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Manga Reviews

Started a page on manga so I can keep track of what I read. Note that this list only contains manga I've read after 2020 Oct.

Manga personal preferences​

  • I read manga during my free time to relax, so that kinda affects my manga choices. Stressful genres like horror are usually not my cup of tea.
  • I like reading comedy
  • I have a tendency to read romcoms
  • I like believable stories.
    • I prefer stories that evoke secondary belief; that is, given the story's fictional (or non-fictional) setting, the story and characters' actions should be reasonably believable
    • I'm not really a fan of plot armor or improbably idealistic outcomes; If a tragedy is more likely to happen in a story, I'd rather it happened as opposed to a sudden plot twist that made things all good again (although most stories tend to twist it to the latter). I am aware that this is something that happens all the time in manga and manhwa, so I usually turn a blind eye to its occurence.
    • I don't really like harems, yuri or yaoi, even though they are not deal-breakers.
  • I prefer certainty of continuation. I tend to avoid starting on series that are no longer being maintained (e.g. Vagabond).
  • I like plot progression / character development and I hate stagnation. I'd be dissatisfied if I read a few chapters in a row and come out thinking that the plot didn't progress / there was zero character development. That being said, it depends on the manga; I'd excuse a slice-of-life manga for pulling this stunt, but not an action manga.

Can you recommend a manga / manhwa for me to read?​

Check the table of contents and start reading the reviews from the ones with the highest quality scores. If they have the same bonus score, the manga that is more to the right is my preference.

My all-time favourites when it comes to comedy is Grand Blue and when it comes to romcoms it's Kaguya Love is War. I don't have a favourite shounen/action series because that genre is saturated with good stuff.

Quality Scoring System​

Manga on this page are scored by a base score plus a bonus score. As such, the total score can range from 1 to 15.

  • Base score: 1-10 out of 10. This is a subjective value based on how much I like the manga. This is usually at least a 7, otherwise I wouldn't have even bothered to pick up the manga (unless I read a highly rated manga and believe it to be overrated).
  • Bonus score: wrapped in brackets, -2 to 5. Each score correlates to the level of "must-read" that I associate with it (elaborated upon below). I only add the manga which I believe can be considered readable on this page, so this bonus score is really meant to distinguish the "really good" and the "exceptionally good".
    • The possible scores are as follows:
      • -2 - Don't bother reading anything -2 and below. They usually have some redeeming qualities (hence why I picked them up in the first place), but in general their quality makes it not worth reading
      • -1 - Umm... The kind of manga where I'm kind of on the fence, which means you can do without reading it
      • 0 - Manga that you can consider reading. Some are kind of forgettable and in my opinion skippable, while some are nice to read, but perhaps a little too shallow to be worth recommending to others.
      • 1 - Manga that can be considered somewhat worth reading. Manga in this list usually contain parts that I find unsatisfactory, or I just don't feel attached to the manga for some unexplained reason
      • 2 - Manga that I like and, more importantly, think others may like. Usually consists of manga that I currently follow (or had followed).
      • 3 - Manga which I think can be safely recommended to others. Usually of substantial quality in some way or another.
      • 4 - Manga which I think are, without doubt, worth reading if you like the genre.
      • 5 - Manga which I got addicted to. The kind where you're so attached to the characters you start reading the original novel, or related fanfic/art.
  • Loopholes: There are some manga where the base score is exceptional, but the bonus score isn't very high (e.g. That Girl is not just cute). This is because even though I like the series, I recognize it's not really impactful.

Manga are presented in ascending order of their quality score.

Tidbits​

Some manga are kinda unforgettable, and then some have this recurring joke or outstanding thing (good ones have multiple) that makes you immediately know what manga you're talking about when you mention it. I generally include the tidbit that most reminds me of the manga if I like it but can't remember what it's about. This may contain spoilers for the manga, so readers beware. The exception to this is when a manga is so good that you just won't forget about it, or so lack-lustre there's nothing worth bringing up.

Full list of reviews​

A summary of all manhwa/manga/novels reviewed here, highlighting the strong points of the series. Good if you're looking for a particular type of manga; just search using the emojis below.

Sometimes I am lazy to write a proper review for the manga / manhwa, so I just fill in the template and not write a review for it.

