ayase
State Alchemist
Now it's being blown out of proportion by Schwerer Gustav.
Yubisaki Milk Tea sound hilarious, especially so if it's unintentional.
Yubisaki Milk Tea sound hilarious, especially so if it's unintentional.
The Volume Rating Thread
- Thread starter Aion
- Start date
fabio de lunatico
The Wildcard
Yubisaki Milk Tea 4 - 7/10
Lordy. Just when you think the entanglement of character relationships and emotions couldn't get any messier, Tomochika Miyano (the mangaka) outdoes himself. In this volume Loli tries to seduce Crossdresser, only to freak out when he attempts to force himself on her. She also has an admirer, another cute loli, and it's so obvious that you'd have to be braindead not to notice. Since Loli is only mildly retarded, I've no idea why she remains oblivious.
Classmate, meanwhile, has forgiven Crossdresser's indescretions and they're all over each other again, groping and whatnot. Crossdresser, ever the sensitive type, continues to whine to her about his troubles with Loli. Next came this volume's second most uncomfortable moment: Loli, who's about 14 or 15, decides to get into the bath with her father. They talk. He tells Loli that he'll be sad when she marries, to which she replies "I'll be your lover until then". CHRIST.
Finally, Crossdresser's best friend has fallen in love with his female persona. You know what I said about the bath scene being the book's second most uncomfortable moment? Well, this one takes the crown, and I don't even want to talk about what happens. But I'll be damned if I can pick up a volume of Yubisaki Milk Tea and put it down before I've read every disturbing word.
Lordy. Just when you think the entanglement of character relationships and emotions couldn't get any messier, Tomochika Miyano (the mangaka) outdoes himself. In this volume Loli tries to seduce Crossdresser, only to freak out when he attempts to force himself on her. She also has an admirer, another cute loli, and it's so obvious that you'd have to be braindead not to notice. Since Loli is only mildly retarded, I've no idea why she remains oblivious.
Classmate, meanwhile, has forgiven Crossdresser's indescretions and they're all over each other again, groping and whatnot. Crossdresser, ever the sensitive type, continues to whine to her about his troubles with Loli. Next came this volume's second most uncomfortable moment: Loli, who's about 14 or 15, decides to get into the bath with her father. They talk. He tells Loli that he'll be sad when she marries, to which she replies "I'll be your lover until then". CHRIST.
Finally, Crossdresser's best friend has fallen in love with his female persona. You know what I said about the bath scene being the book's second most uncomfortable moment? Well, this one takes the crown, and I don't even want to talk about what happens. But I'll be damned if I can pick up a volume of Yubisaki Milk Tea and put it down before I've read every disturbing word.
CitizenGeek
Guild Member
Black Jack vol. 1 - 9/10
Great, great manga. My expectations were pretty high for one of Tezuka's most popular works and it certainly delivered. Some of the stories are jarringly silly but somehow work really well. There's a great emotional depth to it, also, and Pinoko is just adorable :]
Great, great manga. My expectations were pretty high for one of Tezuka's most popular works and it certainly delivered. Some of the stories are jarringly silly but somehow work really well. There's a great emotional depth to it, also, and Pinoko is just adorable :]
CitizenGeek
Guild Member
Well, I wasn't really talking about those bizarrely unfunny (perhaps they were funny at the time? Or maybe it's only funny if you're Japanese? I doubt it though ....) humour bursts. I'm used to them by now. I just meant that the scenarios in some of the stories were so far-fetched that it rather spoiled by involvement in the plot.
So Aion, ever heard of spoiler tags? You pretty much destroyed the massive impact of the females fate, I downloaded it randomly on a whim and I was absoutely SHOCKED by what becomes of them. Jesus Christ, I don't mind spoilers myself, but I just have a convo about the series which just went like this:Aion said:
"X series is pretty good, the twist is horrifying."
"Yeah, well Aion pretty much spoiled it all in his "No spoiler tags, guaranteed!" review"
"... WHAT THE ****."
Last edited by a moderator:
Aion
Chuunibyou
Erm, didn't I just detail what most know before reading the series - that young women get taken in a coach to be sexually abused and that Bradherley is the man who owns the coach? It isn't as if the gang rape business doesn't occur in the opening chapter.
Not many people try reading a manga that hasn't had an official English release without knowing anything. nd even if it did get released in English, most would read the back of the book.
