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- Dec 22, 2023
That's a curious way to adapt the X For Dummies books. I'm sure that short, episodic, edutainment could find a powerful niche in the manga economy on its own.
Bad Manga Thread - Here we autopsy bad alien comics like a (more) weeb-ish Area 51
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That's a curious way to adapt the X For Dummies books. I'm sure that short, episodic, edutainment could find a powerful niche in the manga economy on its own.
- Joined
- May 22, 2024
The Irregular of the Royal Academy of Magic (AKA what happens when the series is in the Uncanny Valley between Porn with Plot and Plot with Porn)
My advice: A more sympathetic and interesting protagonist, picking a place on the porn/plot spectrum and sticking with it (you can move a bit from it depending on the arc but you have to keep the overall series tone in mind) and a better supporting cast would help a lot.
The series follows our underdog protagonist named Ars (Ares? Arse?) who was born with Magic despite being poor (yes, it is one of those setting). He was adopted by an assassin mage and his guild and was trained in the art of magic. Eventually, they sent him to the Academy for some formal education (basicaly just the diploma as his field experience trumps theory). Standard "poor kid is better than rich kids" power fantasy which I am fine with as I care more about execution than having the most originality.
Here is where the problems start. In this world, older, experienced mages can increase their student 's power by sexual intercourse. That is a secret closely guarded by the Underworld (also most people would not buy it anyway) but it is used as an excuse for erotica between highschoolers (plus those times the protagonist and his mentor had sex when he was in his EARLY TEENS and she was much older but HEY he had to increase his power, RIGHT?). Which would be fine in the magical realm of porn where a woman getting stuck in a washing machine better prepare her ass and sex is like take out coupon but in a serious manga where there is political assassination, terrorism, classism and other serious subjects, it is a bit of a mood whiplash. And Ars(e) fucks the daughter of a loving father that he murdered as part of a mission. That is a hard sell. The Assassin Guild are not a bunch of lovable rogues that only do what they do to make the world a better place as they will take jobs against innocent and good people making them come of as unsympathetic. The story refuses to pick a side in where it is either Porn with Plot or Plot with Porn depending on its mood. We are left in a twilight zone where the porn distracts you from the plot and the plot distracts you from the porn leaving us in a constant state of sad hornyness. Combined with the fact that Ars(e) is bland personality wise and smack in the middle of the morality spectrum, this series is hard to keep yourself invested in.
Here is where the problems start. In this world, older, experienced mages can increase their student 's power by sexual intercourse. That is a secret closely guarded by the Underworld (also most people would not buy it anyway) but it is used as an excuse for erotica between highschoolers (plus those times the protagonist and his mentor had sex when he was in his EARLY TEENS and she was much older but HEY he had to increase his power, RIGHT?). Which would be fine in the magical realm of porn where a woman getting stuck in a washing machine better prepare her ass and sex is like take out coupon but in a serious manga where there is political assassination, terrorism, classism and other serious subjects, it is a bit of a mood whiplash. And Ars(e) fucks the daughter of a loving father that he murdered as part of a mission. That is a hard sell. The Assassin Guild are not a bunch of lovable rogues that only do what they do to make the world a better place as they will take jobs against innocent and good people making them come of as unsympathetic. The story refuses to pick a side in where it is either Porn with Plot or Plot with Porn depending on its mood. We are left in a twilight zone where the porn distracts you from the plot and the plot distracts you from the porn leaving us in a constant state of sad hornyness. Combined with the fact that Ars(e) is bland personality wise and smack in the middle of the morality spectrum, this series is hard to keep yourself invested in.
My advice: A more sympathetic and interesting protagonist, picking a place on the porn/plot spectrum and sticking with it (you can move a bit from it depending on the arc but you have to keep the overall series tone in mind) and a better supporting cast would help a lot.
- Joined
- Jul 7, 2022
That sounds extremely based.
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- Jan 12, 2017
I legit thought you were talking about The Irregular at Magic High School, 'til I saw the Japanese titles aren't even similar. Fucking hell...
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- Oct 6, 2022
Does Kagurabachi count? That series was TERRIBLE. I'm surprised it lasted more than two weeks. It was the most generic plot line I've ever heard of with the most generic MC, and artwork that was honestly pretty terrible. Those first few early chapters are ROUGH. I have 0 doubt in my mind if it wasn't meme'd death and forced the mangaka to put up or shut up, it would've been cancelled in the -25.
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- Apr 12, 2021
Keyaruga, Lugh and Naofumi aren't there. Shield Hero, Redo of Healer and World's Finest Assassin confirmed to be good.
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- May 22, 2024
Good question! I do not think it count (for now anyway). I do remember it being rough too. If it remained that way, then it would count for sure. However, I like that it improved. We must give credit where it is due. Things that helped was the introduction of the Sazanami Family (especially the one who becomes a protagonist), the police woman with the fire fist (getting some serious Sly Cooper romance potential here folks) and the fact that they do not hesitate to take some risks with the swords. I am a bit biased though as I like swordsmanship, urban fantasy and heists all of which Kagurabachi has. From my perspective, it went from the most overrated of the Bleach successors to one of the best. The fact that the author listened to the criticisms (or perhaps has a good editor to help steer the series/maybe this was the plan from the start) is a big plus.
As I said before, a boring/overused/overrated/cliche premise being played well will ALWAYS be better than an interesting/original premise being played poorly. The former can also become more original and create an identity as time plays out. The latter is just mudding the water. Not to mention that a series that starts out bad/mediocre and improves as time goes on is better than a series that starts strong and becomes worse. I remember liking Nue 's Exorcist 's first few chapters more than I liked Kagurabachi. As time went on and Nue 's Exorcist became Bleach but worse and more harem-y, my position shifted. I am not too fond of the harem genre (I can read it but it better have a lot more things going on). I will not say that Nue 's Exorcist is a as bad as many things here but I will put my review of it on hold. It has yet to earn its spot here but I am keeping one in reserve anyway. For now I think it is mediocre. Shame how more interesting series were canceled by Shonen Jump, though.
