Mike’s Comments (group member since Mar 13, 2013)

Mike’s comments from the Josei and Seinen Readers group.

It's been a long time, but I've read the entire series and recall it bing a solid light mystery manga with well done adaptation of elements from the original stories. Characters were a bit shallow and Holmes brusque manner comes off a bit harsher when directed at a child rather than Watson, but really good overall.

Will try to revisit and see how it holds up if I can.

Howard wrote: "Also, for those who have Crunchyroll Premium, the series is available on there."

Great to know, thanks!

I've read the first volume and recall it being decent (enough so that I bought more to read), but honestly don't remember any specifics. I hope to reread it soon and continue with a few more volumes.

"Christie is Sherlock Holmes' precocious niece. She lives in a beautiful home with her maids and her giant dog Nelson, who look after her in the absence of her parents. Her maids include the proper Annemarie and the unrefined, uneducated Nora, whose skill with her "Snake Tongue" whip occasionally comes in handy. Though Christie hates studying, she loves using logic to solve mysteries, and so she often ends up helping her uncle and Dr. Watson solve their cases."

Young Miss Holmes is one of our Fall Group Reads. Discuss here!

"Satou and his best friend, Hime, have been together for as long as he can remember. So when she tells him she's going back to her home world to get married, his first thought is to follow her and crash her wedding. All goes according to plan, and with a kiss from Hime herself, Satou becomes the new groom! But unbeknownst to Satou, the man who marries Hime is destined to be a hero of immense power and save the world! Is Satou up for the challenge, or is this just too much responsibility for one high schooler to handle?!"

Tales of Wedding Rings is on of our Fall Group Reads. Discuss here!

Perhaps not what it could have been, but a compelling journey all the same.

Full series thoughts (spoiler free): https://derailmentsofthought.com/2019...

Howard wrote: "A cheerfully morbid slice of life."

Perfect description.

This is heavy in a subtle way, but I really enjoyed it overall.

A few volumes in and this has a kind of carwreck quality to it where I don't know if I'm enjoying it per se but still can't quite look away. It's not bad, and certain aspects are really compelling, but I find it very, very, odd as a whole.

"The stage is Sapporo，Hokkaido. One night，our heroine，Minare Koda，spills her heartbroken woes to a radio station worker she meets while out drinking one night. The next day，she hears a recording of her pitiful grumbling being played live over the air. Minare storms into the station in a rage，only to then be duped by the station director into doing an impromptu talk show explaining her harsh dialogue. With just one recording，the many eccentric facets of Minare's life begin to pull every which direction as she falls ever deeper into the world of radio."

Wave, Listen to Me! is one of our summer group reads. Discuss here!

"Civilization is dead, but Chito and Yuuri are still alive. So they hop aboard their beloved Kettenkrad motorbike and aimlessly wander the ruins of the world they once knew. Day after hopeless day, they look for their next meal and fuel for their ride. But as long as the two are together, even an existence as bleak as theirs has a ray or two of sunshine in it, whether they're sucking down their fill of soup or hunting for machine parts to tinker with. For two girls in a world full of nothing, the experiences and feelings the two share give them something to live for..."

Girls Last Tour is one of our summer group reads. Discuss here!

Terrence wrote: "

Harem Royale -When the Game Ends- Vol. 1

Edit: Is this Shounen? ANN says "Monthly Shonen Sirius" is where it launched..."

Hmm. Yeah, the magazine of publication generally takes precedence when classifying, even though I'd put this in Seinen. We've had discussions in the past in that group about including Shounen titles over there even with mature subject matter, so I'll make it a read for that group.

"Twenty-six year old Nagisa Kataura has a secret. By all appearances, she's an average temp-worker, but beneath her business-casual exterior she's a devoted cosplayer. Transforming into her favorite anime and manga characters is her passion in life, and her hard work and creativity has earned Nagisa respect amongst her cosplay cohorts. But to the rest of society, her hobby is a silly fantasy, so she has to keep her two worlds separate. However, as demands from both sides of her life begin to increase, she may one day have to make a tough choice - what's more important to her, cosplay or being 'normal'."