Not many people try reading a manga that hasn't had an official English release without knowing anything. nd even if it did get released in English, most would read the back of the book.
Aion
Chuunibyou
Erm, didn't I just detail what most know before reading the series - that young women get taken in a coach to be sexually abused and that Bradherley is the man who owns the coach? It isn't as if the gang rape business doesn't occur in the opening chapter.
Not many people try reading a manga that hasn't had an official English release without knowing anything. And even if it did get released in English, most would read the back of the book.
Not many people try reading a manga that hasn't had an official English release without knowing anything. And even if it did get released in English, most would read the back of the book.
Aion
Chuunibyou
Great Teacher Onizuka: Volumes 1-25
Great Teacher Onizuka (GTO), one of the most loved manga (and anime) titles in existence. A story about a man with little in the way of education finding a place for himself in the world as a teacher, teaching kids with more education than himself lessons about life. The story has a wonderful combination of hard-hitting drama, complete with characters with realistic, easy to relate to problems and over the top comedy. As well as being meaningful, it can often inject warmth into even the coldest of hearts.
Story: 9/10
The story is centered around a man called Eikichi Onizuka. Like near enough every 22 year old male, he wants the easy life; a life involving lots of money, women and respect. And he is determined to get it, taking a resume with him and going to job interviews at big companies. However, there are a few minor problems: he looks like a street punk, he has bleached hair, he barely managed to graduate from a fifth rate college and he boasts about his martial arts skills on his resume, also mentioning the fact he's a virgin. Needless to say, he gets rejected every time he applies for a cushy office job.
Close to giving up on the easy life, a chance encounter with an attractive high school girl who is having sex with a fat and bald teacher changes his mind. After he comes to the shocking realization that teachers are surrounded by young and pure girls, he decides to become a teacher and fulfill his dream of marrying an attractive girl younger than himself. But his goal quickly changes once again after he helps a girl solve her family problems whilst on a teaching training course; he decides to right the wrongs of the teachers who told him he was trash by becoming the greatest teacher in the world.
While the premise is a simple one, the balance between drama and comedy and the wonderful execution makes the simplicity irrelevant. Living in the storage room at the top of Holy Forest (a co-ed private school), Onizuka helps the students in his class (3-4) in numerous ways, varying from using his street smarts to stop bullies by giving them a taste of their own medicine to simply being friends with his more lonely students. Unlike other teachers who, just like in real life, only care about their job and the money, he goes the extra mile, involving himself with his students in an attempt to make them enjoy their school years in a way he never was able to. Whether it involves saving his students from getting beaten and/or raped or helping them appreciate life by tieing them to the front of his bike and driving them off an unfinished bridge, he is willing to do it. To begin with his class hate teachers in general because of a past experience, but by the end he manages to unite everyone in his class and earn the respect of everyone.
However, I cannot claim the story is without its problems. Some of the stories included repeat what has gone before and appear to have only been included just to stretch the story out. And, by the end, there are many subplots left hanging, and in some cases it appears that the mangaka forgot to or lacked the motivation required to finish what he had started. Although these are in truth minor problems, largely ignorable because of how enjoyable GTO is to read, I can't objectively give the story top marks when it has so many minor but bothersome issues. It is a pity because, if not for my issues with the story, it would have been awarded a 10/10 score.
Characterization: 10/10
Nearly all of the important members of class four get fleshed out over the course of the story. Some more than others because a few get their very own lengthy stories included, but even those who don't are usually heavily involved in the GTO Proceedings. Rather than being driven by an over-arching plot, it is driven by numerous shorter stories that focus on a certain character or two, and Onizuka usually has to step in to help the character(s) involved. I think anyone who reads it would struggle not to find at least one character to add to their favourite character list: whether you are into a mommy's boy who protects his 27 year old (and often braless) mother from men at all costs (Kunio), a mentally slow but innocent and cute girl (Tomoko) or a girl with an IQ of 200 who masks her loneliness with her intellect (Urumi), there is a loveable character for everyone included.
The best thing about the cast is that they all have problems real people have. Some are dissatisfied with their lives, some have family issues, some have been abused - there is something everyone can relate to. If nothing else, pretty much everyone should be able to connect with the characters when it comes to their feelings about teachers and the barrier that exists between teacher and student. And, while it is true that the solution to the casts various problems tends to be over the top for comedy purposes, none of the meaning is lost. In fact, the addition of often hilarious humour prevents the story as a whole from being a total downer.
