Hishakaishindo
in s1, mc had this overall lighthearted, casual, but bitter persona, in s2, he lost his cynism, which could be bc he grew out of his trauma, but yeah, it does feel that his personality shifted. or maybe bc in s2 it wants to focus more on the romance without any emotional baggage.
Drops of One Wing
their relationship is cute and sweet but that's about it. in terms of developments and relationship dynamics, it's kinda cliche. also, it's kinda unrealistic how everyone despises and disdains the girl bc she's unable to fly, but irl, she would be an extremely valuable specimen and treated as such. and why cant people swim? it's just moving your limbs/body in water? is it biological evolution to balance out the flying ability? or is it bc the flyers don't feel a need to practice/train? i think it needs to be touched upon.
Sukeban to Tenkousei ga Kudaranai Asobi o Suru dake no Hanashi
Summer Ghost
each of the three mcs are relatable yet the problems and angst are also rather standard cliche. it's relatively fleshed out, but there is minimal chara development. the paneling and camera shots are great, and really invoked some emotions.
Pyramid Game
a story that delves into complex human nature and explores the multi-faceted dynamics between ranks or classes within a controlled and more digestible version of the systematic society in which the rich/powerful dominate the lower masses. suji, a bold and clever girl who becomes a victim of this vicious game, endeavors to cause chaos and internal conflict and ultimately collapse the game with her solid grasp of manipulation and the crux of human nature. despite her efforts, it is difficult to change the status quo maintained by the compliance of the majority, and the ruling class who holds the power to recede those waves of change.
Talentless Nana
the cover art is so intentionally misleading and the first chapter sets up like a typical rom-com shounen about humans fighting against evil, but it completely shocked me when it wasn't.... i love it. i couldn't vibe with the protagonist at first, but her karma and chara development is just amazing. but if there was a criticism i had, it would be that the classmates who were completely unaware of her murder... i wished their reactions (instead of just attacking her bc of naka's instigation) were more touched upon, so mc would feel more ashamed and guilty and it would flesh out her classmates more
Ashita wa Ieru Kana