Rosy's scrawled manga recommendation: Chocolat by Kubonouchi Eisaku

Chocolat
Kubonouchi Eisaku

Blurb
Chocolat is a mature comedy series about half orphan Tatsumi Chiyoko whose father was caught in huge debt. Now living with Omugi Matsukichi, an ex-underground king who opened a pastry shop, she gets to know people like Katou Ichigo, an ex-inmate. With people after her father's whereabouts, what will happen to her?

Alternative names

ショコラ
流氓蛋糕店
Chocolat (Seinen)

Status
Ongoing

Manga reader sites (free)
Manga Here, Manga Anime

Rosy's scrawlings on Chocolat
Don't be fooled by the pink and cutesy covers. The manga isn't quite so girly as all that, although it will appeal to girls quite a bit. The essence of the story is that there's a girl, Chiyoko, who's lost her mother and father and only has a stepfather of sorts left. She goes to his place for a roof over her head but demands little else except privacy. That isn't possible though, for several reasons, and soon enough this girl gains five quirky 'fairy godfathers' who are ex(barely)-mafia. Chiyoko's stepfather was the mafia boss and her new love/hate interest Ichigo is his right-hand man. Then there's an ex-hitman, a permanent child in the form of a giant artist/mafia man and a wanna-be-big-man little guy who's trying to become strong. No-one has a fantastic past but together they slowly form a stable-ish sort of family life in a pasty shop, one that sells the bad tasting cakes the ex-mafia boss bakes. Their life together is rather odd, to say the least, but they do manage to work through some issues and grow stronger.
There are quite a lot of jokes within Chocolat that people like to call immature but they are the ones that make you laugh like a kid. There are also some sophisticated jokes, a few tragic history story lines, the drama of a first love/second love, mafia plotting and scheming, dashes of cruelty, blood lust and grandstanding. Chocolat is a pretty well rounded story, often touching on general psychology in order to round out characters and make even some of the worst and most fearsome human and tragic. Overall, the mood is kept light but there are times where your heart breaks a little for the characters.
The most appealing aspect of Chocolat has to be the illustrations though. More often than not they make the jokes. There's a few different expression styles used but they are all neatly woven together to show various moods and layers of realism. The easy switch between dark and aggressive, intentional ugliness, comic and beautiful expressions give each character depth and believability. Just like seeing the beautiful look idiotic, greasy, ugly, amusing or stupid, depending on which way the wind is blowing, you get the chance to see all the characters in a similar light. This also makes the romances and tragedies more believable. Otherwise, the illustrations are smooth, spacious and easy to look at. And on occasion you may fall in love with a well drawn pair of eyes (sounds odd but you'll understand what I mean - they are striking at times).

I'd recommend this manga to: those interested in amusing gangster or mafia stories, light romance, light tragedy and a lot of laughs. There is much in Chocolat for males and females alike although there's likely to be a difference in the age ranges between these wide readership groups.

Notes on manga reader sites

The quality of manga readers can vary. The uploads are often done cheaply or as a serious hobby by a collective. Be aware that sometimes licence hasn't been given but the sites noted above, Manga Fox in particular, are extremely careful about adding and pulling mangas according to license agreements. So you shouldn't have to worry too much about the material being pirated. There are also translated works and non-translated. Amongst the translated works you will find that the quality of translation may vary according to the skills of the translators. Usually the works are perfectly readable anyway, with only a few added or dropped words or a word in the incorrect tense or with/out plurals. But sometimes the text becomes gobbledygook. In which case, either seek another version or give up and buy an official copy once a printed translation comes out. The other issue of note is you may need to expand the screen to read the text easily as sometimes the scans are minimised a little.

I find that if a page doesn't download properly or some other issue occurs (too slow or someone ordered the pages incorrectly etc.) with one reader then skipping across to another reader and picking up where I was is quite easy and rarely annoying.

Otherwise, enjoy and watch out you don't get too addicted you forget about the necessary things in life.

