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Mar 27, 2026
Before I explain what I didn’t like about ‘Mistress Fortune’, I will say I enjoyed the concept of this manga and I wish it was a lot longer. It was rushed and cramped together, but this had a lot of potential otherwise. I would’ve loved to have seen more aliens and other psychics collaborate with the main characters, and see history and futuristic events with the PSI Organization that recruited the main characters to begin with. I know Arina Tanemura intended to keep this as a short story, but it could’ve been better executed, especially without sexual elements.
Which leads to my next point: I
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don’t think this manga aged well regarding how sexualized Kisaki (FMC) was in the entire story. She’s also a minor. It’s one thing to have two teenage characters having banter back and forth, when it’s written well, but sexualizing Kisaki was overdone in every chapter. There was no need for Giniro (MMC) to use her “DD” cup size as a staple of their relationship. Giniro would put so much emphasis on her breast size even when he talks to the grown adults in the story about them; like, why was this boy given a pass to talk like that? And the adults just accepted it? The fact this manga was written by a woman shows how desensitized and “normal” this kind of dialogue was in the 2000s. This is not something young readers should consider “normal”. This manga would not fly by as easily if this was written in 2026.
If you’re able to read past the uncomfortable sexualized elements, this is still a good story to check out. I could only hope that if Arina Tanemura makes a continuation of “Mistress Fortune” down the line, that it would be more appropriate to our current times with better world building.
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
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Mar 21, 2026
It’s been almost 20 years since I first read Time Stranger Kyoko, and honestly it was pretty forgettable after all this time. I’ve been a huge fan of Arina Tanemura’s work growing up (Full Moon, Gentleman's Alliance, KamiKaze Kaitou Jeanne, ION), so going back into this series there had to have been a reason why I forgot what happened in the story.
If anyone is wondering why TSK is too short or questioning why the story feels cramped, on the side panel in chapter 10 in the physical book of volume 3, Arina Tanemura elaborates that she was not mentally well when creating this series
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from the start, which lacked her focus on the story and characters completely. She wanted to end this manga because of how overwhelming her psychological welfare was. I would say that this is not one of her best works and average at best, and that the story is not fleshed out as well as it could’ve been, but at the very least Arina had every right to stop working on a piece of artwork that she could not focus on. Her mental health came first and she is 100% valid. After this series ended, she went on to make Full Moon Wo Sagashite. Needless to say, even though Arina didn’t need to explain herself, this is just brief info for those who are reading or read this series and felt something was off.
With that said, be aware that the story and characters are not fleshed out to its max potential. 3 volumes was not enough room for the world building of TSK, and there are so many characters and tribes that are supposed to be important to the story. Kyoko’s objective is to find 11 Strangers to awaken Ui, Kyoko’s sister, but about 6 of these characters were just placeholders and not fleshed out at all. Because Arina wanted to end the story abruptly, she did not elaborate the history of these other characters and tribes they came from; and the characters that were established had so much more that could’ve been worked with. Their subplots had so much more to elaborate on. The characters had potential (fleshed out) character traits and interesting upbringings. The ideas were implied through her artwork and story, but I wish this series went on longer to get that full potential for something greater. Everything was too cramped together.
I will give her an incredible amount of credit for her completing this series on her own terms despite the mental health issues she was facing at the time. She made the story the best she could and she pulled through it. For what it’s worth, this is a good project to look into in the lens of a manga artist struggling through it, and she still succeeded at the end of the day. She created Full Moon wo Sagashite two years later. One of her best works. Ironically, I don’t think I could forget Time Stranger Kyoko now despite my review lol
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
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Oct 20, 2022
As someone who has not watched the anime yet, you should probably go watch it over reading this adaptation. The reviews on Hell Girl's manga page should be taken into consideration as well.
So the question is, is this manga horror or a comedy?
The way the manga presents itself is very childish; even though there are serious tonalities in every chapter. The theme of Hell Girl is supposed to be dark, and the artwork did not deliver that. You have panels that did not transition, and sometimes you don't even know what the heck just happened. Also, for some reason 90% of the chapters open
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with a character making this face expression =[]= and for what? To relieve the nonexistent tension in the manga? The exaggerated faces make it feel like you are reading a comedic manga. There are people who have complained in the forums about the artwork being “too shoujo”, which, in the end the artwork does not translate well with the context of this manga. The art is cheesy, especially when a character is being sent off to hell. You can't take this manga seriously. Someone like Junji lto should've taken on this kind of project, or anybody that's experienced in horror manga art. If there are “complaints” about this manga and style being “too shoujo”, would this manga do better without the “shoujo” aspect?
