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REVIEW: Lucifer and the Biscuit Hammer GN 9-10




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Saffire



Joined: 25 Nov 2007
Posts: 1255
Location: Iowa, USA
PostPosted: Mon Jan 18, 2016 11:40 am Reply with quote
I love the climax so much. I should re-read this sometime. It's all available via Crunchyroll Manga if you have a subscription there.

I don't recall the art being a problem, but I also was reading most of it on a phone so my ability to discern details was a little compromised.
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meiam



Joined: 23 Jun 2013
Posts: 3442
PostPosted: Mon Jan 18, 2016 1:19 pm Reply with quote
Personally I was pretty disappointed at the ending between the princess and Yuuhi. From the beginning you know there not really going to destroy the world, can't think of any manga where it end with the world being destroy outside of spoiler[the ultimate weapon], and the main character there were just spectator. The question was always how were they going to resolve that situation. The answer is: in the most immature way possible, the whole back and forth "I'm gonna do it. Nah joke I'm not gonna do it, but she is gonna do it. But she want me to stop her, but don't help me" and all that was just cringe worthy. I would have much rather they just simply decide "you know what we like the world" and end it that way. Or, heck, even really destroying the world would have been more interesting.

A story with maturity as it central team ended on a long string of incredible immaturity.
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Saffire



Joined: 25 Nov 2007
Posts: 1255
Location: Iowa, USA
PostPosted: Mon Jan 18, 2016 4:26 pm Reply with quote
meiam wrote:
Personally I was pretty disappointed at the ending between the princess and Yuuhi. From the beginning you know there not really going to destroy the world, can't think of any manga where it end with the world being destroy outside of spoiler[the ultimate weapon], and the main character there were just spectator. The question was always how were they going to resolve that situation. The answer is: in the most immature way possible, the whole back and forth "I'm gonna do it. Nah joke I'm not gonna do it, but she is gonna do it. But she want me to stop her, but don't help me" and all that was just cringe worthy. I would have much rather they just simply decide "you know what we like the world" and end it that way. Or, heck, even really destroying the world would have been more interesting.

A story with maturity as it central team ended on a long string of incredible immaturity.
spoiler["You know what, I like the world" is exactly the revelation that Yuuhi arrives at, isn't it? It's needing to resolve Samidare's conflict that drives the story to where it goes, and there's really no other way it could have ended without Sami's character changing some point earlier. Maturity is a central theme, but I feel like kind of the point is that everyone else is maturing (including Yuuhi) and Samidare is stuck as she is because of her inner conflict. The final fight is meant to break her out of it and allow her to move forward.]

Actually destroying the world would have been interesting but it wouldn't have tied into that theme at all.
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Animegomaniac



Joined: 16 Feb 2012
Posts: 4070
PostPosted: Mon Jan 18, 2016 5:02 pm Reply with quote
meiam wrote:
Personally I was pretty disappointed at the ending between the princess and Yuuhi. From the beginning you know there not really going to destroy the world, can't think of any manga where it end with the world being destroy outside of spoiler[the ultimate weapon], and the main character there were just spectator. The question was always how were they going to resolve that situation. The answer is: in the most immature way possible, the whole back and forth "I'm gonna do it. Nah joke I'm not gonna do it, but she is gonna do it. But she want me to stop her, but don't help me" and all that was just cringe worthy. I would have much rather they just simply decide "you know what we like the world" and end it that way. Or, heck, even really destroying the world would have been more interesting.


Or rather "If you want to stop her, you'll have to go through me... which you can't... so I'm going to have to stop her. And by her, I mean you." The moment he took out Shimaki, I knew he didn't want them to get hurt, not that he didn't need or couldn't use their help. It wasn't a case of "I got to do this myself" but more "If I die, I can live with that. Just not you guys, though.". A lot less power of friendship, more how friendship can drive you to do the impossible.

