Kanokon

STORY: 7/10 A supernatural setting with tons of eye candy and fan service for the readers. Yes, please. The story did flow properly from beginning to end and I don't recall much if any plot holes or loose ends that weren't tied up. However, the plot can get a bit predictable and wonky at times. It would shift back and forth from serious to ecchi to downright silly. Drama/action scenes had plenty of plot armor, deus-ex machina and the sorts but not so bad that it deteriorates the overall story that much. The comedy and ecchi fan service was aplenty so at least the individual elementsof the manga did their jobs well. ART: 7/10 Decent for it's time probably. MAL lists the publishing dates from 2006 to 2010, but the artwork stayed consistent throughout the entire publication. I felt that the some of the character designs were subpar but the females were pretty much top notch and aesthetically pleasing. The panel backgrounds were relatively simple that offered nothing more than supporting the characters in the scene. The action scenes albeit simple, are well drawn and were fluid. CHARACTERS: 7.25/10 Probably my most enjoyable area of the manga. First let's make this clear, the male lead is pretty much a wuss when dealing with the opposite sex. Despite this, he does rise to the occasion and fights hard to protect his friends and loved ones. The supporting characters are mostly there to fill in the spaces but they do a rather competent job in playing off the main characters. Their interactions flowed naturally and did a decent job when called upon for other purposes besides showing up. The only debatable element among the characters is the "hybrid main/supporting" female, Nozomu. I had a hard time deciding whether or not she was more of a supporting character or a true rival to the main female lead Chizuru. ENJOYMENT/OVERALL: 7.5/10 Usually I'm not one to compare anime to manga and without going into huge spoilers and long walls of rant text... damn, did the anime adaption do the manga source no justice. Having watched the anime prior and immediately going straight into reading this manga-- it seems like my enjoyment per chapter and overall was boosted ten-fold. Story lines were expanded upon, characters were much more developed and the overall plot direction was handled much better. So readers, avoid the manga if you can. To my fellow anime watchers that already suffered through the TV show, pick this up and enjoy the work that will be much more memorable.