Template

  • Manga
    • Defining Characteristic: 1 to 5 emojis depending on how satisfactory the manga is in that regard.
      • If it is not listed, it means it's not a strong point.
    • Sweetness: 🙂😊❤️💘🚑
      • How sweet/cute/heartwarming I found it
    • Comedy: 🙂😀😆😂🤣
      • How much I laughed when I read it
    • Action: 🤜🔪⚔️💣💥
      • The quality of action (usually combat) depicted in the manga; usually reflective of level of excitation.
    • Intrigue: 🕯️ 💡🧠🤯👽
      • The amount and quality of big brain plays / strategizing / scheming involved.
    • Storytelling: ✋😑👌 👍💯
      • The quality of the author's storytelling. Reflective of pacing of story, world building, character development, author's ability to keep the reader guessing what will happen next and ability to keep reader interested in the story.
  • 5-Toubun
  * Sweetness:    🙂😊❤️💘
  * Storytelling: ✋😑👌 👍*
  * Verdict:      This is trash, I like and hate it
  * Storytelling: Storytelling isn't exceptional, but the plot twists may make this interesting to read a second time
  • Bakarina 
  * Sweetness:    🙂😊
  * Comedy:       🙂😀
  * Verdict:      Skippable manga. Watch the anime. Take up the novel if you like the plot.
  • Beware of The Villainess!
  * Sweetness:    🙂
  * Comedy:       🙂😀😆😂🤣
  * Storytelling: ✋😑
  * Verdict:      Semi-trash plot, but quite funny. Plot may take a turn later in the manga.
  • Bokuben 
  * Sweetness:    🙂😊❤️💘🚑
  * Comedy:       🙂😀
  * Verdict:      This is trash but I like it
  • Cheating Men Must Die
  * Intrigue:     🕯️ 💡🧠🤯👽
  * Storytelling: ✋😑👌 👍💯
  * Verdict:      Not really my type of manhwa, but even so I like it
  • Chitra
  * Sweetness:    🙂😊
  * Comedy:       🙂😀
  * Action:       🤜🔪⚔️
  * Intrigue:     🕯️ 💡🧠
  * Storytelling: ✋😑👌
  * Verdict:      It's got some rough edges, but if you like a woman building her reverse harem country with gacha this is for you
  • Cultivation Chat Group
  * Sweetness:    🙂😊❤️
  * Comedy:       🙂😀😆😂🤣
  * Action:       🤜🔪⚔️💣
  * Storytelling: ✋😑👌 👍💯
  * Verdict:      This is really good, but manhwa's got some rough edges
  • Do Chokkyuu Kareshi x Kanojo
  * Sweetness:    🙂😊❤️💘
  * Comedy:       🙂😀😆😂🤣
  * Storytelling: ✋😑👌 👍
  * Verdict:      Ecchi, but funny, unique and cute-in-its-own-way romcom
  • Grand Blue
  * Sweetness:    🙂😊
  * Comedy:       🙂😀😆😂🤣
  * Storytelling: ✋😑
  * Verdict:      This is really good
  • Horimiya
  * Sweetness:    🙂😊❤️💘
  * Comedy:       🙂😀
  * Storytelling: ✋😑
  * Verdict:      This is good, but very slow paced slice-of-life
  • I'm a spider, so what?
  * Action:       🤜🔪⚔️💣💥
  * Storytelling: ✋
  * Verdict:      Skip to avoid future disappointment
  • I turned my childhood friend into a girl
  * Sweetness:    🙂😊❤️
  * Comedy:       🙂😀
  * Verdict:      Skip. Too few chapters, update rate is too slow, plot is just... wtf
  • Jitsu Wa Watashi Wa
  * Sweetness:    🙂😊❤️💘🚑
  * Action:       🤜
  * Comedy:       🙂😀😆😂🤣
  * Storytelling: ✋😑👌 👍💯
  * Verdict:      I love and hate it
  • Kaguya-sama: Love is War
  * Sweetness:    🙂😊❤️💘🚑
  * Comedy:       🙂😀😆😂🤣
  * Intrigue:     🕯️ 💡🧠
  * Storytelling: ✋😑👌 👍💯
  * Verdict:      This is really good
  • Keep a low profile, sect leader
  * Comedy:       🙂
  * Action:       🤜🔪
  * Storytelling: ✋
  * Verdict:      It's so-so
  • Kimetsu No Yaiba
  * Sweetness:    🙂😊❤️💘
  * Comedy:       🙂😀
  * Action:       🤜🔪⚔️💣💥
  * Storytelling: ✋😑👌👍
  * Verdict:      This is good, but cop out ending
  • Kishuku Gakkou no Juliet
  * Sweetness:    🙂😊❤️💘🚑
  * Comedy:       🙂😀😆😂
  * Intrigue:     🕯️ 
  * Storytelling: ✋😑👌
  * Verdict:      This is really good
  • Kitsune Spirit
  * Sweetness:    🙂😊❤️💘🚑
  * Comedy:       🙂😀😆😂
  * Storytelling: ✋😑👌
  * Verdict:      This is really good, but very slow update rate and very short chapters
  • Leveling Up by only Eating
  * Sweetness:    🙂
  * Comedy:       🙂😀😆
  * Action:       🤜🔪⚔️💣
  * Storytelling: ✋😑👌
  * Verdict:      This is good, but irregular update rate
  • Love Advice from the Great Duke of Hell
  * Sweetness:    🙂
  * Comedy:       🙂😀😆😂🤣
  * Action:       🤜🔪⚔️💣
  * Storytelling: ✋😑👌 👍💯
