Astra

18. Ys II Chronicles+

i feel like if modern fire emblem devs just made maps exactly like the solomon shrine maybe it would be an improvement over what we've got. unfortunately, this isn't a fire emblem game, so.

5/10

17. Nine Sols

snoop dogg says only one solarian has ever outsmoked him

9/10

16. Torture Princess (Volume 9)

The first 10 chapters lived up to the hype with some stunning character conclusions. We do not talk about the last three chapters. I enjoyed this series, but man it really needed an extra volume to land.

Volume Rating: 7.5/10

Series Rating: 8/10

15. Ys I Chronicles +

we got soul

6/10

14. Zero Escape: Zero Time Dilemma

after the clusterfuck of vlr, making this game a shitpost is honestly the best direction uchikoshi could've went tbh. confirming that six billion people die if you try and save q-team is based.

4/10

"That's why I'm not doing this as the Saint. This is *my* story."

"This is my tale of repentance, dreams, and hatred."

13. Arcane (Season 2)

It's dire when my favorite parts of this season are detached from the worldbuilding conflict (even if the Viktor/Jayce plotline's good). The animation's still stellar, but wow this series needed more time for both the number of episodes and editing.

6/10

the last two series i've seen really had characters whose names start with E both have one of the peakest tropes ever, i love stories man

(Torture Princess and Arcane Spoilers)

12. Torture Princess (Volume 8)

Wtf was the author on writing that second half, I'm still shook. Because this volume's mainly setup I gotta read Volume 9 before fully judging it, but I am not ready for how Ayasato's gonna conclude this.

8.5 or 9/10 i dunno

11. Ys IX: Monstrum Nox
This is the most late 2010s Falcom game possible, and I am eating up all this slop. White Cat vs Chatelard and White Cat vs the final boss might be the two greatest battles in animanga.
72 points.

a man in a suit and tie stands next to another man in a suit ALT: a man in a suit and tie stands next to another man in a suit

"But right before it could, he finally delivered his quote.

And oh, how grand his tone was.

'Go on ahead. I got this.'"

10. Torture Princess (Volume 7.5)

Fun set of side stories with a great character study of Elisabeth, but the main draw of this volume was the Saint stuff. Not sure what to rate this, but I'm optimistic about volumes 8 and 9.

9. Torture Princess (Volume 7)

Strange volume where unlike the others, the first half is significantly better than the second half. Lewis and Alice are interesting antagonists though, and if I'm correct about this arc's direction then we could be in for something special.

8/10

8. Torture Princess (Volume 6)

"It was a tale from long, long ago.

A tale of admiration, folly-
-and love."

10/10

COOKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK

7. Torture Princess (Volume 5)

It took me almost three months to get through the first four volumes of this series, and only one day to finish the fifth lmao. This cast is unserious in the best way, and that second half went crazy. Volume 6 gonna move me so hard🙏🙏

8.5/10

6. Torture Princess (Volume 4)

Judging by those reveals, the author def realized this series wasn't getting axed lmao. The new setup/premise is very interesting, but more importantly I am seated for whatever the Butcher's cooking.

8/10

this is the most unserious character i've ever seen

5. Torture Princess (Volume 3)
Could be cooking something special. Kaito and Elisabeth's dynamic continues to shine, and judging by the ending the next volumes' premise will be a lot more engaging. Interested seeing how this series unfolds & if the author can pull it off.
8/10

awesome

cinematic parallels man

4. Cold Hands, Blurry Photographs, Flowery Wine (Kasim/Gilliam ao3 fic yes you read that right)
In the entire Calvard tag full of slop and Drake fans, this is the shining beacon through the darkness. Gilliam cooking as usual my GOAT fr

3. Torture Princess (Volume 2)
Hold on, let them cook. Kaito's already got crazy potential, and the side cast/structure was considerably more engaging this volume. If there's any criticism I have, it's that Hina isn't my type of character, but I like her role in the plot.
8/10

2. Xenogears

parkour civilization meets jujutsu kaisen

driving home at 10 pm with poems of a machine playing in the car kinda a generational experience

the unfortunate thing is that akasaka's main strength (comedy) is something he just doesn't want to write lmao

Akasaka fumbling his manga's ending because of unnecessary drama additions

why is this xenogears guide so mean, the browns are already dead

I think I got some hype backlash with Great Ace Attorney from its near-universal praise, but looking back a lot of people don't really explain why they like it. I think part of it is it just being modern Shu Takumi games after Dual Destinies and Spirit of Justice weren't written by him.