iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

The premise of this reminded me of those 90s movies where someone joins a monastery/ the military and chaos ensues. “Sister Act” is actually name dropped, so I wasn’t off with that. I enjoyed reading vol 1, but there was some stuff I wasn’t keen on, so I’ll decide if I want to continue after vol 2.

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N🌿 @minyankosensei.bsky.social · 13h

I’m currently finishing up last season’s anime and started with “Sparks of Tomorrow”. It was never the show I was super excited to watch the next episode of, but while I was watching, I had a lot of fun. Yousuke was a bit much for me, too, but he didn’t ruin anything. The animation was great, too.

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N🌿 @minyankosensei.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Last volume: my final thoughts are, that rather than bad representation, this series is mostly just falsely advertised. I went in thinking it was about a trans girl, but it turns out it isn’t really about her, but her best friend and that was obviously disappointing.

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N🌿 @minyankosensei.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

I didn’t remember if I’ve watched this before (I have) but it was tagged horror which I was in the mood for. Turns out, it’s not really horror, just gore. The story is okay, some of the characters were annoying. The manga is probably better, but I’m good without diving deeper into the story.

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N🌿 @minyankosensei.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

I’ve read “Brutes” while I was away and I enjoyed parts of it: The writing, vibe and style were great but the overall story felt a bit bland. I liked the messiness and the 'we' as pov, the friends moving as one being that unravels and I would have liked to see more depth and detail in that.

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N🌿 @minyankosensei.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Anyway, I’ve been on holiday and haven’t read any manga, so I got a good pile to read again. I’ve been in a little bit of a slump with manga lately, but putting the covers together like that, I’m kind of excited to read again because there are some of my favorites and three new series!

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N🌿 @minyankosensei.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

I watched these two shows maybe two weeks back? They were both okay but I liked “Run Away” more. I often watch these kinds of shows when I’m stressed, because they aren’t really demanding anything from me, keep me watching and I find them entertaining whether they are especially good or not.

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N🌿 @minyankosensei.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

This one was disappointing. The art is stunning and the story is your typical romance manga plot, but the vibes I got while reading vol 1 were not great. It feels a little pick me and I’d even say it’s unkind to the female characters that aren’t the mc or her friend. Didn’t really enjoy it :\

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N🌿 @minyankosensei.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

“Sheltering Eaves” is just so, so good and informative and emotionally engaging, I love it a lot. Every volume I’m just really in it with the characters. I don’t often get really emotionally invested but with this series I can’t help but root for the characters and feel for them!

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N🌿 @minyankosensei.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Read these two today and they had similar themes of denying who you are and numbing your emotions to survive or fit into society and they were both interesting. I enjoyed “Now No One…” more. “The Murderer…” had some stuff I didn’t like , but I would definitely like to read more by the same author.

The Murderer and Her Runaway Desire

Now No One Lurks Beneath the Snow

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N🌿 @minyankosensei.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

I’m seriously enjoying “A Starlit Darkness”. I love stories about books, writers and publishing and I also like the darker themes and it has some dark academia vibes, too. Basically made for me. I really hope we can get more of this series soon!

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N🌿 @minyankosensei.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

This one was a nice side story to the series. I like the trust between the characters and that that there is no unnecessary drama between them. The things that happen are solely brought on by outside forces, while their relationship is solid. Also, impeccable art as always.

Palace of the Omega: A Snowflower’s Tale

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N🌿 @minyankosensei.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

I reread the manga for “The Ghost in the Shell” and then rewatched the anime movie for good measure. As expected, I still like the anime more. I just feel like the manga isn’t very concise and the politics feel underexplained, whereas the anime streamlines everything in a way that makes more sense.

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N🌿 @minyankosensei.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

I’m honestly not sure I like where this series is going right now :\ It feels like Lisl is becoming the main character. I don’t mind him, but I like Luna more. I’m also not keen on Lisl having a crush on Luna either. I think I have to put this series on probation, even though I love how cozy it is.

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N🌿 @minyankosensei.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

Watched this, because I needed some brain off time and honestly, it served. It’s a solid show, even though there were a few too many lucky coincidences. I think most of my issues could have been solved by having a dedicated character for IT stuff, instead of everyone magically knowing how to hack.

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N🌿 @minyankosensei.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Finally read “Half is More” and it was really good. I especially liked the different perspectives in each chapter. The characters are in similar but not the same situations and they have different ways of coping and reacting and I thought each was very interesting and human.

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N🌿 @minyankosensei.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

I didn’t expect it, but this was actually pretty good? I liked the vibes, with fallen angels and 19th century England and stuff. I think people who like “Sanctify” might enjoy this, too. Maybe even a little “MADK”, even though it’s nowhere even near that wild.