Rosy's scrawled manga recommendation: Area D by Nanatsuki Kyoichi

Area D
Nanatsuki Kyoichi

Blurb

The "prison survival action" story is set after the sudden emergence of special powers in certain pockets of humanity. To deal with these so-called "Altered," a mysterious remote island prison named "Area D" was built.


Alternate names

Area D
Area D - Inouryouiki
Area D - Inoyouiki
AreaD

Status
Ongoing

Manga reader sites (free)
Manga Reader

Rosy's scrawlings on Area D
Ever wonder what would happen after the mass fear, curiosity, bible thumping and 'medical' experimentation that would occur after the appearance of those with superpowers? This manga starts at that point and the picture isn't a pretty one, although I'd have to admit it is one of those I'd consider highly like. Especially considering how humans often treat those with characteristics deemed, for one reason or another, special or unwanted. Some basic psychology is at play in the writing of Area D and for those at all familiar with human history none of what happens will comes as a shock. It will, however, leave you with a bitter taste as you realise we might just treat all super humans in such a manner and disregard any good deeds, mild and acceptable behaviour or helpfulness.
To accentuate this bitter taste we see their experiences, be they good, bad, ugly or intent on world domination, through the eyes of a young boy by the name of Satoru Ida who's mostly innocent, grieving and hating of himself, and possessed with the power to dismantle anything he touches. In coming to grips with his power he is the instigator of a personal tragedy and he can't forgive himself for that. Despite this and all the horrible things that occur to him from there on in he tries his best to have faith in others, extend a hand and survive. Few are willing to be so nice back but he keeps trying even as he's being beaten to a pulp. And it is because of this that he's a touch of a hero and someone you want to know more of.
Despite this, much of what is focused on concerns the character pictured above: S-class Jin Kazaragi. He's both incredibly strong and weak, depending on the power he's absorbed, and he's a man on a mission. To complete it he intentionally gets himself captured and sent to Area D or Island D. He himself has many an issue to deal with, mainly a heavy dose of guilt which has yet to be properly explained. No matter, because what focusing on Jin does is bring an endless flow of action to the mix. And that's what you want to read about where super humans are concerned.
Area D is, for all this, both fun and interesting to read while it is a little mortifying to realise that the worst monsters are often just average humans. It is quick paced and working on a global scale even though the majority of scenes concern the inhabitants of Area D. 
The art of Area D, created by Yang Kyung-Il, is enticing. It is dark and gritty with lots of detail but the most appealing thing about it is that there's a certain flow and smoothness to it that just pleases the eye. There's plenty of action scenes to look at and enjoy as they bring this flow out in the forms of fire, weaving thorny vines, void creation and other super human abilities. Also, the faces, while appealing or ugly, reveal expressions that can only be described as reflections of insanity and for some strange reason they are like salt on hot chips. 

I'd recommend this manga to: those interested in action based fantasy as well as superpowers and all that comes with them. This is highly likely to appeal to boys/teens more than girls/teens but there is something in it for all these groups, and some besides.

Notes on manga reader sites
The quality of manga readers can vary. The uploads are often done cheaply or as a serious hobby by a collective. Be aware that sometimes licence hasn't been given but the sites noted above, Manga Fox in particular, are extremely careful about adding and pulling mangas according to license agreements. So you shouldn't have to worry too much about the material being pirated. There are also translated works and non-translated. Amongst the translated works you will find that the quality of translation may vary according to the skills of the translators. Usually the works are perfectly readable anyway, with only a few added or dropped words or a word in the incorrect tense or with/out plurals. But sometimes the text becomes gobbledygook. In which case, either seek another version or give up and buy an official copy once a printed translation comes out. The other issue of note is you may need to expand the screen to read the text easily as sometimes the scans are minimised a little.
I find that if a page doesn't download properly or some other issue occurs (too slow or someone ordered the pages incorrectly etc.) with one reader then skipping across to another reader and picking up where I was is quite easy and rarely annoying.
Otherwise, enjoy and watch out you don't get too addicted you forget about the necessary things in life.