  * Verdict:      This is really good, but weird story structure (read review first)
  • Mage Demon Queen
  * Sweetness:    🙂😊❤️💘🚑
  * Comedy:       🙂😀😆😂
  * Action:       🤜🔪⚔️💣
  * Intrigue:     🕯️ 
  * Storytelling: ✋😑👌 👍💯
  * Verdict:      This is really good
  • Meng Shi Zai Shang
  * Sweetness:    🙂
  * Action:       🤜🔪
  * Intrigue:     🕯️ 💡
  * Storytelling: ✋😑👌
  * Verdict:      Slow and boring, it's a miss for me
  • Mission: Yozakura Family
  * Sweetness:    🙂😊❤️💘
  * Comedy:       🙂😀😆
  * Action:       🤜🔪⚔️💣
  * Storytelling: ✋😑👌
  * Verdict:      This is good
  • My Brother is From Deep Mountain
  * Sweetness:    🙂😊❤️
  * Comedy:       🙂😀
  * Verdict:      This is sorta good
  • My Wife Is A Demon Queen
  * Sweetness:    🙂😊❤️
  * Comedy:       🙂😀
  * Action:       🤜🔪⚔️💣💥
  * Intrigue:     🕯️ 
  * Storytelling: ✋😑👌 👍
  * Verdict:      This is pretty good (See review)
  • Nan Hao & Shang Feng
  * Comedy:       🙂😀😆😂🤣
  * Verdict:      This is a really funny slice-of-life
  • Oresama Teacher
  * Sweetness:    🙂😊
  * Comedy:       🙂😀😆😂
  * Action:       🤜🔪⚔️
  * Intrigue:     🕯️ 💡
  * Storytelling: ✋😑👌
  * Verdict:      This is good
  • Peerless Dad
  * Sweetness:    🙂😊❤️💘
  * Comedy:       🙂😀😆
  * Action:       🤜🔪⚔️💣💥
  * Intrigue:     🕯️ 💡🧠
  * Storytelling: ✋😑👌 👍💯
  * Verdict:      This is really good
  • Secretly Cultivate For A Thousand Years
  * Comedy:       🙂😀
  * Action:       🤜🔪⚔️
  * Storytelling: ✋
  * Verdict:      Not particularly outstanding but I enjoyed it
  • Shed! Ryugasaki-san
  * Sweetness:    🙂😊
  * Comedy:       🙂😀
  * Verdict:      I got recommended this by a friend... It's strangely enjoyable lol
  • Sijin
  * Sweetness:    🙂😊
  * Action:       🤜🔪
  * Intrigue:     🕯️ 💡🧠🤯👽
  * Storytelling: ✋😑👌 👍
  * Verdict:      This is good if you love to watch MC pulling strings to get what she wants, with a side of romance
  • Sincerely: I became the Duke's Maid
  * Sweetness:    🙂😊
  * Comedy:       🙂😀
  * Storytelling: ✋😑
  * Verdict:      Pretty meh, a "I isekai'ed into the novel I was reading" story that isn't particularly outstanding
  • Slime Life
  * Sweetness:    🙂😊
  * Comedy:       🙂😀
  * Verdict:      This is a mindless light-hearted read, read if you just wanna go "awww so cute"
  • Survive as the hero's wife
  * Sweetness:    🙂😊❤️💘
  * Action:       🤜
  * Intrigue:     🕯️ 💡🧠🤯
  * Storytelling: ✋😑👌 👍
  * Verdict:      One of the best novel isekai stories
  • That Girl is not just cute
  * Sweetness:    🙂😊❤️💘🚑
  * Comedy:       🙂😀
  * Verdict:      This is good
  • The Duchess' 50 Tea Recipes
  * Sweetness:    🙂😊❤️💘🚑
  * Storytelling: ✋😑👌*
  * Verdict:      This is really good
  * Storytelling: Plot is nothing amazing (or at least it picks up slowly), but interesting tea trivia
  • The Pharmarcy Where the Wolf Howls
  * Sweetness:    🙂😊❤️
  * Comedy:       🙂😀
  * Storytelling: ✋😑
  * Verdict:      Skippable (still too early to tell anyway)
  • The Undefeatable Swordsman
  * Action:       🤜🔪⚔️💣
  * Storytelling: ✋😑👌 👍
  * Verdict:      On the fence
  • The Young Lady I Served Became a Young Master
  * Sweetness:    🙂
  * Storytelling: ✋
  * Verdict:      Too early to tell, but pretty slow update rate
  • Tomo-chan wa Onnanoko
  * Sweetness:    🙂😊❤️💘
  * Comedy:       🙂😀
  * Action:       🤜🔪
  * Storytelling: ✋😑👌
  * Verdict:      On the fence
  • Volcanic Age
  * Sweetness:    🙂
  * Comedy:       🙂😀
  * Action:       🤜🔪⚔️💣💥
  * Intrigue:     🕯️ 💡🧠
  * Storytelling: ✋😑
  * Verdict:      Skippable
  • We May Be An Inexperienced Couple But...
  * Sweetness:    🙂😊❤️💘🚑
  * Comedy:       🙂😀
  * Verdict:      This is quite good
  • Welcome to Dungeon Hotel
  * Sweetness:    🙂😊
  * Comedy:       🙂
  * Action:       🤜🔪
  * Storytelling: ✋😑👌
  * Verdict:      I quite enjoyed it!
  • When the villainess loves
  * Sweetness:    I don't know how to rate this
  * Comedy:       🙂😀
  * Storytelling: ✋😑
  * Verdict:      Read review. Too early to tell
  • Why are you doing this, duke?
  * Sweetness:    🙂😊❤️
  * Verdict:      Skip
  • Wotakoi
  * Sweetness:    🙂😊❤️💘🚑
  * Comedy:       🙂😀😆
  * Verdict:      This is good

