Shinjuku Swan

Shiratori is a man who struggles financially, he seems to live on the street but still has dignity. After getting into a fight and getting beat by multiple people Shiratori doesn't back down, and isn't any less dignified. This is where a man Mako finds him, Mako sees the grit Shiratori has and decides to introduce to his line of work. Scouting. This is a story about Shiratori's life and trying to find a job that he can both become a good person and succeed in. Story is a 6/10 Shiratori is someone with unwavering forgiveness and resolve to help others. However his line of work iscounter intuitive and instead usually creates worse situations for others. However everyday he wants to be different and instead be a better scout. The daily struggles of being a scout and earning enough to make by is really the challenge of the manga, how can Shiratori persevere in this cold and harsh climate? That said the start of the manga is thoroughly enjoyable. I found myself binging it late at night finishing as much as possible, however as the story gets later into the chapters it starts to become a bit of a repetitive loop. Random important characters will disappear, or virtually the same arc will repeat itself. Art is a 4/10 As someone who loves the early 2000s fashion style this manga just couldn't create a sense of enjoyment out of the art. The way faces are drawn in Shinjuku Swan are truly unique, however if you don't cater to that style you may not like it. Characters are a 5/10 A lot of the characters do have depth, however sometimes they can feel a little bit boring and only linked to one trait. The MC is an enjoyable kind character, sometimes his overbearing kindness can get frustrating to readers. Overall 5/10 The 223 chapters I have read were enjoyable, even through frustrating arcs seeing the ends of them were enjoyable. However that said if you're interested in reading a book about what it means to be a scout and the frustrating life of Shiratori it's worth a read. One thing to note is that English translations only go up to 230. The manga has well over 400 chapters, and there seem to be no translations groups who will pick it up anytime soon.