Ouroboros

Joined
Apr 4, 2018
Messages
21
The first few chapters is really bad imo, the characters, story, pacing is just terrible. but I still go on, and now I'm in volume 2 and I still think the same. Tell me, will this get better?
 
Power Uploader
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Jan 25, 2018
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1,397
@salvia No, it won't. More accurately, the story will be what it is at volume two for the rest of the 24 volumes. If it doesn't hook you in chapter one - as it did me to the point that I was over the moon when I was appointed by my group to take up its translation from my predecessor - it won't ever. It's simply not for your taste and you should drop it immediately without ever giving it a second thought.
 
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May 19, 2019
Messages
137
it was entertaining but still had its flaws, the story is predictable and kind of messy but overall i enjoyed it and would recommend. 7/10
 
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Jul 24, 2019
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19
Could have been a masterpiece if not for the incessant need of the translation team to add random irrelevant notes in literrally every fking chapter to try and sound funny. Most of the time those notes boil down to "OMG tHis iS a TroPe tHaT eXIstS, aRen'T wE hILLaRioUs fOr NOticIng ecksdee ecksdee!!!11!! ". It's the equivalent of retard filmakers with the humour sense of a 14-year old who shove their shitty "jokes" down the throat of viewers during drama scene to come across as "witty" and "quirky". It's also why people who think ripping off Cinema Sins as the epitome of comedy don't make great comedians.

https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TheoryOfNarrativeCausality

https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TheoryOfNarrativeCausality

And most importantly: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TheLawOfConservationOfDetail
 
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Mar 19, 2019
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2,351
It just gets worse and worse. Reminds me of Sanctuary, but worse in every way.
 
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Feb 9, 2020
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119
nice job Deathtoll!
Also, Hibino annoys me and I'm kinda glad it ended how it did
 
Joined
Apr 17, 2020
Messages
14
Thanks for these years of work!

I would have liked the story even more if only Ikuo and Danno had died in Chapter 132. I think that would have reinforced the theme of revenge.

In the last arc, they say they have no more reason to live and that they will make a double suicide, because they have killed many people. But three years later we find them still eliminating bad cops? It makes very little sense to do that, especially since it is in the last pages of the story.

I particularly liked the pages of 132 where we saw them return to the mahoroba in the arms of Yuiko and saying "We're home", and I interpreted it as their symbolic death, especially as all the characters in the following scenes seemed to believe they died.

But in the next chapter they miraculously "resuscitate"? How did Ikuo swim with one hand and one shoulder less? It makes no sense, in addition to spoiling a certain symbolism in history.

It is true that the manga has some continuity errors (the ikuo pistol at c.132 which disappears) but I find that showing his right hand at the end of 133 with his middle finger reappeared is bizarre. It's too big.

But it's still worth reading it. I had good times with this.
 
Joined
Mar 5, 2019
Messages
30
Predictable plot points, contrived drama, two-dimensional characters, and a mediocre and derivative art style make this an incredibly dull read. Very subpar; would not recommend.
On a sidenote, I appreciate the effort the scanlators put in to this completely free project, but the unnecessary comments in the margins were annoying.
 
Active member
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Jan 4, 2019
Messages
492
It started out interesting enough but the plot and pacing got a bit flacid as it went on. It should have ended about four volumes earlier as the last four volumes felt like an exercise in time wasting. Ultimately the finale felt unsatisfying to me. The "victory" was beyond pyrrhic and ultimately no real
revenge
was had.

That said, there is nothing funnier than the hollow pretension of someone trying to dress up their subjective opinion as some kind of clever critique. I think this is solid, not a work of art (and that Hibino MDMA arc was terrible, totally undermined the character) but come on. If you're going to complain about it at least put some substance into it.

"Predictable plot points, contrived drama, two-dimensional characters, and a mediocre and derivative art style make this an incredibly dull read."

"Predictable plot points" is an incredibly hollow criticism, it's also unsurprisingly one that only shows up after something is finished. It's funny how none of the luminaries can manage to predict those predicable plot points in advance and when they do "predict" in advance it's always laughably reductive "They will get revenge, things will happen - behold I have predicted the plot!"