I don't know which part of the epilogue is indulgent, spoiler[Anima gets told by Yuuhi everything she's going to do 10 years after and yet still before she does it and about all those happy ending she wants to give the people she was using... because she's the reincarnation of Samidare. Funny how the Mage could only think in time travel in a linear fashion while she, no other way to say it because she set the rules up for the game, cheated.

And to finish the circle, the Master is the reincarnation of the Mage. That part is a bit of a paradox because part of her plan was sacrificing her ancestor the Dog Knight was to killing the Mage... and herself. It wasn't that bad for her since she already died young as Samidare but then Animus needed some time of his own.]
As long as the Universe didn't look too closely, I guess it all worked out.

The only thing I could never figure out was where the Spirit Animals came from or where they went. Which makes all the totems that Samidare handed out all the more sad.

And I still believe that the final twist is that all the sci-fi shenanigans was all written by her father in order to save his daughter. There are hints layered throughout but it never becomes part of the text. Wouldn't it just be like Anima to put her name on someone else's work? Oh yeah, it's subtle throughout the series... and sometimes not at all.

And even with that ending which I agree is very satisfying, my favorite chapter is Amamiya Yuuhi and Asahina Samadare II. For starters, it's the first time where Anima gets flummoxed by someone rather than the opposite. And that's just the most basic part of what it means for the entire work and its use of foreshadowing; "Yuu-kun, I remember where I meet you" indeed.

And the most amazing thing about the manga is that the Author planned it all out from the start... the boy and his lizard and the mysterious girl next door...
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Ali07



Joined: 01 Jun 2014
Posts: 3333
Location: Victoria, Australia
PostPosted: Mon Jan 18, 2016 9:23 pm Reply with quote
Saffire wrote:
spoiler["You know what, I like the world" is exactly the revelation that Yuuhi arrives at, isn't it? It's needing to resolve Samidare's conflict that drives the story to where it goes, and there's really no other way it could have ended without Sami's character changing some point earlier. Maturity is a central theme, but I feel like kind of the point is that everyone else is maturing (including Yuuhi) and Samidare is stuck as she is because of her inner conflict. The final fight is meant to break her out of it and allow her to move forward.]

Actually destroying the world would have been interesting but it wouldn't have tied into that theme at all.

You read my mind there.

Loved this series, but I'm not sure I see what the reviewer does with the art. I had no issue with it, even if the limbs didn't look true to life, because I loved the overall style of the manga.

Biscuit Hammer is probably one of the more funnier manga series I've read, many moments had me laughing out loud.

It was nice to find out Souichiro Nagumo's financial/employment situation. Laughing

And, in the end, I was surprised by some of the couples formed (or about to form). The epilogue chapter centered around Taiyo was a nice read.

I'm really happy that Seven Seas gave this series a crack. While it seems like it didn't do well for them in the end, I'm thankful to have this series in print and sitting on my shelf.
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HolyR



Joined: 04 Oct 2014
Posts: 42
PostPosted: Mon Jan 18, 2016 11:14 pm Reply with quote
I seriously think if the author of this series teamed up with an amazing artist they could make the greatest manga ever. This is one of the only stories I go back and read every so often because it's just damn enjoyable.
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jtron



Joined: 03 May 2012
Posts: 183
Location: Chicago
PostPosted: Tue Jan 19, 2016 1:16 pm Reply with quote
Yeah, reading the softcover omnibus editions is I think the fourth or fifth time I've read through the story. I'm almost 40, have been a heavy reader my entire life, and it's no exaggeration to say that this is one of my favorite things I've ever read. The characters, the emotions - damn, do I have to go reread it again?

I also don't have any problems with the art - sure, it doesn't have the clean, glossy finish of so much manga, but who cares? It's got personality and humor and feeling and some of the best monsters in any medium (I speak of the golems and also the creepy-ass Animus).

Now, please, let's have a two-cour anime, with Tomokazu Sugita as the Dog Knight!
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Khooni



Joined: 27 Oct 2012
Posts: 99
PostPosted: Wed Jan 20, 2016 6:42 am Reply with quote
I liked the concept, but i just couldn't get into the story. It was just meh for me. Read it for the sake of finishing it.
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