vaphelion

Hello stranger, I don’t know what brought you here but thanks for checking out my profile! ^_^

I’m your typical student/procrastinator that enjoys spending time reading comics to avoid responsibilities and has less motivation in life than usual.

I’ve been reading stuff here and there over the years, but a lot of free time over quarantine let me binge series after series so here I am. I got introduced to a lot more series after becoming a scanlator and have found a wider range of genres and manhwa/hua/ga.

I read all kinds of series and I don’t really have a preference for genres. There are certain ones I'll be really picky over while I'll read others out of pure indulgence. Currently, I'm looking for some good action/fantasy/isekai stories (preferably completed) so if anyone has any suggestions, please please comment down below. 

I'm sort of all over the place but here are the most common genres I read and my favorites within them!

Action: Eleceed 

• Couldn’t decide between this and Solo Leveling and while Solo Leveling’s art is *chefs kiss*, Eleceed was such a refreshing combo of action and humor. Kayden himself is half of what I love about this webtoon. 

Fantasy: Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint 

• I will cry about this novel and manhwa till my deathbed, I still can't get over how wonderfully constructed it was. Kim Dokja is my favorite selfless rat, Han Sooyoung can step on me, and Yoo Joonghyuk is an underpaid babysitter. If you love ORV, please accept my hand in marriage~

Horror: Bastard

• I don't really read all that much horror in the first place but Bastard was one of my first webtoons that will always be superior for its insane suspense and thrill. I've never been so anxious or on the edge of my seat with any other manga. 

Romance: Maid-Sama!

• This was my gateway manga, and the first time I stepped into this neverending hole. This is where I met Usui, the guy who raised my standards of men (both irl and fictional) so incredibly high, nobody compares to him.

Slice of Life: Horimiya

• Not its primary genre, but Horimiya is my childhood and I love its comfortable, humor-centered chapters far more than the romantic ones. Lots of people think it's stretched out but I love this manga too much to critique hehe. 

Sports: Haikyuu!!

• I love anything with sports (honorable mention to Daiya No Ace and my husband Miyuki Kazuya) but the Haikyuu boys and their development really hold a special place in my heart. The characterization in this series is top-notch. Please come cry about the final arc with me. 

I mostly enjoy reading as opposed to watching so most of the animes I’ve watched are either my childhood and late night binges. My anime repertoire is quite lacking in comparison to my manga one but I am working to fix that, hence my long want to watch list lol

Other than the anime adaptations of the mangas listed above, I haven't really watched many animes but here are a few of my other favorites:

My Rating Scale (for comics)

[ 0.5 / 1 ] = I don’t really rate anything a 1 so it’s gotta be pretty bad 🤢

[ 1 / 2 ] = few occasions of utter trash 😒

[ 1.5 / 3 ] = pretty disappointing 😴

[ 2 / 4 ] = did not meet my expectations 😕

[ 2.5 / 5 ] = wouldn’t make a difference if you read or not 🤔

[ 3 / 6 ] = average 🙂

[ 3.5 / 7 ] = average but I felt generous 😌

[ 4 / 8 ] = a pretty solid story 😊

[ 4.5 / 9 ] = a personal fave, but wouldn’t consider it perfection 🥰

[ 5 / 10 ] = the cream of the crop, would 100% recommend 😍 

I’d say I’m quite generous with most of my ratings. I usually can’t bring myself to drop a series unless it’s that bad or boring, so most get a 5 or 6 just for reading. Anything that’s a 6-8 is usually worth a look over but whether you like it or not is up to personal preference. Stories that are 9 are missing just a little something that those rated 10 have. Keep in mind these are all just my personal opinions so you're free to disagree with these as much as you'd like! ^-^

How I Rate (particularly for reviews)

I don’t write that many reviews but the ones I’ve written for are usually my favorites. But here are the things I generally look for: 

✍️ Story: plot line, multiple genres, cliches (and how they’re done)

If you’ve read some of my reviews, you’d know I value plot above literally everything. I believe that nothing’s more important than an intriguing storyline. Most of my favorite comics with the best plot are a combination of several genres and I think that’s what makes them better imo.

I also feel like I’m supposed to say I hate cliches because a lot of tropes (weak-to-strong, enemies to lovers, etc) are often overused and done atrociously. But personally, I think as long as it’s depicted well, I have no complaints.

🎭 Characters: depth, development, dynamics

1. Depth = do they have an engaging personality?

2. Development = do they change over the course of the story?

3. Dynamics = do they have interesting relationships with other characters? 

I pay a good amount of attention to the characters, because if they’re boring then I’ve already lost half my interest lol. I believe characters are responsible for driving the story forward, rather than vice versa, so instances where a character faces problems for sake of plot is a huge pet peeve. 

🎨 Art: palette, expressions, easy to understand

Ironically, art is weighed the least but it’s mostly because I don’t think I’m too qualified to rate art.

Lots of it boils down to an artist’s personal style and I don't think it’s my place to critique that. Still, I mainly look for a palette that compliments the story and well-conveyed facial expressions, all while being easy to read.

🎯 Overall: cohesiveness

While I might not rate individual components as well, overall refers to how well those aspects came together as opposed to the average of them. Some stories might not have the best art, but they might suit the overall vibe of the story. 

If you made it all the way to the end, thanks for reading! I promise I'm not as picky as I sound ^-^ I hope you learned something about me or found anything helpful from me even though I still have a long way to explore. I would totally suggest you check out any of the manga or anime I've mentioned above, they're definitely worth a look. 

Leave a comment if you wanna say hi (I won't bite and I follow back), have any questions, or if you want/have any recs... otherwise, enjoy!