GTO is truly worthy of top marks when it comes to characterization. The only possible reason I can think of to mark it lower is that not every subplot is seen through to conclusion, which is fairly bothersome for me since I became so invested in the lives of the characters.
Art: 10/10
Are you tired of seeing the same background art repeated over and over, with new character poses drawn on top? If you are, then look no further than GTO, where even small objects in rooms are drawn with detail and the backgrounds rarely repeat...or at least not noticeably so. Because of the detailed drawings and the usually large amount of text per page, the volumes take me far longer than a 180-200 page volume normally takes me to get though.
I cannot stress enough how lovely the GTO art is. The character models are so well drawn and realistic that I actually found the female characters attractive (the mangaka deserves an award for 'Best Drawn School Girls Ever'). The expressions are spot on and everything looks as close to perfection as I can imagine a weekly manga ever getting. My only complaint is that, towards the end, some of the characters start to look like older ones... But, to be fair, it is very harsh to criticize an artist for that when reviewing a 25 volume series - there are a huge amount of characters and keeping them all looking totally different is impossible.
Overall: 9.5/10
In closing, GTO is a must read for everyone. It would be difficult for anyone not to be moved by the story and/or not get any laughs out of the comedy. Sure, it is perverted and a little over the top at times, but that just adds to the flavour. It is safe to say the series has a little something for everyone, and that is why the series is a worldwide hit. If you do not own the series, go buy all 25 volumes, sit back and get ready for the sort of enjoyment very little in this world can provide you with.
Great Teacher Onizuka (GTO), one of the most loved manga (and anime) titles in existence. A story about a man with little in the way of education finding a place for himself in the world as a teacher, teaching kids with more education than himself lessons about life. The story has a wonderful combination of hard-hitting drama, complete with characters with realistic, easy to relate to problems and over the top comedy. As well as being meaningful, it can often inject warmth into even the coldest of hearts.
Story: 9/10
The story is centered around a man called Eikichi Onizuka. Like near enough every 22 year old male, he wants the easy life; a life involving lots of money, women and respect. And he is determined to get it, taking a resume with him and going to job interviews at big companies. However, there are a few minor problems: he looks like a street punk, he has bleached hair, he barely managed to graduate from a fifth rate college and he boasts about his martial arts skills on his resume, also mentioning the fact he's a virgin. Needless to say, he gets rejected every time he applies for a cushy office job.
Close to giving up on the easy life, a chance encounter with an attractive high school girl who is having sex with a fat and bald teacher changes his mind. After he comes to the shocking realization that teachers are surrounded by young and pure girls, he decides to become a teacher and fulfill his dream of marrying an attractive girl younger than himself. But his goal quickly changes once again after he helps a girl solve her family problems whilst on a teaching training course; he decides to right the wrongs of the teachers who told him he was trash by becoming the greatest teacher in the world.
While the premise is a simple one, the balance between drama and comedy and the wonderful execution makes the simplicity irrelevant. Living in the storage room at the top of Holy Forest (a co-ed private school), Onizuka helps the students in his class (3-4) in numerous ways, varying from using his street smarts to stop bullies by giving them a taste of their own medicine to simply being friends with his more lonely students. Unlike other teachers who, just like in real life, only care about their job and the money, he goes the extra mile, involving himself with his students in an attempt to make them enjoy their school years in a way he never was able to. Whether it involves saving his students from getting beaten and/or raped or helping them appreciate life by tieing them to the front of his bike and driving them off an unfinished bridge, he is willing to do it. To begin with his class hate teachers in general because of a past experience, but by the end he manages to unite everyone in his class and earn the respect of everyone.
However, I cannot claim the story is without its problems. Some of the stories included repeat what has gone before and appear to have only been included just to stretch the story out. And, by the end, there are many subplots left hanging, and in some cases it appears that the mangaka forgot to or lacked the motivation required to finish what he had started. Although these are in truth minor problems, largely ignorable because of how enjoyable GTO is to read, I can't objectively give the story top marks when it has so many minor but bothersome issues. It is a pity because, if not for my issues with the story, it would have been awarded a 10/10 score.
