ducko's reviews
24 reviews

(Review of all 700 chapters of Naruto) 

While it does lose itself by the end (in particular, I found the Kaguya stuff to be far less engaging than Madara), Naruto was a joy to read from beginning to end. Awesome fights and charming characters make up the bulk of the enjoyment, but the villains being so interesting and entertaining definitely helped as well. Madara specifically, all timer shonen villain. The finer details to show the cracks of this story, mainly the lacking development given to the female cast, but otherwise? I enjoyed this a ton

How does one begin to review such a behemoth? Immortal prose and beautiful text make for an unforgettable read. The notions of sexism other reviews echo are lost on me, I didn't get that read from the text at all. Instead, I got a wonderful retelling of Genesis, treating Adam and Eve as actual characters with reverense and an undying love, and Satan with so much evil that it was fascinating. 

(Review for the entire Demon Slayer manga) 

I've heard many criticisms towards Demon Slayer, mainly for how simple the plot is, but I feel like that is one of its best strengths. Demon Slayer knows what I want, fast action and likable characters, and it delivers on that front without biting off more than it could chew in its story (especially compared to other manga like MHA, which I like). The final act in particular was gripping, and while I wish some characters had more screen time, there's an undeniable sense of catharsis when it's all said and done. One of the best selling mangas for a damn good reason

"Love today, and seize all Tomorrows!" 

What a fascinating read this one. The watching of dozens of species, wars, and extinctions on a large scale isn't one I'm used to, but I enjoyed this nonetheless. Awsome art and detail in events made this a breeze to get through. I especially enjoyed how prevelant the flaws in humanity were across each civilization. Perhaps that is what it truly means to live

Transcendent language and borderline biblical prose nearly makes up for any flaws one may have. He says that he will never die

My first Junji Ito read, and what a ride it was. Amazing art coupled with a compelling anthology-esce narrative made for an engaging read in my eyes. The characters leave a lot to be desired however, feeling more like plot devices than actual people, and this extends to our lead. She's a fine character, but her "relationship" with her boyfriend is super 1 dimensional, which is a shame because proper characterization could've made this story even more engaging. And I'm only so confident in saying this because of that final 19th chapter, where we get a touching moment between them and it's everything I could've wanted from an ending. I just wish they were like that for the rest of the manga, but otherwise I have no complaints. Thrilling, creative, and utterly terrifying. Fans of H.P Lovecraft will get a kick out of this, I'll be sure to read more of Ito's work sometime. 

(Review for the entire 20th Century Boys manga as well as the 21st Century Boy sequel) 

What a goddamn ride man. There's so so much to say on this, but to get the positives out of the way: this is probably some of the best mystery writing I've seen in manga. I was constantly hooked and tense, and the characters were great leads to follow along and watch twists unfold. But wow it's a lot to keep track of. Characters impersonating characters with constant turns in how we understand this world, there's a supernatural element thrown in the mix, it can get confusing. 

To be blunt, 21st shouldn't be its own manga, those last two volumes should've been the last volume of 20th, because the actual ending was unsatisfying in my opinion. 21st tries to alleviate this, and it does succeed, but that supernatural element comes back and acts as a huge cop out to otherwise tense moments, and the true reveal of Friend in the perfect edition is just so confusing. Definitely gonna need to think/read on it all more to fully understand it, but on a first read I can safely say that I enjoyed this wild ride. If that ending was more satisfying I'd be more than willing to rate this higher

(Log for the entire Steel Ball Run manga) 

I've been going through JJBA for a bit now, and I've loved it so far, it's genuinely a new favorite series of mine, and SBR is an easy top 3 part. I loved so much about this, Johnny and Gyro are great, Valentine is a top tier JoeFoe, the stand fights are all fun and unique with plenty of tense moments, there's a lot to love here. 

(Review for the entire My Hero Academia manga) 

Finished this not too long ago and I forgot to log. My Hero was a genuinely really fun time, a likable cast, solid villains, a great protagonist, and some of if not the best art of a "new gen" manga you'll find weekly. The art is my biggest praise, genuinely jaw dropping stuff. The ending is what sours the experience, as it's really unsatisfying, and while the final arc overall was good some character moments felt weak to me. Definitely enjoyed this a ton though

I like many others am a huge fan of Gravity Falls, and Bill Cipher played a huge role in that as one of my favorite cartoon villains. So I was insanely hyped when this book was announced, and it certainly lived up to the hype. Really funny with great new lore insights on the world of Gravity Falls, while also enriching the character of Bill Cipher. The ARG elements were an awesome suprise and the reveals were great. 

You can't keep a good man down as they say, so I doubt that Bill will be gone for long (especially with what the ARG teases us) but for now, I'm satisfied with this return to Oregon