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- Oct 6, 2022
Nue's Exorcist went full on harem. The things that were bad about it got better. The things that were good about it got worse. If you're fine with this fairly minimal tension harem manga, it's decent enough. If that's not your thing, then you're out of luck. There's literally nothing else here. Fight scenes. Some harem stuff. More fight scenes. Some interesting story bits. Then it'll be done. Not really anything ground breaking overall.
The action is confusing here and there but the designs are pretty good though. If nothing else, our mangaka accomplished some decent looking characters.
- Joined
- May 22, 2024
I am fine with harem to a point. It is just that they tend to have the same problems all the time. The cast suffers from lack of development outside of relationships, little development in relationships, the love is unfocused and no matter which girl will be picked there will be complains, sometimes they do the marry them all cop-out, lack of cool male characters, the male protagonist is blander that paper etc etc. If you want to be harem then be good and stand out. But the genre is oversaturated with Monster Musume/Rune Soldier Luie/Familiar of Zero clones. Maybe take a step back and consider that the harem genre might not be the best option for your story, dammit. Nue 's Exorcist had something going on with Senpai at the start but now that she is re-introduced as the gf, she is really underdeveloped compared to most other girls in the series. Do not write five love interests poorly, write one well.
True, but a lot look like Kirito/Ichigo. If you told me that the lead 's clothes were for a SAO movie, I would buy it and give a tip too. At least change the colours. All blacks. And the powers are Zanpakuto but... actually just Zanpakuto... Also the protagonist always wears a shocked expression on his face. If this is a short of first manga so that the author can learn the ropes then I will be lenient. But he better learn.
- Joined
- Dec 12, 2022
Any of ultra guro shock manga ie, Trash, DeadTube, Inogoshima. All they have is shock value so by the time the 50th loli rape orgy that ends in dismemberment happens you're kind of like "meh" because that's all there is.
- Joined
- Apr 24, 2023
Gleipnir and Darwin's Game have interesting concepts at the beginning but both fumble it with predictable stories, boring one-note side characters, and painfully uninteresting main characters.
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Gorillion others
kiwifarms.net
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- Jan 1, 2023
You forgot Grimace.
- Joined
- Dec 12, 2022
yea there's dozens of these and non of them have anything else to offer other than "oh look that loli was raped and dismembered and now that ugly bastard is using her severed head as a fleshlight!"
I assume some people jerk off to this.
Gorillion others
kiwifarms.net
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- Jan 1, 2023
It's like money laundering in a way. Only the currency is your emotional capacity to care.
There's this manga called Pig's Revenge. Check it out at Mangakakalot that pretty much shits on the isekai genre by showing how the "heroes" are even worse than the Demon Lord and his cronies. What's worse, is that they all have overpowered abilities. An entire classroom save for the one guy that they bullied who only has to rely on his wits and the friends he makes along the way to kill them. The premise sounds solid, but once you start to analyze it, any one of them could have killed the MC at any time. The plot ultimately tends to bend backwards that it starts to be another revenge fantasy, which it is. Not really trying to be profound to begin with.
- Joined
- Dec 12, 2022
There should be an Isekai that's a comedy and it revolves around fantast world races being overrun by assholes who got hit by trucks in modern day Japan and are now stealing shit and sexually harassing/raping their women.
This is totally not a metaphor for anything currently going on in Europe of the United States.
This is totally not a metaphor for anything currently going on in Europe of the United States.
- Joined
- May 22, 2024
There is a very good reason why revenge fantasy is usually paired with power fantasy. It is always darkest before the dawn and the dawn is supposed to be right now. This one forgot this. I only went up to chapter 12 and I could not take it. You are supposed to get to the part that sees the protagonist find glimmers of hope before the audience leaves. They have better things to do than feel hopeless. Need a cleancer everytime I think of series such as this. Just vileness disguised as an underdog story.
- Joined
- Feb 2, 2024
That's called Isekai Shikkaku. It's about a suicidal guy who wants to stay alive only as long as he can find his love interest so that they can fulfill their mutual suicide, but in the meantime he's stuck dealing with a bunch of isekai'd jerkbags who are abusing their powers now that they are in this other world.
If what you REALLY want is something that is going for the outright or outrageously funny, "Hero's Party Wants to Experience LOVE" is about the fantasy world heroes after they already saved the world and now have nothing to do but stop all the isekai'd heroes from doing utterly brainless stupid shit.
[note: I'm not vouching for the quality, I'm just saying that these are guys trying to do that genre.]
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- Jul 7, 2022
That could've been the twist if the author was a better storyteller: his super power is that he's favored by God
Space Police
kiwifarms.net
- Joined
- Dec 12, 2022
Zeta Gundam Define takes Zeta Gundam's excellent story but adds a bunch of stupid little girls in overly-ornate clothing nobody cares about, removes lots of good episodes (like when the Titans were about to gas the colony), changes the rest of the story beyond recognition, puts in a Kamille/Emma sex scene, and just makes it into a stupid battle shonen where all the characters are added to the crew like it's One Piece. Apparently it's a tie-in to a manga called Char's Deleted Affair where it's revealed that Haman and Char hate each other because Char Furuya'd her, so stupid came from stupid.
Gorillion others
kiwifarms.net
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- Jan 1, 2023
Oh believe me, there are a ton of Gundam material that are "set in UC", but once you actually check the lot of them out, you can't help but ask yourself the obvious question.
"Who the fuck are these guys, and where the fucking hell even were they?"