Characterization: 10/10
Nearly all of the important members of class four get fleshed out over the course of the story. Some more than others because a few get their very own lengthy stories included, but even those who don't are usually heavily involved in the GTO Proceedings. Rather than being driven by an over-arching plot, it is driven by numerous shorter stories that focus on a certain character or two, and Onizuka usually has to step in to help the character(s) involved. I think anyone who reads it would struggle not to find at least one character to add to their favourite character list: whether you are into a mommy's boy who protects his 27 year old (and often braless) mother from men at all costs (Kunio), a mentally slow but innocent and cute girl (Tomoko) or a girl with an IQ of 200 who masks her loneliness with her intellect (Urumi), there is a loveable character for everyone included.
The best thing about the cast is that they all have problems real people have. Some are dissatisfied with their lives, some have family issues, some have been abused - there is something everyone can relate to. If nothing else, pretty much everyone should be able to connect with the characters when it comes to their feelings about teachers and the barrier that exists between teacher and student. And, while it is true that the solution to the casts various problems tends to be over the top for comedy purposes, none of the meaning is lost. In fact, the addition of often hilarious humour prevents the story as a whole from being a total downer.
GTO is truly worthy of top marks when it comes to characterization. The only possible reason I can think of to mark it lower is that not every subplot is seen through to conclusion, which is fairly bothersome for me since I became so invested in the lives of the characters.
Art: 10/10
Are you tired of seeing the same background art repeated over and over, with new character poses drawn on top? If you are, then look no further than GTO, where even small objects in rooms are drawn with detail and the backgrounds rarely repeat...or at least not noticeably so. Because of the detailed drawings and the usually large amount of text per page, the volumes take me far longer than a 180-200 page volume normally takes me to get though.
I cannot stress enough how lovely the GTO art is. The character models are so well drawn and realistic that I actually found the female characters attractive (the mangaka deserves an award for 'Best Drawn School Girls Ever'). The expressions are spot on and everything looks as close to perfection as I can imagine a weekly manga ever getting. My only complaint is that, towards the end, some of the characters start to look like older ones... But, to be fair, it is very harsh to criticize an artist for that when reviewing a 25 volume series - there are a huge amount of characters and keeping them all looking totally different is impossible.
Overall: 9.5/10
In closing, GTO is a must read for everyone. It would be difficult for anyone not to be moved by the story and/or not get any laughs out of the comedy. Sure, it is perverted and a little over the top at times, but that just adds to the flavour. It is safe to say the series has a little something for everyone, and that is why the series is a worldwide hit. If you do not own the series, go buy all 25 volumes, sit back and get ready for the sort of enjoyment very little in this world can provide you with.
ayase
State Alchemist
I've been following your progress with GTO Aion, and can definately say you've convinced me to try and pick it up at some point.
I don't know why I never persevered with the anime, I watched a few eps and then just left it - I've done that with several series I've actually enjoyed, I think I have to put it down to sporadic bouts of having a short attention span. Sometimes I can marathon a 50+ ep. series in a few days, other times it takes me months to get through even a 20-odd ep. show.
I don't know why I never persevered with the anime, I watched a few eps and then just left it - I've done that with several series I've actually enjoyed, I think I have to put it down to sporadic bouts of having a short attention span. Sometimes I can marathon a 50+ ep. series in a few days, other times it takes me months to get through even a 20-odd ep. show.
Aion
Chuunibyou
Sweet, that means my efforts to express myself weren't in vain. If one person was convinced by my AUKN postings then it's all good.
I just watched the first 48 minute (!?) episode of the anime. It didn't impress me, though I'm going to obviously be a harsh critic having just finishing the manga and ranked it #1.
Onizuka's voice (English and JP) doesn't sound right: I had to change from English when Blum sounded like he was about to cry when he should've sounded furious and the JP voice actor sounds pathetic except when deadly serious. I expected him to have a deeper and more manly voice 24/7.
As for the anime itself, the art sometimes looks like the manga art but often looks far uglier. And SP, masters of ******* up anime adaptations, have either skipped or rearranged much of the early dialogue in an attempt to rush towards the Holy Forest part of the story. This has resulted in a lot of the early stuff not being as funny and appearing silly.
For example, in the manga Onizuka has a student force her way into his apartment, living there for a few days and making Onizuka force himself to sleep outside in a sleeping bag to prevent himself doing something he'd regret later. When he tells someone, he gets told to give in to his inner animal and just do it with her. So, he goes home, dresses up as an animal and is ready to tape her up...only for her to randomly start telling him about her family situation, making him lose the willpower required to sex her.