Each chapter is formulated with the same type of female character with repetitive plots and outcome, and barely shows diversity for potentially different scenarios and (male) characters, EXCEPT for the last arc of the manga. If it's supposed to be like this in the anime, that's fine and all, but this is just a criticism I have as someone who has not watched the show. It makes me wonder if this repetition translates better in an anime format.
What was also weird to me were the many comical panels at the end of each volume. It's purpose is to probably make fun of the "seriousness" of the series, but it didn't really fit in, given how everything else is portrayed in the manga. The artwork is already comedic enough where it already feels out of place to add comical panels at the end of each volume.
This is not an adaptation I would recommend, especially if one is an avid horror fan. It was hard getting through the first half of the series; it eventually picks up around volume 7 where it felt more interesting to read and the artwork was tolerable; to a point.
All and all, this manga is not worth the time and energy. The artwork and context do not blend well in manga format.
Again, I highly encourage you guys to read the reviews on Hell Girl's page to better understand why this may not be a good adaptation. Please go watch the anime instead.
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
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Oct 11, 2022
I may be in the minority here regarding my review on Kaichou wa Maid Sama, but re-reading this series after like 9 years or so, the story is really not good. I can see why it was popular for its time in the early 2010s, but the story lacks depth and does not hold up after all these years.
The story dragged with no real development on most of the plots introduced, making the chapters completely pointless and extremely boring. The lack of plot was repetitive in each chapter. Usui and Misaki’s relationship is really the biggest saving grace in this series. Their chemistry is
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incredibly good. The subplots were distracting and invasive, (not to mention exaggerated and overdone), which really tears us away from Misaki and Usui’s relationship most of the time. They should’ve been the center focus completely. The filler characters literally do not mean shit to the plot, (with maybe the exception of Igarashi and Gerald) and to be honest I skipped most of the extra chapters that focused on those filler characters. There are way too many filler characters. For the 18 volumes that exists, this series should’ve been reduced to at least half (probably less) for the full story to be told. It is apparent that the manga artist struggled coming up with ideas and a direction for KWMS.
For me, the biggest disappointment was how the plot with Misaki’s dad was handled. He is literally the reason why Misaki has such a stubborn, harsh, angry personality, and also became a man hater. He came back as a comedic trope and Misaki acted nonchalantly and shrugged him off; which is very unlike her. He practically got a slap on the wrist getting away with breaking up the family. I just cant believe there was no confrontation. Misaki should’ve acted out in anger towards him and we should’ve seen some sort of rekindling between them; a redemption arc for the father. The father’s subplot was so crucial to Kaichou wa Maid Sama and the opportunity was completely butchered. It should’ve been the biggest turning point in the series.
There were many missed opportunities for character growth all around. I would only recommend this series just for Misaki and Usui’s relationship, otherwise I would never recommend it at all.
It’s sad that I’m no longer a fan of KWMS. I was very close to dropping this but I needed to stick it through to give a full opinion on it. Getting rid of this from my collection now 🥲
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
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Jul 16, 2022
I’ll be the first to say that this story was hard to follow, especially for a childrens manga. The story was set to read like an RPG; basically a video game format that just got too repetitive, dialogues were confusing, and each chapter would end with a monster or human saying “thank you, take this item, now we don’t hate (other) humans anymore”. The first 4 volumes were basically side quests, and those side quests didn’t establish much at all. The whole adventure process was incredibly bland and went in circles. The story doesn’t really progress until the final volume.
Yuuki is a terrible main protagonist.
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She was absolutely a Mary Sue with little to no personality, cries over Takaomi (MMC) in almost every chapter; screams at other characters to silence them-as if that’s her only character trait; her role to the story is to save the world, but doesn’t. There was this huge build up for her but she does absolutely nothing in the end. It was all Takaomi. She was an underwhelming character altogether. Her “romance” with Takaomi had literally no chemistry either. The fact he’s 15 years old and she’s only 10 is a pretty gross age gap; and he kissed her and tried to make moves on her before. Why even depict this kind of “romance” in a childrens manga? This is not a very good look lol
Tsukuyomi, our “villain”, was also very underwhelming. He was deemed “threatening” when he did absolutely nothing this entire time. His villainous acts were predictable and minor. In practically every chapter, his servant would magically know where the main characters were, reports it to Tsukuyomi, then Tsukuyomi makes some empty threat about taking over Takamagahara, and he eventually dies. This repetitive scenario prior to his death was not needed.
