Nekojiru Udon
surreal and absurd, reminiscent of how dreams progress in bizarre directions, meander, without any proper conclusion. the simple and almost "cute" art style also adds to the uncanny feeling you get from reading the stories. the stories are quite dark, but there's no recurring theme, or offers any philosophical introspection. it's just creepy and sometimes gratuitously violent, like bits of a dream you've barely grasped. it's akin to something spawned from the deepest parts of our subconscious from childhood days, reflecting the sadistic curiosity and innocently cruel side of children. and cats.
Flawed Almighty
pretty good. solid plot with decent pacing. side charas are compelling, so i was disappointed when the main villain fell short of them. all that buildup just to be reduced to a weak basic nonintimidating villain without much depth when mc arrives on the scene. how did they become an archdemon in the first place? expanding on their backstory and how blackwing betrayed god would've done so much to their story, and give the plot more depth. and i find it hard to believe he was the only one capable enough to beat him, in lieu of the high-level angels. i also felt mc's only friend-ish, the guy with the biker helment had potential to get his own chara arc, cuz of his chara design, but like, i guess not. the subplot with pong and her rehab subject ending was tied too loosely? the potential and themes about religion, god's will, and redemption were def there, but it just fell short of it. it's still pretty good tho, with likable charas and romance and a relatable chara arc for mc.
Sayonara Rose Garden
I Want To Break Up With The Man I Love
a cute and realistic story. id still choose financial stability over love tho, unfortunately.
Despicable
the stories were intersting, tho not necessarily enjoyable. the mangaka just created short stories out of various unconventional ideas and tropes that elicit angst... and yall just call it "brilliant, realistic, etc"? yall, it doesnt equate to story execution. the downside of short stories is that there's not enough space to flesh out the charas and give nuance to make readers actually feel, and this story encapsulates that; while it's psychological, i don't understand the motivations of the old men-- why not just confess and stop draggin people into your mess? and the ending-- are the three in a poly relationship or smth? the dark-haired old man's confession of love feels very abrupt. and random
A Strange Joke
entertaining, cute and funny, but the cover design gave me the wrong impression that it'll be a love triangel, but it's not. sehun's role and personality is pretty different from what i expected on the cover. and not really a viable love rival in the first place bc mc never even considered him an option and he got his own lover later on. he barely gave the ml trouble or inconvenience at all; if anything, he helped him a lot and was a good friend most of the time, so yeah, it's misleading.
I Want to Hold Aono-kun so Badly I Could Die
i pity the mother to some extent bc she simply didn't have the mental fortitude to deal with raising two kids, but it does not justify her abuse at all. she victimizes herself, is timid and immature, cannot own up to her mistakes, and vents her frustration and anger on innocent kids. she's a pretty nuanced chara; instead of simply being an abusive cruel parent, she just emotionally immature and too weak-minded with a victim complex to juggle the responsibility of raising two children and being the breadwinner.
Getting to Know Grace
i wonder if every historical GL will have most of the male cast as POS. this is the second story I've read with that sort of dynamic.
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.
Here and There and Us