Fragtime

Here's my take after reading 18 chapters of the time-stopping shoujo love of Fragtime by Sato. Fragtime is the story of the shy and reserved Misuzu Moritani and her ability to stop a "fragment" of time once per day. This is the only time that she can be true to herself and fulfill her fantasies and escape problematic confrontations. Everything had changed when Haruka Murakami the model student of her class noticed Misuzu's time stopping in the most uncanny way. The story for me didn't have too much impact although I gave it a pretty good score due to the fact that the story islight and true to the feelings of the characters. The art is clean and light and matches the zest of the story. Misuzu and Haruka's characters may look like two sides of the same coin, but after reading it till the end reveals that they aren't which makes it really interesting and touching till the end. I believe that one way or another, as a reader, you can relate to these two lovers. And with that said, I would give fragtime 8 grains of hourglass sand out of 10.

With an upcoming adaptation, I'd thought I read, and ultimately review this short Shoujo Ai (Girls love) manga. What greatly differentiates this series from others of its genre is its sci-fi premise. The protagonist is overtly shy and through her sheer will of panicking under pressure has conjured up the ability to stop time. The catch is she only has three minutes out of a day to utilize it. This is her alone time where she is allowed to roam freely with no anxiety. She exploits her power by looking under the skirt of Haruka, the most popular girl in class and is shocked tofind out that Haruka is the only person who isn't affected by her power. As awkward as their first encounter was, they begin to share this secluded time together. Story: With only two volumes, the mangaka doesn't waste time to get to the root of its story. The relationship in this series is a familiar trope you might've seen before: a shy girl starting a relationship with the popular girl in school. The dynamic between the two is cute, but even with its short length, the main character's insecurities of whether or not the popular girl is actually in love with her gets tiring and played out. Despite it's sci-fi premise, it doesn't have any further features that compliment the genre, in fact there's even plot holes in the science itself. If you pause time, you would have to move back into position in order to not cause a scene yet despite this, the main character bolts mid conversation multiple times and somehow is never questioned by other characters. This might seem like a nitpick, but I should be upfront with the "sci-fi" tag so that if you're one of the few extremely interested that this shoujo ai series has a sci-fi twist, just know that it stops there. Art: I consider the art to be the biggest detriment to this series. The reason why I think it'll likely affect your enjoyment is because I'd imagine people looking for a shoujo ai manga have high expectations for an appealing art style and memorable character designs. The art style isn't bad by any means, but it doesn't do anything to set itself apart, or even enhance any of the girls features. Every girl character in here looks practically the same, and they can easily fit in with the background characters of other series. The art is simple, and the paneling can be awkward at times with me sometimes not noticing that the main character stopped time. Manga is essentially pictures. It looks frozen by default; if you don't draw anything that signifies something went motionless, the reader won't follow. Conclusion: It was fairly enjoyable. It starts off exciting and the story continues to introduce conflicts and gives a bit of room for the characters to have more depth in the end. Ultimately the two characters are cute, and their relationship is pretty wholesome. I would recommend this if you're into Shoujo Ai and want a quick read, but this wouldn't be my first recommendation for someone looking to get into the genre as the characters and art style leave a lot to be desired.

Probably the best shoujo ai manga out there, Fragtime tells the story of two lovers who stop time together to escape reality and deepen their relationship. For anyone who isn't a yuri/shoujo ai fan, dont feel offput by this as the storyline and unique characters will make up for it. This is a good read for everyone regardless their preferences in manga. Story: 9 With the ability to stop time, theres a lot of potential for needless fanservice and moeblob panel fillups, however Sato stuck to what was important and kept the story intriguing, while still allowing a few cute scenes. My only problem with the storylineis the overall length of it, I felt as though more could be expanded upon in certain areas Art: 8 The art doesn't stand out too much here, but it's still smoothly laid out and appealing to the eye, perhaps some larger more detailed artwork would have been better Characters: 10 The girls you get to know within Fragtime have fluent and realistic personalities while remaining unique in their own ways. I personally was able to relate to Moritani, and I think with a widespread set of character personalities others will be able to relate with the other characters too :) Enjoyment: 10 Fragtime will stand out for me as one of the most enjoyable manga I've read, everything from start to finish was an emotional rollercoaster that leaves the reader satisfied yet wanting more. This kind of enjoyable atmosphere is what a Mangaka should strive to create! All in all, Fragtime is a beautifully done quick read that deserves more attention from the wider community. If ever a translated paperback is sold, I want it x3