TerracottaPie's Manga

If I had to describe the emotional impact, it felt more like a gentle jostle when I was expecting a crushing collision. It's decent but I couldn't get attached enough to the characters in the short span of the 3 chapters.
Still worth the read: 3/5. (2019).

I'm assuming this is the author's first story. It's a great attempt and I'm sure her art has continued to improve. I don't know what it is about stories that feature real songs but they feel so nostalgic. A lot of the situations and character interactions felt real. I'm glad they got closure.

An emotional story that could've benefitted from more development: 4.5/5. (2019-20).

This is a psychological work through and through. What matters isn't as much what goes on in the outside world but more so the characters' inner conflicts and emotional turbulence; their state of mind is affected by the political scheming and medical malpractice happening in the background but takes priority over them. This reads like a psychological novel—the characters' mercurial temperament, the yearning and withdrawal—but I prefer my psychological fiction to work in tandem with the surroundings.

I wish the political climate was more fleshed out, because what kind of country offers refugees mansions as restitution? Usually the onus is on the country of origin to offer settlements to victims. The ending felt rushed because as it stands I don't see how Shavonne could've survived that? I also can hardly see why the government would invest so many funds on training people with genetic mutations that simply grant them a strong biting force, an acute sense of smell and hearing, and no body odour—hardly sounds like a useful skill in an age where guns and weapons are readily available. Also how did the sergeant and superintendents never even think of changing their approach after their 6th failed attempt? Didn't they supposedly hire researchers? Any researcher worth their salt would've seen that attempting to break the psyche leads to failure at that point. (I might read the novel to check if any of the plot holes are simply the artist omitting major details).

It was hard to suspend disbelief at some points but overall this is pretty decent. Bonus point for being a good psychological work that never relies on shock value or resorts to abuse between the main characters. Will wonders never cease?: 4/5. (2020-22).

N.B. I like the stories within the story, the non-linear narration, and surprisingly the constant repetition (works well to represent lack and obsession here).