In the anime, they never lived together and the animal thing was just thrown in without the conversation leading up to it. It wasn't funny because it lacked the build-up.
I just watched the first 48 minute (!?) episode of the anime. It didn't impress me, though I'm going to obviously be a harsh critic having just finishing the manga and ranked it #1.
Onizuka's voice (English and JP) doesn't sound right: I had to change from English when Blum sounded like he was about to cry when he should've sounded furious and the JP voice actor sounds pathetic except when deadly serious. I expected him to have a deeper and more manly voice 24/7.
As for the anime itself, the art sometimes looks like the manga art but often looks far uglier. And SP, masters of ******* up anime adaptations, have either skipped or rearranged much of the early dialogue in an attempt to rush towards the Holy Forest part of the story. This has resulted in a lot of the early stuff not being as funny and appearing silly.
For example, in the manga Onizuka has a student force her way into his apartment, living there for a few days and making Onizuka force himself to sleep outside in a sleeping bag to prevent himself doing something he'd regret later. When he tells someone, he gets told to give in to his inner animal and just do it with her. So, he goes home, dresses up as an animal and is ready to tape her up...only for her to randomly start telling him about her family situation, making him lose the willpower required to sex her.
In the anime, they never lived together and the animal thing was just thrown in without the conversation leading up to it. It wasn't funny because it lacked the build-up.
Aion
Chuunibyou
I was always expecting it to be inferior. It's very rare for anime to even be equal to the manga it's based on, and SP are behind the anime. But don't get me wrong - it isn't bad. The problem is that it isn't brilliant due to stupidity.
I'll still buy the series at some point because the manga is my #1.
I'll still buy the series at some point because the manga is my #1.
fabio de lunatico
The Wildcard
GTO volume 20 - 9/10
The return to comedy at the expense of whiny teen (or teacher) melodrama makes this the best volume of GTO in ages. Aion assures me that it gets more dramatic from here to the end, though, so that's food for thought.
The return to comedy at the expense of whiny teen (or teacher) melodrama makes this the best volume of GTO in ages. Aion assures me that it gets more dramatic from here to the end, though, so that's food for thought.
Aion
Chuunibyou
fabricatedlunatic said:
My review > your review. Length FTW!
/easy win
Yes, it does - drama, drama, drama until the end. You won't mind when you reach 24 and see the 'big' fight of the series between Rocky and the #1 Angel, though.
It's cool we both like GTO and can agree it's good, but I don't think you appreciate GTO for the same reason I do. For me, GTO is #1 because it makes even the most depressing stories have a happy end, without being cheesy. It's the perfect mix of drama and comedy. You, on the other hand, appear to like GTO only for the comedy; not for the characterization.
That's fine - I'm not gonna go all Death Note on your arse - but I find it strange that someone has got through 20 volumes and doesn't want to see more drama leading up to the finale. Will we ever fully agree on anything!?
fabio de lunatico
The Wildcard
It's true that I prefer the comedy. I've always found the combination of funny and serious a bit awkard, tending to prefer series that are one or the other. Perhaps my tolerance for hard done-by teens and adults whose thoughtless actions endanger the lives of others is at an all-time low. Onizuka and Azusa are the only characters I really like.
fabio de lunatico
The Wildcard
Yubisaki Milk Tea volume 5 - 8/10
I continue to be surprised that this series, which primarily deals with the romantic and sexual awakening of teenagers, was released unedited. Not that I think it warrants editing, but US manga publishers have censored tamer material than this. Some of the more adult material in this book ranges from mildly creepy to disturbing, but I don't consider this to be a "fanservice" manga because the nudity and sexual situations are integral to the plot. And though I'm not entirely comfortable with certain things in this series, I do enjoy reading manga that pushes the boundaries a little further than usual.
I could, however, have done without
I continue to be surprised that this series, which primarily deals with the romantic and sexual awakening of teenagers, was released unedited. Not that I think it warrants editing, but US manga publishers have censored tamer material than this. Some of the more adult material in this book ranges from mildly creepy to disturbing, but I don't consider this to be a "fanservice" manga because the nudity and sexual situations are integral to the plot. And though I'm not entirely comfortable with certain things in this series, I do enjoy reading manga that pushes the boundaries a little further than usual.
I could, however, have done without
the main character FRENCH KISSING his OLDER SISTER even if she is hot