Ashita Shinu
Very sad, some more than others. I think this anthology showed strengths and weaknesses among the mangaka involved. Short stories can be challenging, writing something satisfying that fills in the blanks and makes sense in such a limited amount of space. The first story broke my heart into a million pieces. I was ugly crying and my cat came and forced me to hold him, which made me cry harder, so there's that. I was super bummed to see that mangaka has yet to produce anything else. I hope that just means she's new and we'll see a lot more from her in the future. Several stories were a little brief and rushed, but the ones that hit you hit you hard. Definitely a sweet but very heartbreaking anthology. Obviously, haha. But it was a good kind of sad. It felt real and emotional. The stronger stories, at least.
12 O'clock Elevator Manhua
Lmao, so random. I've noticed that's really common in eastern horror comics, the shorts in particular. Often, the snapshot itself seems acceptable as a complete story, but it's a little jarring on this end. Even so, there are plenty like that that are great little scenes. This one had potential to be a lot better. Oh well.
Jisatsuya Honpo
Those guys are so pretty. I'm forced to assume after a long day they go home and make out. I wish this had been longer. It leaves a lot for you to conclude on your own, which is fine, but there was a lot of potential here. Too bad it's a oneshot. That's pretty much what everyone has been saying, of course. Seems a shame to stop here.
Impossible Love Suicide
Kinda funny. That guy was a jerk and deserved it. The girl, though... Yeah, I get it, but have you ever heard of breaking up with someone? Did you have to let it go this far? If I had a dime for every person I had to stab so that they'd just tell me how they really felt...
Kimi no Naka Ni
Hm. Kind of abrupt, though I do like that the he was deeply in love with his wife. I hate how yaoi just tosses aside female characters like they're placeholders. I really hate "it's okay if it's you" type stuff with a straight character, so I'm kinda glad it... went the direction that it did. Sad, but it didn't make me cry, which is unusual for me with emotional stuff. I guess I just couldn't really connect with the characters. But it was unusual, so three stars.
300 Beats Per Second
Hmm.... Interesting, I suppose. I feel like there's something a bit clunky about each story. The fur one was really gross, but it was supposed to be. I hate animal suffering. I wish it had ended with some people paying for being so cruel. Despite that, the fur one, chapter four, was the only one that was really creepy. The end of the grandpa one was definitely eerie, too. They were clever concepts. The other two were okay, also. Not the worst I've read. I'll keep reading, at least. ETA: Lol, I don't now if the fifth story was supposed to be deep or what, but... It was pretty mean-spirited, but it was an interesting idea, like most of the others. I've thought about that before, the assumption that we're the main characters of our story. Kind of a miserable, nihilistic approach, but hey. At least the bikini ended up making sense.
The Dream I Had When I Died
Hm, interesting and odd little take on the afterlife. Surreal and sort of intriguing, but it dragged on a bit with no clear direction. I get that that was intentional, but it didn't really work for me in this instance. Still, it was an interesting concept.
Fallinga
Aw, sad one. Interesting, creepy little concept, though. I like things that leave you to fill in the blanks. But I can see how people might want a bit more answers in this situation. Still, there are enough pieces to give you the creeps, at least.
Kaidan BL
I love the rare occasions when horror/the supernatural is combined with BL. I wish it were more common on a serious level. The most you typically get is crack comedy with ghosts and what not. I want more real drama and horror, like here. The two stories that are out already aren't perfect, but they were intriguing. The first one was more sad than creepy. The second one was undeniably creepy as hell. Even if it wasn't scary in a horror sense, that student's obsession... ugh. Dat painting tho. XD I hope the coming stories are good!
Shinju Bl