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N🌿 @minyankosensei.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

This series is just so stunning 💕 Coco Uzuki is just absolutely amazing at conveying feelings with her art, it’s so beautiful.

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N🌿 @minyankosensei.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

I’m only on vol 4, so I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I kinda expect to never hear anything about this ever again, except maybe for some random aside, because I’ve seen this kind of plot line get brushed aside a lot :( Hope I’m wrong though, and Haru doesn’t get thrown under the bus…

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N🌿 @minyankosensei.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Need to catch up on manga again this weekend. Most likely won’t be reading “Descending Stories”, but I want to read as many of the individual volumes I can, so the pile won’t look as intimidating anymore.

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N🌿 @minyankosensei.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Watched “Unchosen” and my biggest gripe with it is, that a) every side character had a better story than the main character and b) it is not very believable that someone with the personality of the mc only just now started to see the issues with her community/situation as the story starts.

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N🌿 @minyankosensei.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Well, vol 8 pissed me right off, with its unnecessary breakup story, but apart from that, I really enjoyed “Changes of Heart”. The progression of the relationship was rather usual, but it still wasn’t boring to read. It’s good that it starts with them getting together instead of ending there.

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N🌿 @minyankosensei.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

I don’t know why, but for some reason I rewatched Lain? I think it’s a good anime, but to me personally, it’s not a masterpiece. I appreciate the atmosphere and ideas, but it doesn’t really evoke emotions in me. I find it both complicated and easy to understand. Idk, it’s good but not perfect.

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N🌿 @minyankosensei.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

Read all of “I Want to Hold Aono-kun so Badly I Could Die” over the last few days and it was pretty good. I might have liked it more without the sex stuff, that felt kind of off to me, but everything else was really good and I liked the story and wanted to keep reading and find out what’s going on.

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N🌿 @minyankosensei.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

Finally read the last volume of “My Home Hero” and I really loved it overall and would recommend it, though admittedly, that last arc was unnecessary and they should have just let it end after the village. Still, I enjoyed it and it’s definitely one of the best crime manga I’ve read.

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N🌿 @minyankosensei.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

So, I only read the first volume of this one, but I don’t think I will continue. It has a nice slice of life, cozy fantasy kind of vibe, but I don’t really feel the need to know how things will continue and it lacks a bit of emotional depth maybe? Overall, I think it’s fine, but sadly, just fine.

Strange Happenings at Nekomachi Shopping District

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N🌿 @minyankosensei.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

I’ve been reading “Burn the House Down” the last few days, and if someone likes mystery, like I do, this is a good one. It’s also an interesting exploration of privilege, greed and jealousy. I didn’t really warm up to the characters, but the story is solid, so that wasn’t a problem at all.

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N🌿 @minyankosensei.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

Finally got to watch the “Your Forma” anime and I really loved it. However, I think I only did, because I am a fan of the light novels. Skipping the first novel was a huge mistake in my opinion. Without that context a lot of things lack explanation and that makes the anime feel sadly lacking :(

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N🌿 @minyankosensei.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

“Fruit of the Underworld” was pretty fun. I see potential in the first 2 vols, especially the mixing of different culture’s myths of the underworld. The story is completely different from “Phantom Busters”, but the vibes felt kind of similar to me. I think people who like one, would like the other.

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N🌿 @minyankosensei.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

I’ve been reading “Knights of Sidonia” this week and it would have been perfect for me, since it’s a space opera, but the mc was terrible and some of the jokes were way too juvenile (walking into the wrong changing room, boob jokes, etc).

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N🌿 @minyankosensei.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

There is a bunch of stuff I’m not too keen about in this manga, but I do love those gag panels with Tsumugi.

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N🌿 @minyankosensei.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

Just finished “The East Palace” and it was entertaining, but I think it could have greatly benefitted from taking out some of the complexity. In the first half, it constantly presented you with a new red herring bad guy and that made it feel a bit repetitive. The last few episodes were good though.

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N🌿 @minyankosensei.bsky.social · 09/08/2026

This one had an interesting premise but overall I thought it was just okay. I don’t know, it didn’t greatly move me? And I felt like the characters maybe made things unnecessarily complicated? Idk, I liked Akari though. Hope she got that further education she wanted.

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N🌿 @minyankosensei.bsky.social · 09/08/2026

I somehow had it in my head that this is sci-fi, but it’s not, it’s yokai/ghost stories about houses, which is just fine, because I like that, too. I quite liked the individual stories and how the solutions were somehow really simple, but it doesn’t always take a lot to make a big change in a home.

