there is little plot movement at all; half of a chapter tends to be Manaka's random ecchi thoughts and worrying over every little thing that happens or what he says and does, and then something completely different happens. If not just that, the secondary characters introduced are just more ways of adding ecchi to the story; a girl who takes off her clothes when she sleeps, a shy girl who has random erotic fantasies mid-chapter; come on, be more creative! In fact, many times I felt like dying reading the series, with only the ending keeping me alive. Suffice to say, the original idea was quite interesting, and the ending was great, but that can't save everything in between. I would have preferred less chapters and more plot instead of the stagnation. But, I guess you gotta satisfy the readers. Mhmm.

Summary: Overall, what fails for me in this manga is the plot. There are two kinds of mangas out there: episodic, or arc/plot based. For ecchi/romance series or the like, they often switch between a really small arc (like three chapters or so) and episodic chapters (Like to-Love-ru), or go for a continuos plot (Like Suzuka). In Ichigo 100%, it feels like one stay over is an entire small arc, and the plot keeps stagnating when the plot is supposed to be continuous. On top of that, so many characters and their traits just seem to be there for the sake of being able to provide some fan service. Some good characters, nice plot at some points and above-average drawings can't save that. If you like ecchi, by all means read it. If not, just read the first twenty or so, and the last ten.

Score: 6.5/10

Fun Fiction

Yeah, I've been working on this for a while, and been putting it off even longer. But, the first part of my first fun fic has been done. It guest stars one of my classmates, so hope you guys find it funny. From Hazadrous Productions, here comes part one:

Airplane, Part One

“Will Mr. Low Ting Wei please board the flight SQ 182? If you don’t get your ass here, we’re leaving without you. I’m serious, okay? I mean, some of us have got other stuff to do, so hurry now. I’m warning you. Please?”

The passengers were starting to get riled in their seats. The only music that was playing on the airplane system was “Everytime we touch”. And it was not even the original; it was the remix. The pounding drumbeats seemed to be driving everyone crazy. One could liken it to the sound of the hunter’s horn, signalling the hunt and bringing out the animal in his fellow comrades, or the honking of a horn on a jammed expressway, where you go out to quarrel with the driver in front of you, only to realise that she is in fact your wife.

To top that off, the peanuts had run out, and the only thing left were the pretzels. Which tasted like shit. It was like the final straw that broke the camel’s back, and so, in a marriage, there’d be no more humping. Yes, that time of year where infidelity and divorce papers filled the air, blowing in the wind as one holds on to dear life to his umbrella, wishing he took his friend’s offer to catch a ride home instead of being polite.

The plane ride looked like it was going to be hell. Well, except for the girl sitting next to me. She was staring at the plane magazine intently, furrowing her brows as she skimmed through the list of items that could be purchased with Krisflyer. The plane light radiated softly off her short, jet black hair that almost covered her eyebrows, but never quite did as it would be troublesome as she would have difficulty reading otherwise. Her eyes were a dark hazel; almost like mud, but more like chocolate, and nowhere near curry. Mmm. Chocolate. I gazed at the plane menu, checking to see what desert would be served. It was fruits. I looked at the first class menu.

Chocolate cake. Those damned rich bastards.

I snuck a peek at her again. When she turned to look at me, I quickly turned back, pretending to do a Sudoku puzzle. Of course, I had already finished the entire book. When she turned back to look at the magazine again, her gorgeous eyes absorbing the knowledge of this fall’s fashion dos and don’ts, I would catch glimpses of her again. It was like secondary school all over again. She would be the quiet, kind girl, always sitting in the corner, reading away. She wasn’t as active as the class rep, so most people outside of class wouldn’t know her, and since she wasn’t as outgoing or ‘sexy’ as the popular girls, most guys wouldn’t be that interested in her.