Complex Age is one of our winter group reads. Discuss here!

"1940's Hiroshima Prefecture. Suzu, a young woman from the countryside, joins her new husband and his family in the shipbuilding city of Kure. As her beautiful home collapses around her, Suzu must confront the challenges of a new life while coming to grips with a world in turmoil. Unwilling to give up hope, Suzu struggles against the horrors of war to create her own happiness. "

In This Corner of the World is one of our winter group reads. Discuss here!

That's exactly what I loved about the story too. Adult protagonists and a really natural and real feel to how things unfold make it really engaging.

The third (and final) volume is out. While I do think it lost just a little bit of that "realness" towards the end, overall it's a fitting finale and still mostly lives up to the series previous high level and potential.


https://derailmentsofthought.com/2018...

Ok, 2 volumes in and this is one of the best romance stories I've read. There's something really engaging about watching Emi and Kei both struggle with and embrace their feelings for each other. Here's hoping the momentum continues through the final installment.

Review: https://derailmentsofthought.com/2018...

The second volume continued to be both compelling and so creepy I wasn't sure I wanted to continue. Since it was only 3 volumes long, curiosity got the better of me and I did.

Volume 3 provided a relatively strong finish within the established setup, but honestly I'm not sure it's worth the highly disturbing ride.

Review of full series with more detailed thoughts: https://derailmentsofthought.com/2018...

Jumped ahead a bit since I had the opportunity to read this early. Very impressed with volume 1, as it captures the unpredictable feel of a relationship begun via chance encounter extremely well and the author has a deft touch with regards to complex themes.

Review: https://derailmentsofthought.com/2018...

"SEARCHING FOR PURPOSE In a world inhabited by crystalline lifeforms called The Lustrous, every unique gem must fight for their way of life against the threat of lunarians who would turn them into decorations. Phosphophyllite, the most fragile and brittle of gems, longs to join the battle. When Phos is instead assigned to complete a natural history of their world, it sounds like a dull and pointless task. But this new job brings Phos into contact with Cinnabar, a gem forced to live in isolation. Can Phos’s seemingly mundane assignment lead both Phos and Cinnabar to the fulfillment they desire?"

Land of the Lustrous is one of our May-July group reads. Discuss here!

"The club is hopping and Emi isn’t…so she ends up hiding in a corner after her friend ditches her to flirt with a guy! Emi figures the night is a bust, but then someone amazing comes to her rescue. Kei is a DJ, and her effortless self-confidence captivates Emi. Is this just a wonderful night out or the start of the rest of her life?"

After hours is one of our May-July group reads. Discuss here!

Hmm. Off the top of my head:

Time Travel - The Girl Who Leapt Through Time.
Robots (I'd like a giant and a not-giant) -something Gundam (maybe Wing), Time of Eve movie
Cool Tech
Space - Cowboy Bebop
Ghosts - although it got too creepy for me, Ghost Hunt is perfect here
Super Heroes
Swords & Sorcery
World Building - Kino's Journey, maybe Last Exile and/or FMA

Drawing a blank on the other categories. Ghibli movies tend to be a strong go to for recommendations, but I don't really see them matching your categories.

Ok, so the book description gives pretty much no info or framework for what the story's really about, and this is pretty messed up.

volume 1 (view spoiler)[ so the above quoted text is largely directly part of the manga, in the first few pages. That much was really intriguing. But the "incident" in question happens after he witnesses a truck hit an elementary school girl. The friend walking with her stops to save her video game before checking on her dead friend, and the narrator sees this. So she later kidnaps him at knife point and keeps him prisoner in a closet because he saw the real her. So uhm, yeah. (hide spoiler)]

I was constantly torn between wondering where things were going and being afraid to find out. Oh and wanting to shake the main char for being an idiot. I'm very curious to continue and see where this is going, but this is really unsettling and I very well could regret finding out.