Asterisk

I wasn't expecting anything big from this, but was surprised to find an interesting plot and a lovable cast. While this is tagged as BL, things never go further than hugs, and Kio and Fraw telling each other that they care about and want to protect each other; in that sense, it falls under the "it's BL if you squint" category. The art isn't the best, but it does improve later on and the wings become prettier and more detailed; even so, it's never that appealing to me and never quite gets past a certain stiffness. What I appreciated most is that the many side charactersget their own personalities and subplots, instead of simply existing on the periphery. They help each other out and grow, so it's fun to see them intervene and not just serve as background decor, or to praise or get in the way of the core cast. Kio does suffer from Shounen Protagonist Syndrome most of the time — rushes into battle with little regard for himself, is very "ganbatte", is more than meets the eye —, but is endearing enough to not be that annoying. Fraw, by comparison, is fairly one-note as Kio's stoic counterpart who only loses his cool when Kio is threatened, and I didn't find him as interesting. 'Asterisk' is a much better manga than a lot of its time, considering when it came out. The plot is engaging all throughout, the characters are distinct and fun, and, while the art is fairly dated and stiff, I can overlook it most of the time because everything else is so entertaining.