Bike's manga / #on-hold(42)

Read to Chapter 2 Not much to say now, but I think it's promising, especially after Chapter 2. The Bullied MC x Protective Yandere ML pair didn't strike my interest at first glance, but there's something about the way that the author's been portraying the MC that makes him...noble. I understand the rationale for him willing to be a victim of people's abuse, and I can also understand why the ML can appreciate someone like him. It's interesting so far. I suppose I'll see how it'll go from here. (On a side note, Yandere reminds me a bit of Jin Kikuchihara from Yoiyoi Monologue. They're not too similar to each other, but they possess a certain...flamboyance and confidence that I can appreciate in a character.)

Jesus Christ

CH.9 Don't have much time rn so I'll leave this brief. Lovely artstyle and quirky cast of character--distinct designs. We have a cutesy, stupid(?), perverted, (and yet still somehow closeted) lesbian; a buff pirate lady; and a mysterious assassin(?)-type character. Not much is going on right now (they've gotten themselves trapped in a ghost ship and are investigating a bunch of rooms), but it seems promising! The characters are pretty fun, and I dig the pirate vibes.

It's a "who your daddy?" situation -- they both hooked up with this girl in the past, she passes away, and they're left to figure out who's the father. No DNA identification (the mom left a note iirc), so they end up living together with the kid. Hijinks ensue. --- Current favorite ongoing series. Lovely art, with good character dynamics throughout. Author knows how to create distinct characters in addition to compelling relationships. There's a lot I want to talk about with this series, but I'll stop there for now.

One of the best buildups I’ve ever seen, holy shit. Really compelling.

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.

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

3 volumes total. read 1. Right-hand man has a crush on the boss. It's cute and silly. Mainly shenanigans as he's slowly getting closer to him, but there's the additional wrench of a love triangle. Presumably will be solved in later volumes.

volume 1 Starts in middle school with them being first and third year respectively, but pacing (+hint of additional novels) indicate it'll go into high. First year's a new student who's the only other person who goes to the same train station as third year for commute (it's a school with dorms, most people live in the dorms). He sleeps a lot, and third year's the only one who can wake him up. Very sweet. Mainly slice-of-life/school-life shenanigans with an underlying romance plot. Whole thing is that the shorter dude's going to grow taller so that, when the day comes, he can confess to that dude, as he sees him like a little brother (or does he?).