Strange Tales from the Handy Shop Karukaya

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N🌿 @minyankosensei.bsky.social · 09/08/2026

Kind of crashed out this morning and got a bunch of volume ones to try.

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N🌿 @minyankosensei.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

So this one sadly wasn’t for me. I don’t feel like it’s very unique and I think I would get frustrated with the characters in future. Also some stuff is just too unrealistic for me. Maybe these things are fixed in future volumes, but I don’t think I want to spend the time finding out :\

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N🌿 @minyankosensei.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

I wanted to read something by Edogawa Rampo for a while, and I saw a recommendation for “The Demon of the Lonely Isle”, so I just went with that. I liked the mystery it was sound and logical and I definitely want to read more by Edogawa Rampo in the future. However,…

The Devil of the Lonely Isle - Edogawa Rampo
(Cover of a drama CD, because the English book cover is hideous)

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N🌿 @minyankosensei.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

Volume 14 is the last one in the series and overall, I thought it was okay, but maybe not a must read. I thought the story focused too much on the boys and too little on Mizuho. She was just constantly battered with their feelings and there was too little about how she felt in turn.

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N🌿 @minyankosensei.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

I wanted to read “Bonjour Tristesse” for a long time and this summer being heatwave after heatwave, it finally felt right. It’s definitely a great summer book. Only the ending was a bit of a cop out, though fitting. People who want to live irresponsibly, won’t suddenly end up taking responsibility.

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N🌿 @minyankosensei.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

“His Little Amber” was okay. I really liked the art style, but the pivot from Koshiro being a leopard to something else felt inconsistent. I’d rather it would have been one or the other through the whole story. Also, didn’t like that Genji raise him from a child :\

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N🌿 @minyankosensei.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

I forgot to post about this, but I watched “Agent Kim Reactivated” over the last week and it was really fun. Especially during the first part I didn’t want to stop watching. The second part felt a bit like a side quest, but was still good.

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N🌿 @minyankosensei.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

I don’t usually gravitate toward short story collections, but “How to Breathe Underwater” was pretty good. Maybe because most of the stories had around 50 pages, so there was time to build. I would probably have read full books of each story, too, they all had that potential. Definitely recommend.

How to Breathe Underwater - Julie Orringer

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N🌿 @minyankosensei.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

I only read volume one, but I’m unsure if I want to continue “Dear Antique,”. The story is not bad at all, just pretty average and I don’t know if I want to spend time on it. I’ve read a lot of sci-fi exploring the humanity of androids, and I’m not sure if this one will add anything new for me.

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N🌿 @minyankosensei.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

“Omega Megaera” is seriously such a good series! Every volume something jaw dropping happens. I didn’t expect a time jump, but I think it was a good choice. Love the new alliance between Reiko and Mamiya! I like the highly political take on omegaverse in the series. It’s way more believable to me.

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N🌿 @minyankosensei.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

I’m actually pretty neutral on cats, but I wanted to read something low stakes and just nice and “Fairy Cat” fully delivered. It is a whimsical little story about rediscovering old joys and family and friendship and it was just really sweet. Definitely recommend it to cure a bad day.

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N🌿 @minyankosensei.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

Final volume! Overall a good series that keeps you guessing the whole time and the ending was decent, too, but I still ended up feeling a bit dissatisfied somehow. I can’t explain why, since it all made perfect sense, only I guess the series was more complex and the ending a little too easy, maybe?

Who Saw the Peacock Dance in the Jungle?

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N🌿 @minyankosensei.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

I think this one was a bit too short for it to be anything except 'just okay'. I didn’t hate it or anything and it was easy to read in the sense that I didn’t have to strain to pick it up, but it just never really took off.

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N🌿 @minyankosensei.bsky.social · 25/07/2026

I LOVED this book. Lately, everyone wants yearning in their books and this one absolutely has that. It is beautifully written and you get practically enveloped in the protagonists emotions and it really made me feel for her. I will definitely sit with this one for a while, it was just so, so good.

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N🌿 @minyankosensei.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

I have mixed feelings about “Smells Like Green Spirit”. I liked the friendship and seeing everyone’s different circumstances, but I did not like the teacher stuff. It felt like there was way too little impact and the extra chapter also had some questionable messaging. So maybe not my favorite :\

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N🌿 @minyankosensei.bsky.social · 19/07/2026

I watched at least two episodes of these series to see, what I want to watch this season and I’ve whittled it down to “Though I am an Inept Villainess”, “Goodbye, Lara” and “Sparks of Tomorrow”. The manga for “Jaadugar” was on my to read list already, so I’ll just switch to that.

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