There are way too many characters in this series, which does get confusing at times. It was sometimes hard to keep up since each character has a different version of themselves in another world, with different personalities and memories. All of these characters are different people, except for Yuuki. And some of these characters were briefly used to move the story along and then gets thrown in the back burner. Those characters become irrelevant.
I always wanted to read this as a kid, but knowing me I probably would never have understood what was going on. The whole series was dull and confusing often. I’m glad I saved myself until I was an adult to read this. Unfortunately, I’m rating this 3/10. It was just not as good as I thought it’d be.
Reviewer’s Rating: 3
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Jul 4, 2022
Since there are no reviews here yet, let’s talk about ‘Di Gi Charat’.
This comic anthology all started with the great Koge-Donbo, who is well known for her mangas ‘Pita-Ten’ and ‘Kamisama Karin’. It is apparent that ‘Di Gi Charat’ was solely created for slapstick humor for the magazine “Gamers” back in the 90s. However, this small comic idea became a hit and skyrocketed Koge-Donbo’s career.
At the time, “Gamers” magazine was featuring artists that drew doujinshi who were not so well known, but their contribution to this manga boosted their careers drastically. Various manga artists helped create this ‘Di Gi Charat’ anthology while Koge-Donbo
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began her series ‘Pita-Ten’ in 1999. I absolutely loved seeing different artwork per chapter and how these artists portrayed the main characters. All of their styles are unique and were all able to set the humorous tone just right. Even though Koge-Donbo is the original creator of ‘Di Gi Charat’, and drew out the beginning chapters, it was really smart of her to not complete the series herself. The diversity of the artwork really served her well, and the series still became popular at the end of the day. There are many manga and anime spin offs ongoing till this day.
So who are the main characters?
•Dejiko, who is a princess from space, has come to earth to become famous. Her insensitivity and selfishness is really what makes her stand out; and honestly these character traits make her the funniest character (imo).
•Usada, aka “Rabi en Rose”, is a teenage girl from earth who also is seeking stardom, rivaling with Dejiko. Even though she’s always butting heads with Dejiko, she really cares about her as a friend. I enjoy how these two contrast each other despite their constant bickering back and fourth.
•Puchiko, another character from space, joins Dejiko on her adventures in servitude after being saved by Dejiko from an alleged near death experience. Her bluntness is straight forward and never sugar coats anything.
So, the story begins with Dejiko and Puchiko starting work at a store called “Gamers”, which is literally named after the magazine this series was published in. Throughout the manga there is a lot of slapstick humor in the store with various scenarios. There are at least three arcs where the story focuses on the main characters, villain characters, and fantasy characters. Mind you, there is really no “story” here; (besides the three girl’s experiences working for “Gamers”), the slapstick humor is the main focus in its entirety.
My only confusion with ‘Di Gi Charat’ is the arc that introduces fantasy characters. I don’t believe they are actually in the anime, but in the manga they appear around a time when Dejiko “loses her memories of earth and her time there”. Nothing was ever specified why Dejiko lost her memories and how this arc even began. There was no transition. Unless this was in the anime at all…these fantasy characters were pretty random and irrelevant. There is barely a connection displayed.
Another nitpick I have are the grown adult male characters who fetishize the main characters. These girls are between the ages 5 to 14. I’m aware that these fanatic dudes take a jab at otaku culture and how commonplace it was for these kind of people to obsess over girls in rising stardom (especially in the 90s), but it leaves a poor taste in your mouth at times reading this. I think this is what Koge-Donbo was going for when creating these male characters, so if you could take this with a grain of salt, that’s really the only way to get past those behaviors here. She clearly wanted to make fun of it otherwise.
Lastly, there is really no plot that keeps this “story” going. The last chapter ends abruptly. Basically, you should treat this series like you’re reading comics from the newspaper. As much as I love the characters, ‘Di Gi Charat’ is average at best. I would still recommend ‘Di Gi Charat’ if you enjoy outrageous characters and slapstick humor. I rate this series 5/10!
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
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May 25, 2022
This series was published in the US by a now defunct company called “Gutsoon! Entertainment”, also known as ‘Raijin Graphic Novels’, back in 2004. Only 2 volumes were ever released in English, and boy am I depressed.
It is not surprising this series faded into the abyss since it’s US publication has been terminated, but what I’m most shocked about is that this series has literally no scanlations online. It is impossible to find it anywhere. Sure, you can still buy the manga in Japanese, and the first two volumes in English, but this series has so much to offer and it’s saddening that Bow Wow
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Wata is not more well known.
