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Angel's Hill (5)

 I wasn't sure how I felt about this comic when I started reading it considering it starts with Luna being executed and put into slavery... But it really grew on me the more I read. I started identifying themes and morals the story was trying to tell. Luna is the epitome of a kind person. She doesn't let Byouma die even whens he was trying to kill her for the entirety of the comic. She thinks everyone is a person with a life and soul and no one should be hurt if she can help it.

I really appreciate the character exposition and growth we see from each of the characters as well. Eiji just wants to live his own life and resents his family in the beginning but once their father is assassinated and his mother is left to live in a much more humble home, he is reminded of how much family means to him. This goes for the entirety of the Kusuhara family- each of them is reminded what family really means by the end of the story, and despite them having next to nothing- it doesn't matter to them because they have each other. I also really appreciate how most side characters treat Luna. I genuinely thought it was going to be weird and rape-y (Oh Japan, why do you do that so much that I've come to expect it?) but they were all very caring for her and just wanted to protect as if she was their daughter. Like Fuguhei who helps her in the end and she in return makes sure him and Eiji get out alive.

This manga is the pinnacle of Shoujo manga, but that doesn't mean that it's not interesting. I was genuinely taken aback when it was reveal that Byouma was Pirene's mother the entire time and the whole reason she wanted to take over the island was so she could give it to him... I was sad that we didn't get to hear more of Pirene's story. He was a very interesting character who only had a lot of screen time at the end. But I really did love this manga! It was super fun in a wholesome way. There's a lot things now-a-days that rely on shock factor and how much they can make you experience something rated R, but I'm glad this story wasn't like that. I was just a story being told about characters, there was any gorey death or NSFW content which honestly... Is a breath of fresh air. Not that I haven't seen those things be done well before, but they're usually thrown into things that do not need it i.e. Netflix's adaption of Death Note. I'm very glad this was a consolidated story that was meant to just... be fun.

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