"Contrived drama" No shit, it's fiction, all drama in fiction is contrived it's intrinsic to it's nature.

"Two-dimensional characters" I agree with this, there's not a lot going on with the characters emotional landscape.

"Mediocre and derivative art style" Well mediocre is in the eye of the beholder, I'd say it's more solid and uninspired than mediocre. But "derivative" is another amusing attempt at criticism. Derivative of what works and in what way?

I mean you don't need to justify your opinion with nonsense. You could have simple went with "Very subpar; would not recommend." I'd also agree with you that the "commentary" in the margins was pretty tedious.
 
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Jul 25, 2020
Messages
501
@Uthred I mostly agree with you and @EarlMerleTheGirl
You explain while Earl does a tl;dr.
The character are unlikable because
they are a mix of trash, dead, victims, pushovers, bullies, or assholes.
The plot also devolved to be formulaic
as it is “I must do this alone and screw up,” or Ryuu and Tats save the day. Also, everyone must be an asshole to some degree, and look, corruption!
For example:
It pissed me off when Tatsuya the GANGSTER refused to shoot the shady cops who killed the cop and framed it as a suicide. Dumbass jams his gun at them and expects them to do nothing. Really? Didn’t they just try to silence you? The man with the gold watch was with them. Tatsuya’s entire life’s purpose led up to catching him, so why didn’t he gun them down, disable the guy with the watch, and interrogate him? It was clichĂ© big bad guy leaves two lackeys to deal with MC while MC cries about not being able to do anything. Idiot went in alone too, and knew he was being followed by another cop, but still risked jumping into it.

Damn chapter 63 with the mentally challenged Hibino during the MDMA case. She hears the victim got drugged up and nearly killed at a spot, goes to there unarmed and all dolled up, just to almost become the next victim. What kind of stupid ass cop is that? Sexism my ass, who cares if you’re a woman? Cooperate with your clearly sympathizing wimp of a partner, and arrest the guy drugging, raping, and likely killing women.
The slapstick and mocking comedy wasn’t funny.
The background became info dumps.
The art jumps from dramatic detective mystery to brain dead comedy 4-koma format. Look at chapter 63. Ryuu’s face goes from scribble to serious. It totally destroys the vibe.
I really don’t wanna rant anymore.
Tl;dr, wasted potential.
The tragedy about two guys living opposite lives to solve the mystery of their guardian’s death turns into a drama with stupid comedy because the people who serialized this probably said, “Hey, we have to make the audience feel tension here, then laugh at how the characters are dumb since we don’t want it too serious, so it is relatable,” and stretched it out to last over 100 chapters to milk the series.
 
Joined
Mar 5, 2019
Messages
30
@Uthred
hollow pretension of someone trying to dress up their subjective opinion as some kind of clever critique
Wow, someone made a comment in a comment section that was a subjective comment! Your smug condescension is ridiculous; nowhere did I claim or imply my comment was an objective review. I also assumed it's implied that reviews on most things were subjective opinions in the first place, but I guess next time I'lll make a little disclaimer for smug doofuses like you. Most of your "epic thrashing of a psuedointellectual" boils down to splitting hairs and/or arguing semantics.
Derivative of what works and in what way?
This manga has the quintessential "generic anime" style. Anyone that has spent any time reading manga has seen this art style countless times. Look on this very site for all of 10 minutes and you can see plenty of similar looking work. In fact, I'll do that right now and list a few titles.
Imperial Nian Masters
Doku Mushi
Re:load
Hakata Tonkotsu Ramens
Lone Wolf

Was that so hard? They might draw the nose differently or whatever but it's ultimately all the same shitty style, and most of that was found on page 1 of my search.
I mean you don't need to justify your opinion with nonsense. You could have simple went with "Very subpar; would not recommend."
You spent more time attacking a comment on a generic manga then you did commenting on the work itself and you call my post nonsense. I'm sorry my 1 paragraph post of first impressions upset you so much, next time I'll try to make short and sweet posts like your own, ok ?
 

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