What am I reading?

August 2026

I've begun reading Ikoku Nikki (Journal With Witch). A few days ago I found out it's also been recently adapted. That's only incindental to how fucking fantastic the writing in this manga is, though. The way the author splices together conversations, ideas, and characters is truly masterful. I love reading such a nerdy and introspective manga!!! Ikoku Nikki is also intensely plot-shy -- there's no overarching story arc, which as always creates a sense of whimsy or being scatterbrained. To buck this trend, the chapters are all very well constructed, often employing time skips to drive home the thesis of that particular month. Ah, I will try to update this log when I finish. <3

July, June, May 2026

I read so much here ahhhhh

April 2026

Crossplay Love

One Piece live action

Tenkoi in Hachioji

On the recommendation of a friend (shoutout to Gren), I read through Tenkoi in Hachioji. It's got such solid tropes; an arranged marriage, a childhood connection, "only one bed"...but the characters are deep enough to carry real emotional weight. The art is also nice, the mangaka has a great style.

March 2026

Insomniacs After School was really predictable but beautiful. A feast for the eyes -- I think the author wanted an excuse to draw beautiful landscapes, cats, and cute things. I'm not hosting any land/starscapes here but just search it up and you will see 100 beautiful spreads.

Macross Plus (saw in the theater with a friend) was insane in a good way. The ridiculous innuendo? The way each character had a deep and relevant backstory? The surprisingly precient AI plot point? The charming 3D animation from the 90s? The giant robots?? The biological determinism? Ok, I didn't love that last part. But the rest made it a joy to watch.

February 2026

Month of shoujo apparently

Reread Skip to Loafer; I still think it's a masterpiece. The seperate stories of Mitsumi and Shima intersect and layer each other in such a lovely way. The side characters are fleshed out and make it all feel worthwhile. Nao-chan's plot alone makes me so happy to see. OK no need to say more.

You and I Are Polar Opposites had a strong premise that went just as expected. Mangaka and/or translator had a good time with slang -- I giggled when someone said "mid". In fact, I giggled a lot in this manga. Everything about it stayed lighthearted, from the fashion sense and the chibi art style, even to the romance. Except for one character who is high-key depressed (Taiga), most issues were resolved by the end of the chapter they were introduced. I appreciated that :)

January 2026

Lorum ipsum yippee

December 2025

Lorum ipsum yippee