What’s great about this manga is that it’s created by a certified veterinarian who has incorporated her experiences and veterinary practices into this series. Not only is it educational, she also doesn’t sugarcoat real issues of what animals go through and how they sometimes suffer from illnesses and abuse from humans. I can only imagine what the rest of the series is like.
Surprisingly, the characters are really fleshed out in the two volumes that are readily accessible. You have Tasuke, who is the son of a Shinto god, develops the ability to talk to animals just like his father. The Shinto dad is a veterinarian who wants to see Tasuke thrive with his newly developed powers to help animals in need. Even though Tasuke is a grumpy teenager who didn’t want to talk to animals to begin with, you see how he begins to learn from his ignorance and he really takes the time to make up for his mistakes. Then you have Wata, a dog that Tasuke takes in to help out his crush, Misato, who cannot have Wata in her new apartment. The dynamic between Wata and Tasuke is really hilarious, and how they both work together as a team despite their differences really advances the story and character development at a great pace. There is nothing rushed here. The pacing is perfect. Without giving anything away, you learn why Tasuke talks to animals at specific times; I think this piece of the plot is so crucial later on in the story.
Overall, It really bums me out that I’ll never know how this series actually ends.
Bow Wow Wata is 11 volumes long AND there’s a sequel!!! It baffles me that there is no way to read this anywhere online. This is truly an underrated gem that deserves more attention. I feel that if ‘Gutsoon!’ never shut down, ‘Bow Wow Wata’ would never have been neglected to this harsh extreme. This company really did this series dirty. I highly suggest readers to purchase the first two volumes of BWW. Not only will it support the series but it could help bring attention even after all these years. For the love of god and all that’s holy, I really hope another publisher will pick this series up. PLEASE! I BEG someone to translate this series!!
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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May 24, 2022
I have to admit, re-reading this series after god knows how long, I felt that ‘Ultra Maniac’ was a bit underwhelming.
On the last page of the final volume of 'Ultra Maniac' contains a bio section of the manga-ka, Wataru Yoshizumi, and also a comment section where Yoshizumi said that once this series started, she became less interested in magic and struggled coming up with ideas for the manga. This seems to explain why the plot is so basic. Everything about this series was pretty basic and straight to the point.
Don’t get me wrong, this is a very cute series that I felt was
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handled well for the most part, but there was nothing ground-breaking when it came to the magical components of 'Ultra Maniac'. There were different magical scenarios per chapter that just got boring after a while; It became repetitive. Then certain characters were later on introduced which showed the magic world from a different angle; slightly. The final volume was honestly the most interesting to read because it finally showed the magic world on a broader scale. This was definitely a last minute plot for sure, but I think this series could’ve been cut shorter by introducing this plot earlier on. This series dragged out a little too long with weird love triangles that I don’t think was really needed for this series. Perhaps this series could've been about 3 volumes long.
Throughout the manga, Wataru Yoshizumi made comments here and there about Harry Potter and how she wanted to do something different, other than what Harry Potter presented; regarding magic and it’s world. ‘Ultra Maniac’ came out in 2002, so back then the Harry Potter movies were just starting out and it’s popularity skyrocketed. I get where Yoshizumi was coming from and how she wanted to represent magic in a different way, but evidently she struggled with the execution of it. At the time, she has not read Harry Potter nor seen the movies, so at the very least all of her ideas were original. Magic is not an original concept, but her ideas were there. Yoshizumi’s attempt at writing a magical manga honestly could’ve been a lot worse.
Also, why is this series called ‘Ultra Maniac’ to begin with? I mean, it was a passing comment here and there between characters, but I don’t think the title really fits with the actual story.
All and all, I rated this series 6/10. It was a simple, cute story that younger people can enjoy, but as for me, the re-read value isn’t as high as it is for ‘Marmalade Boy’, which is Wataru Yoshizumi’s magnum opus.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Mar 23, 2022
This is the WORST manga Natsumi Ando ever created.
From start to finish each chapter had an exaggerated anime trope. Trope after trope after trope, it loses its sense of story-telling completely. These tropes practically told the story itself.
Overly dramatic scenarios for an anti-climatic story. Practically every trope you can think of, it’s all in this manga.
Each character also had exaggerated facial expressions; it was uncomfortable and unnecessary. Even in some scenes when there’s a character falling off a tree or building it was SO unnecessarily exaggerated.
