Psycho Staff

This manga is pretty cool because it's basically a one volume version of other action manga. There's a supernatural element, a main character with powers and a girl he meets from another planet who knows about the powers, fights, a little romance, etc. It manages to put all those elements together pretty well for a small glimpse into the characters' lives. The art was nice: simple, reminded me of other early 2000s styles (like flcl just a little bit). There is a theme throughout of hard work being more important than natural talent. The main guy Kouichi is confident in his belief in this while the maingirl Umeko is insecure about her lack of natural ability and need to work hard to achieve things. She also shows some jealousy towards Kouichi in that regard. I like that Kouichi is kind of the guy who has no time for people being frivolous since he's preoccupied with entrance exams and stuff, but later you see how he really does care about people. On the flipside I like that Umeko is the funny, more extreme one. They complement each other well. It's nothing crazy or life-changing but if you're ever in the mood for a manga you can read in one day this one's pretty good for that. It leaves a pretty neutral impression.

TL;DR: Very good and very very underrated, short enough to read in an hour or less, read it and form your own opinion! There is something about Satoshi Mzukami's work that just grabs me like no other manga can. This one being no different. Despite being a mere 1 volume long it is a fully realised story full of character and personality right from the first panels. It is a beautifully touching story about hard work and talent and the meaning of being special. The idea that being different from others makes you special and that loosing this can be debilitating depending on the mindset youhold. The characters are super likeable and surprisingly human, Mizukami is really the best I have ever seen at balancing the feeling of adventure and escapism with realism. Unlike with most shounen series you read his works never have a problem with letting go, and I think this is a quality that is super important for allowing your story to be more than just a cool action shounen. The short length does not matter one bit, as mentioned earlier it is fully realised and the characters see a surprising amount of development. The way the main character interacts with his family and how this changes his perspective is particularly well done. Overall this is really a very pleasant read that is full of quality writing, great characters, and a ton of personality. I would recommend anyone to read this.