Hogu Hagyeongsu
The art is beautiful and Kyung-soo looks a lot like Makoto from Free!, yet this story is so depressing. Getting trapped by a psychopath and his equally messed up siblings, to escape and find a good person only to be abused again by the psychopath.....So depressing... I'll commend his resilience though.
Kono Oto Tomare!
An excellent coming of age story with gorgeous art featuring a rag-tag bunch of misfits growing and bonding together over the koto, a traditional Japanese instrument. While the group faced problems now and then, the heartwarming bond and camaraderie that the group members develop help them to overcome all trials and grow stronger, wiser and more confident in their own abilities. This story is an interesting read, that I'd definitely recommend!
Sore wa Boku no Ai ja Nai
I really liked this story! I'm so happy Kazunobu got tohether with Takashi. Its hard to be related to someone whose brighter than you, so I can understand and relate with Kazunobu to an extent. I'm glad he found somebody who loves him for who he is.
At the End of the Road
The story was interesting, as it seems like the author has a good understanding of the most irredeemable aspects of the human condition. I found it interesting how s/he was able to utilise her/his understanding of the human condition and write a story this dark and disturbing. Most of the characters, save TaeMin and Hoon seriously need therapy. Even though I could empathise with Jiwook, I found his methods of dealing with his inferiority complex to be reprehensible, so he deserved the ending that the author penned out for him. I enjoyed the story, though the grim aspects of the story disturbed me enough that I want therapy myself. However, the way the story ended was extremely abrupt, so I think that the author could gave written a better ending.
Scent of a Witch
This is quite the excellent manhwa. I love historical fantasy stories and I found that the story's treatment of witches in a Medieval Europe inspired setting and the conflict for power between the princes to be realistic. The themes of power dynamics, politics, betrayal and misunderstanding play a greatly realistic role that I found to be excellent. Also, the envy expressed by the princes jealous of Ryan's excellence and the attitude that the palace officials have towards the sickly heir, seeing him as unfit to rule is worth noting. The intense self-hatred Vichid has that is nicely projected through a hatred and distrust of the world itself and the people around him is depresinh, so is his relationship with Ian. However tragic it is, due to lack of communication, Vichid having not been taught how to communicate effectively, as well as his pride as royalty and being the crown prince, being the only things he has and the subsequent difference in class plays a great role in their unequal relationship. The drama is written excellently and is very believable. I look forward to how the story progresses from here.
Kakegurui
This manga is a very compelling read. When I describe the series as 'Hardcore', it doesn't mean that there are hardcore and kinky sex scenes, but the intensity of the characters and the sheer hedonism they display in gambling if it sounds sensible. Most of the female cast are extremely crazy and some of the male characters also qualify, though they don't measure up to the craziness of the female cast. Many of the characters themselves are compelling and I'm interested in seeing how they grow in the crazy system that the antagonist constructed.
Momentum