And me? I would be the geek, only fitting in with my fellow otakus, antisocial to most of the community, spending my afternoons in the chess club or at home. But, after school sometimes, I would go back to class to get my stuff, and I’d see her watering the class plants that no one ever bothered to take care of, and cleaning the floor. I’d fallen for her ever since, someone who wasn’t very social, yet so hardworking for the sake of her class who barely knew she existed. When she took her glasses to wipe off her sweat, her eyes would shimmer brightly, like saying a job well done. I had fallen for her ever since, and every day after chess, I’d stare at her again, acting nonchalant and cold during class, but secretly admiring her, constantly trying to work up the courage to confess or volunteer to help with the maintenance of the class. Yes, to convey my feelings, I needed to create interaction with her; to find the common ground of our antisocial behaviour, to connect our worlds of solitude and to bridge the gap between our hearts.

“Is this the flight to Singapore?”

“Yes sir.”

“So this plane goes to Singapore?”

“Yes sir.”

“Okay...”

“Wait, where is your ticket?”

“Huh?”

“You need to show your boarding pass to board sir.”

“So that’s why it is called the boarding pass!”

Then, he came in. He was well built; no, that was an understatement. He looked like the guy who Chuck Norris might take for a disciple, if he weren’t so busy kicking ass. In fact, if he kicked your leg while, I don’t know, playing soccer, it would mostly likely break. His eyes looked dead; one might mistake them for those of a blur idiot, but they were cold like a killer’s. At least he wasn’t sitting next to me.

“Hello. You flying to Singapore too?”

 I turned around, and the devil may cry. There he was, sitting on the aisle seat, next to her. She looked at him with a look of intrigue, then smiled and replied: “Mhmm.”

It was bad. No, it was more than bad. It was worse than a six year old boy following a trail of gummy bears into that black van where a Ronald McDonald lookalike was sitting, with several lollipops sticking out of his pants, telling him that if he wanted more, all he needed was to get the candy from his pants. Okay, maybe not that bad. But he was that sort of peaceful looking jock, the one who would not hang out with the rest of the gang, but would work harder than all of them. He would not care about the status quo, and would live in his own world, peacefully. The quiet girl would secretly admire him, sneaking peeks at him and offering to help him with his homework, eventually falling in love with his quiet but strong nature. And it was happening in front of my face.

Heartbreak.

“Umm, I plug this in, then what do I do with the earphones?”

“You put them into your ears, see?”

“Oh...”

She giggled softly, politely covering her mouth. I wish I could be the one to make her laugh. Even all those years of watching Seinfeld and Whose Line Is It Anyway wouldn’t help me at all. The only jokes I knew were those out of a knock-knock book. And they weren’t even funny. It looked like I was going to lose again.

No. I was sick of being that “creep”, the one the girls would laugh at and question his sexuality. I was not going to be left out of the class trip again, and be dateless at the graduation dance. I was not going to be the only one incapable of receiving a single Valentine’s Day gift, or the one whom girls would not come within a two metre radius of, like a flasher released on bail with a restraining order. I was going to make human contact with her. I mean, not physically, but I was going to talk with her, maybe get to know her better...even though I probably never meet her again...and that guy was still there...

I felt my confidence crumble again. It felt so depressing. I turned back to my manga. Mahou Sensei Negima. Actually, it made me feel more depressed that that ten year old had more girls fall for him that I have ever talked to. Oh God, kill me.

“A little bit of courage is the real magic.”

As I reread that first chapter, something in my heart stirred. It was as if the chains had finally been broken. My heart had been freed. I could do it if I tried my best. All this while, I had been the guy who sat out of the sports meets, saying I was not good enough. I had been sitting in the shadows, never coming out into the light. I had never taken the first step. It wasn’t I couldn’t do anything, but that I had never done anything. Well, it was going to stop. I was going to talk to her!

Yes! As the great Kamiya-sama had said, all that is needed is fighting spirit! I needed to believe in Husky (may he rest in peace, poor dog), who believed in me! More importantly, I needed to believe in myself, who believes in myself! I can achieve anything if I set my heart on it! Friendship, effort, victory! The three jump principles, colliding together to form the ultimate formula! That’s right! I will make my own path, even if I have to use a drill that pierces the heavens! KAMIYA-SAMMAAAAA! I will make you proud, so watch over me!

