Best way I could describe this is calling it male gaze. There's a ton of ecchi and uncomfortable sexual harassment jokes in the first part (pre-timeskip) but the male gaze factor is defined by how grunge-y the setting is and how it appeals to the minds of teen boys and 40 year old men. I can imagine that the laser focus on the guns and their features would make the manga immensely enjoyable if I knew of a gun other than an AK 47
The post timeskip arcs are interesting, there's a complete tonal shift from the original 90s action fanservice type arcs to the more complex stealth missions later on. It's not a bizarre change though, the manga is still cemented in the post apocalypse setting but it's a unique change nonetheless. I actually like the female protagonist more than I liked Desert Punk, which is in a way expected since Desert Punk's shtick is being a gigantic asshole. But Koizuri is surprisingly treated with a lot of respect for an ecchi manga.
The actual plot is all over the plot, you can tell the author tried to incorporate everything he found cool and while it KIND of works, it just lacks something to bring it all together. The main issue is pacing, some arcs will be very drawn out and contribute nothing to the plot, while other arcs that end up relevant will have a small amount of chapters. There's also a very large gap between a plot points introduction and it's later implementation in a story, which just makes the story rushed. Characters just get forced into the end as a measly resolution, and the actual ending is garbage. Works like these never work because the author puts so much effort in creating this conflict and the resolution is just slapped together in two minutes. Four year war and all it takes to end it is an hour long conversation between two randos. It's so obvious the author gave up
The art also severely decreases in quality. You go from these lovingly hand-drawn panels, with thousands of detailed strokes poured into them, and inking that is absolutely beautiful, to a more rudimentary style of drawing. Not to say the art is bad after a while, it's still incredible and could beat thousands of other manga in the looks department, but the downgrade is SO obvious when you compare it. The translator kind of explains the reason for the change with the hiatus but it's still depressing to see.
Side note: Chapter 121 is removed from this site
Desert Punk