Bike's manga / #interesting(40)

It’s good! I read this blind (haven’t actually played the game) but I found it pretty compelling—characters are given their moments and even Naoya gets his own character arc. I will say that the presence of a few characters are minimized compared to the game (Still haven’t played the game, but have watched gameplay of it online lol) and the Snow Queen arc is massively shortened compared to what’s in the game, but it’s been touted by fans as a good adaptation of the game, and I have to agree. It’s a bit hard to read (I have to pause sometimes to see how characters move from one panel to the next), but I found I didn’t mind it as I got more invested in the story.

lives rent free in my brain right now. love the concept, and execution's going pretty good right now! ON HOLD

Finished but don't remember much. Basically knight gets reverse-isekai'd and ends up with the black-haired business dude on the cover. It's a fun concept. Nice art.

It’s quite interesting. Very much an emotionally-based story, exploring acting and theater through the lenses of several characters, but namely Yuujin, whose natural affinity for the stage is potent, to the effect of it seeming to consume everything around it. Their lives intermingle in convoluted ways; they feel human in the way they struggle and live. I find it hard to understand at times, at least as a casual reader. Sometimes, I wonder: “Huh, that’s interesting,” not necessarily understanding what it all means. I may be able to get a better insight with rereading, but I wanted to note that, nonetheless, because this isn’t really an easy read. Still, I got a general gist of what’s going on. I’m liking it. It’s got complex, psychologically-bound conflicts amidst the characters, and I’m a big fan of that kind of stuff (also Author’s works in general—her BL stuff is great). Certainly a series that sticks in your head.

Dude tries not to get involved; unfortunately, he gets involved. Proceeds shenanigans.

ch. 16 Dude tries out a game his friend made and he ends up reincarnation as a summoner. Dude can't escape until he beats the game. Blond guy's a hero he's summoned from the dead. Intriguing premise that's enhanced by world-building components and themes. Game's effectively a mobile-gatcha in IRL equivalence. However, there's ideas regarding life and death---talks about how heroes are summoned after having lived a past life in order to continue fighting for summoners. They fight while summoners simply stand by. They fight, as if alive, while summoners are idle, as if dead. MC's navigating this dynamic with his own hero as he sees everyone else treat their heroes like crap. Ironically by treating the fantasy world as a game (recording their stats, e.g. damage, range, move set, synchronisms), he provides much more care as a sorcerer compared to the other guys. Brings the question of the heroes' perspectives, how easily they're tossed to the side or simply work labor. Emphasized that guilds carry them in coffins whenever they're idle, denoting their ranks by the types of coffins they use. Treated like objects. MC's likely OP, but it's only been recently introduced where I'm at (ch.16), will probably be brought up more later.). Sweet dynamic between MC and ML. MC's a bit silly, so ML's earnestness/mysteriousness balances it out quite well. How they appear to genuinely enjoy each other's company (after initial qualms about ML's mere rank) is also nice. Interested to seeing more.

Chapter 6. A bit hard to read---veiled allusions to feminism are heavy, almost too on the nose---but I find the discussion refreshing. Not entirely sure where this'll go. On hold.

Chapter 36 --- Loving it. So it's one of those "ranker" stories with game mechanics not unlike S Classes and ORV, except this one has actual BL, apparently? From what I'm getting, I'm assuming the BL will be on the backburner, but I'm not complaining---premise is interesting. Dude lives a chill life, having effectively disappeared from the public eye following his party's defeat of a dungeon that had threatened to destroy the world. He spends day-to-day life imposing mundane barrier spells, hanging out with those in his small guild, fulfilling the wishes of those who had died, doing numerous small hobbies, etc. While haunted by the past, he's determined to live a normal life. Unfortunately, lots of people want to know the Korean guy who managed to survive the event. One of these groups are pretty influential, and he ends up getting caught into their schemes. --- Read chapter 15. MC's backstory is compelling. The dungeon game mechanics seem interested (especially the aspect about Gaia?). I'm also intrigued by the emphasis on the "stat viewing inbox" thing. It's only accessible by those with skills---you can cloak your stats and they'll seem innocuous so long as the person looking at them doesn't have a high level "skill viewer" ability. The chemistry of the main pair is also interesting to me. They've hardly interacted at this point, but I can see the potential. Also, I love me a MC that wants nothing more than to retire after having lived life as a hero. Love this trope.

I *really* liked this one. It's a crossdressing scenario between two dudes, Matsuoka (MC) and Hirosue (ML), that ends up invoking the worst out of two people. The MC is a fool for leading the ML on for so long, too "kind" to shut him down. He is also a fool for expecting the man to overlook appearances, to overlook the lie that was told. But then the ML is similarly foolish. Beyond the point of cut-off, he prolongs the wounds they've inflicted onto each other, wielding the MC's feelings like a bullet, to shoot at any moment's notice. Towards the MC, he is callous, trampling onto his feelings. And yet, he acts contradictory---distant to his girlfriend, an underlying unhappiness. He remains harboring feelings for his "lady." You take a look at these two and see how deeply their love has been imprinted onto each other. They fell for each other because of the other's display of kindness, but because it was construed over a lie, they end up questioning the other's feelings, they want to run away from their own, both of theirs stubbornly remaining despite the pain it's caused for them. It's a love story where they fall in love quickly, but that's only one half of the equation. Beyond that, it's the navigation of ruminated feelings, wanting to move on but finding that they can't. It's a good case study that highlights how irrational love can be. I think it's realistically rendered, with of course still being dramatic and frustrating. But I love that in a series. I loved that they both groveled for the other person. Also the first time I've really seen an MC significantly change appearance between novels. Perhaps one of the few times in BL where I see a female character with a compelling relationship with both male characters, and yet is still treated as a likeable character (the two male characters come out as worse, in fact). Wished the ending was more conclusive, though? Side note: I appreciate how kindly they treated the ladies in this equation, because none of that hot mess was their fault. The treatment of the female character reminds me of Faded First Love. The way these two (unfortunately?) hold onto each other reminds me a little of the bit I've read of Usagi no Mori.