By the way, I can’t wait to watch episode 8. I’m so happy to have watched an inspiring character like Kamiya. It’d be unthinkable if he died. Oh well, not like that would happen. 

Yeah, kind of bored

Yeah, I'm kin of sick, so screw school, let's do some random stuff. Um..I stole this off Wei Yang's site (shinghand.livejournal.com), yeah so thanks and all and here is a little about me, just cause I can (Not like I'll write anything on my profile)

TEN ARE YOUS

1. Are you single - Yup.
2. Are you happy - More or less
3. Are you bored - Not as far as I know
4. Are you fair - Tanned
5. Are you Italian - No.
6. Are you intelligent - Depends.
7. Are you honest - Yes, though  I say a lot of obviously incorrect things
8. Are you nice - I guess
9. Are you Irish - No.
10. Are you Asian - Yes.

TEN FACTS

1. Full Name - Michael Kwan
2. Nickname - Mike
3. Birth place - Mount Alvernia
4. Hair color - Black.
5. Natural hair style - Bloody thick.
6. Eye colour - Brown
7. Birthday - 28 Jan
8. Mood - Depends.
9. Favorite color - Red, though black, white and silver are awesome too.
10. One place you'd like to visit - Heaven


TEN THINGS ABOUT YOUR LOVE LIFE

1. Have you ever been in love - Crush, probably. Love, know.
2. Do you believe in love at first sight - Nope.
3. Do you currently have a crush? - Nope.
4. Have you ever been hurt emotionally - Not romantically.
5. Have you ever broken some one's heart - I don't think that's possible...
6. Have you ever had your heart broken - Nope
7. Have you ever liked someone but never told them - I think so
8. Are you afraid of commitment - Not really
9. Who was the last person you hugged - Probably my mom
10. Who was the last person you said I love you to? - My mom

TEN THIS OR THAT

1. Love or lust - Love
2. Hard liquor or beer - Liquor?
3. Cats or dogs - Depends. cute dogs>cats>fierce dogs
4. A few best friends or any regular friends - A few best friends.
5. Creamy or Crunchy - Creamy.
6. Pencil or Pen - Depends on my mood.
7. Wild night out or romantic night in - Romantic night sounds nice.
8. Money or Happiness - Happiness!
9. Night or day - Night time
10. IM or phone - IM


TEN HAVE YOU EVER

1. Been caught sneaking out - Never snuck out.
2. Seen a polar bear - In the zoo.
3. Done something you regret - Who hasn't?
4. Bungee jumped - Nope, and never will.
5. Eaten food that fell on the floor - Yes.
6. Finished an entire jaw breaker - Probably, not that I like them.
7. Been caught naked - When I was too young to remember.
8. Wanted an ex bf/gf back - No ex, so...
9. Cried because you lost a pet - Just got sad
10. Wanted to disappear - Maybe


TEN PREFERENCES IN A PARTNER

1. Smile or eyes - Smile FTW.
2. Light or dark hair - Depends.
3. Hugs or kisses - Real hard, can I have both? I think hugger...
4. Shorter or taller - Shorter
5. Intelligence or attraction - Depends; a bit of both is best. Attitude is more important
6. Topman or Zara - Huh?
7. Funny or serious - Funny when it's time to be, serious when it's time to be.
8. Older or Younger - I dunno. Same age seems nicer, though.
9. Outgoing or quiet - Outgoing but not crazy.
10. Sweet or Bad - Sweet


TEN HAVE YOUS

1. Ever performed in front of a large crowd - Dear lord, yes!
2. Ever talked on the phone for longer than an hour - Yes
3. Ever tried walking on your hands - Yes, but failed miserably
4. Ever been to a rock concert - Yes, if you think Simple Plan is rock.
5. Ever been on a cheer leading team - Does prefects count?
6. Ever been on a dance team - Not really dance per say as in a proper one. Performed a dance in a group, yes.
7. Ever been on a sports team - Yes.
8. Ever been in a drama play/production - Yes.
9. Ever owned a BMW, Mercedes Benz, Escalade, Hummer or Bentley - Never had a car. My mom owns a BMW though.
10. Ever been in a rap video - Not a video, but have rapped for an audience several times.