The whole manga was an exaggeration. There is no originality whatsoever. Idk if Natsumi Ando was bored
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or what, but compared to the amount of great manga she’s produced, this is an abomination. This manga would probably be good for kids but even still I would never submit children to read this piece of unoriginality. Do not waste your time. There are much better things to read out there than this manga.
Reviewer’s Rating: 1
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Jan 25, 2022
The last time I read this manga was about 10 years ago. I remembered it being really funny to me with all the crude humor and slapstick, which at the time really attracted me to this manga; besides the artwork of course.
However...crude humor is definitely subjective when it comes to ‘Butterflies, Flowers’. With the time that have gone by, and a lot of growing up to do, my love for this manga dissipated into the abyss.
Story: 4/10
The plot is simple: girl grows up in a rich household with maids and servants; she was attached to a servant who had to find work elsewhere
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after her family lost their rich lifestyle. 10 years go by; girl starts work at a desk job, reunites with servant she was once attached to. He is now a boss for a real estate company. Turns out he's a tyrant and obsessed with the girl. The two fall in love, and go through trial and error like any other couple.
For such a simple plot, it has a very passive aggressive tone in every volume. The point of the story is for Masayuki (MMC) to finally see Choko (FMC) as a woman after all these years, not as a child needed to be catered to. Was it executed well? Not really. It seemed like the manga-ka was confused with which direction she wanted to take this "servant/master" trope towards, which made both main characters confused with their own relationship. Their relationship went in circles between platonic and romantic. Don't get me wrong, there are kinks that establish the "servant/master" trope in manga, but ‘Butterflies, Flowers’ did not bring that kink to fruition.
Now, this is where my love for BF came to die.
Masayuki CONSTANTLY sexually harassing Choko became overdone, overtime. This was used as a comedic trope in every single volume. Not to mention, it very much becomes part of the plot within their relationship. When a FMC does not like sexual harassment as a kink, and even communicates that, it should not be a kink at all. Masayuki, for the majority of the time, neglects Choko’s demands. She did not consent to any of this. This is mainly the reason why the "servant/master" trope does not work in this series.
Art: 8/10
The artwork is (unfortunately) gorgeous. I always used to think Masayuki was a glamorized Seto Kaiba artistically 😂 Anyway. Yuki Yoshihara's style gives characters an attractive aura to them, and I love that. This is the only redeeming quality this manga brings.
Character: 4/10
Right off the bat, Masayuki is completely problematic in the entire manga. His sexual harassment tendencies is apparently a “character trait”.
He also portrayed misogyny to control Choko and puts blame on her for irrelevant things by gaslighting her. In return, Choko retaliates by putting her foot down every time, and yet she still goes back to him. If this is supposed to be a “kinky” servant/master trope, I assure you it’s not. It’s clearly abusive. Their relationship is constantly questionable and toxic. Choko desperately wants to be seen as a woman, not as someone Masayuki used to serve. It actually makes me question if Masayuki even sees Choko as a grown woman tbh…
...So…is he a groomer? It sure appears that way since Masayuki has been obsessed with Choko ever since she was a CHILD.
Anyway, they have some relatively good moments, but very minimal. It’s like a breath of fresh air when they’re not constantly arguing in every volume.
Honestly, Choko and Suou (we will get to her shortly) are the most rational characters in the whole manga. This is really the only saving grace this story brings.
Enjoyment: 3/10
Like I said, the humor is subjective here, especially when sexual harassment is concerned. Not everyone will be into it. It just got too much for me personally.
Regarding Mayasuki and Choko; Since the very beginning their relationship has been passive aggressive, and I just got so fed up reading their constant bickering back and fourth.
One thing that did not age well in ‘Butterflies, Flowers’ were the transphobic tropes portrayed on Suou, who is Masayuki's childhood friend. It is clearly evident they are transgender (at the very least androgynous), and half of the “humor”was her “cross-dressing” who “couldn't make up her mind”. There is a plot introduced that involves Suou with a potential love interest with another woman, and it was never explored. If this had been explored, I would've praised this manga for being ahead of it's time. Then again this was 2005 when this manga came out, so I'm not even surprised it was never thought out. So why introduce it to begin with?
Overall: 4/10
I hesitated to finish BF when I used to love it so much back in the day. This manga is just not as good as I thought it was. In some areas the humor did not age well, but on the other hand there were some nice moments that I wish were more fleshed out. You can definitely see the confusion with the story and characters by having no sense of direction at all. Everything went in circles. If you are looking for a "servant/master" kink out of this....please look elsewhere.
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
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