TEN LASTS

1. Last phone call you made - I thik to Joel 'bout bringing the GH stuff.
2. Last person you hugged - Probably my mom.
3. Last person you hung out with - I don't know, my brothers?
4. Last time you worked - Back in school on IHS.
5. Last person you talked to - My dad.
6. Last person you IM'd - Forgot.
7. Last person you texted - Mr. Phee
8. Last person(s) you went to the movies with - My family
9. Last person/thing you missed - KAMINA SAMA!
10. Last website visited -Not counting blogs, onemanga.com

SCHOOL LIFE CONFESSIONS

[x]Talked back to a teacher (I think so, but probably almost never)
[x] Been kicked out of class (Very few times.)
[ ] Worn pyjamas to school (Someone did for youth day)
[x] Had your tooth fall out at school (Kindergarten.)
[x] Gotten lost in your school (First day in HPPS)
[ ] Broken the dress code in school. (Don't think so)
[ ] Completely failed a test (No, don't think so)
[ ] Left class without asking 
[ ] Missed a whole week of school
[x] Thrown up in school
[ ] Been beat up at school

HOME LIFE CONFESSIONS

[ ] Argue with your parents a lot
[x] Argue with your brother(s) (Yes but over trivial things)
[ ] Argue with your sister(s) a lot (Don't have one)
[x] Have your own room (Mhmm)
[ ] Do your own laundry
[ ] Cook dinner once in a while (I've cooked dinner once.)
[ ] Are loud and obnoxious at home
[ ] Wear pajamas when you are not going anywhere
[x] You sleep in very long (On holidays, yes)
[x] All you do is watch television (Used to, now it's on the computer)
[ ] Your parents are divorced
[ ] Your family makes you cry alot
[ ] One or both of your grandparents live with you
[ ] You cant stand being with your parents. 

FRIEND CONFESSIONS

[ ] You currently dislike one or more of your friends (Don't think so)
[x] You are jealous of one or more of your friends (Not really jealous, just wish I had some of their abilities)
[ ] You have known a friend your whole life 
[ ] Your friends are all taller than you
[ ] You have been ditched by a friend (Don't think so)
[x] You have memorized a friends phone number (One or two, but they are super easy to remember anyways)
[x] You have lost/forgotten a friends phone number
[ ] You have been to all of your friends houses 
[ ] You love most or all of your friends (too many friends...sorry)

HABIT CONFESSIONS

[x] You bite your nails
[ ] You have an odd obsession with knives (?!)
[ ] You cannot sleep with the door closed 
[ ] You cannot sleep with the door open 
[x] There is at least one sound you cannot stand (Styrofoam God ARGH!)
[ ] You write stories about mad cannibalistic serial killers (Wrote a story about a non-cannibalistic one)
[x] You are good at telling lies (Can be, depending on who it is)

LOVE CONFESSIONS

[ ] You currently like someone.
[ ] You want to kill one of your exes
[ ] You can stay committed for an unusually long time (Don't know, never tried)
[ ] You get bored of your crush/bf/gf easily
[ ] A crush/bf/gf has called you a bitch before
[ ] A crush/bf/gf has called you self- centered before

PERSONAL OPINION CONFESSIONS

[ ] You hate George Bush
[x] Abortion is horrible and should be illegal
[x] Gay marriage is fine to you
[x]Boys make better friends than girls do (I guess for me since I can be more outgoing with them)
[x] The beach is an excellent place for a date (Depends on the time. Practically anywhere can be an excellent place for dating.)
[x] Pink is an ugly color (Argh!)
[ ] Needles aren’t so horrible 
[ ] Human flesh tastes like fine aged veal
[x] You have plenty of secrets

HAVE YOU EVER CONFESSIONS

[x] Fallen down the stairs (Yeah)
[x] Someone has tied your shoelaces together (Failed as I noticed it anyway)
[ ] Had a nail fall off
[ ] Captured, Manipulated, or Destroyed a soul by Ars Falcis (WTF)
[x] Had surgery (Hernia op)
[x] Slapped someone across the face (Probably)
[ ] Killed someone 
[ ] Someone has called you a tease
[ ] You have been to Europe
[ ] You have worn something inside out for a whole day (Not the whole day)

Yup, just doing something random

Manga Spotlight: Cross Over

Yup, this is my first spotlight/review, and today's one will be on Cross Over. I was looking through my manga-reading list (Basically, what Manga I've read...btw, I've hit the 70th series mark, though there are some one-shots there...if you don't count those, I'm still above 60), and I did't really want to pick an on-going series or one of my more favourites, so I settled on this one. Here's the breakdown:

Title: Cross Over

Author: Kouji Seo

Magazine: Weekly Shonen Magazine

Chapters: 59

Status: Finished

Synopsis: Ogata Natsuki is the best player on his middle school basketball team, scoring more than half of his team's points every game. He tries out for the number one high school for basketball, but despite making it through, he chooses a school which he sees getting beaten by them because of the difference in attitudes, and vows to overcome the top school. The story shows how the team builds up to challenge for the title of best.

Review: If there is one thing I love about this manga, and actually, all of Kouji Seo sensei's mangas is his artwork. Personally, I feel it is a cut above most manga's artwork (cough, Elfen Lied), even amongst Ecchi manga (This is ecchi, by the way). People looking for cute girls and a plot will find the story pleasant, and the girls cute. Yes, very cute/hot. Better than stuff like to-Love-ru even. The characters are also developed quite nicely, especially the main few (being Natsuki, some of the basketball players and their manager), and it is fairly realistic. Sports fans will be intrigued and partially impressed with some of the ideas that do come out (Though they are not very realistic, and basketball fans should read slam-dunk instead. I should too, actually, but I digress)

However, if there is one problem with the manga, it would be the story. More specifically,the length. The relationships developed are good and all, yes, and there is an improvement of the characters, albeit not the best way, but the story is simply too short; come on, 59 chapter isn't going to cut it for a good shonen series, especially a sports one. Because of the length, I felt at times there was just not enough of anything, and I felt Kouji Seo should have continued with the series and made more out of it. It certanly had potential, mind you. Also, the ending is so abrupt. I'm not spoiling it for you, but I felt that there was too big a gap, and everything kind of ended of too perfectly. The team loses TWICE the whole series, and to the same school at that. In that sense, there is a real lack of building up of the team, something other series had which made them so much better (Eyeshield 21 is a great example). Also, we don't really see any real relationships being made; I'm not saying they have to start dating or anything, but the development is kind of here and there, but not flowing. If it was longer and built up better, this manga would have been top class.

Summary: Great artwork, some great ideas here and there, but the plot doesn't gel at the end, and there is a real lack of development. Would have been much better if the series was longer.

Score: 7/10

Hi all

Mhmm, yeah decided to switch blogs...again...dear lord...

Yeah, so here I'm going to be posting reviews and the likes, and maybe, just maybe, some fan work, or whatever it is.

Originally, I was going to have some set criteria for my reviews, but after looking at it, I was just like, screw this shit, that takes too long.

So now, it'll be a simple "out of ten" kind of thing. EVERYTHING. Yeah.

Haven't picked what i'm going to post on yet, so I'll stick in a facebook link.

http://www.facebook.com/apps/application.php?api_key=6b84a433d3de271cb0f6389676169600&_fb_q=1

This is a Gintama personality quiz; find out in what way are you screwy.

Cheers