Series that I currently follow:​

I don't have an active schedule for reading manga / manhwa nowadays and I have a preference to binge manga / manhwa, so this list may not be updated often (if at all!). Regardless, these are the series that I currently interested in.

Irregular

  • Leveling Up by only Eating
  • Peerless Dad
  • Chitra
  • Secretly Cultivate For A Thousand Years
  • Welcome to Dungeon Hotel

Monthlies

  • Wotakoi
  • Grand Blue
  • Sijin

Weeklies

  • Cultivation Chat Group
  • We May Be An Inexperienced Couple But...
  • My Wife Is A Demon Queen

Reviews by score​

Score negative: Don't read​

I'm a spider, so what? (Reincarnation action seinen) (6/10 (+0))​

  • Synopsis: Reincarnates as spider
  • Genre: action, seinen
  • Release rate: Monthly
  • Points:
    • MC undergoes tremendous suffering and has plot armor.
    • Similar to Slime Rimuru plot, but more gruesome and interaction with humans (and other intelligent beings) comes at a much later stage.
    • However, unlike Slime Rimuru, there is significantly less planning and strategizing. The quality of novel TLs is also significantly weaker. Think of it as comparing a hack-and-slash game to a RPG game.
    • Novel TL quality is, frankly speaking, pretty bad.
    • An unpolished gemstone. There is a lot of potential in this story and you can tell there was a lot of effort. Unfortunately, the way it is told is very lacklustre; there is not enough explanation when it is needed. For example, you'll encounter stuff like "MA" energy or something early on, but it's not explained at all, even though it will turn out to be an important plot point later on. All these unexplained stuff add up and as a result, what could've been a very interesting story will turn into a very unsatisfying and difficult read. This is exacerbated by how the author loves to tell the story from different perspectives, to the point where each chapter is told from the perspective of a new character; it can get confusing, especially when the translator doesn't tell you whose perspective it is now.
      • Sometimes only reveals the percept of a character after the character has reacted to it (e.g. author shows MC getting angry and then going to beat up someone, but doesn't tell u why she got angry, or even what she saw until after she beat up the person)
      • The TL quality for the novel is pretty bad.
      • I think the worst thing about this manga/novel is that after reading quite a bit and learning more about the world, the plot feels quite shallow and tbh I don't understand the motivation of some of the characters even after reading it (either due to bad TL quality or just plain poor storytelling by the author).
      • Hopefully the manga improves upon what is already there, or else it will remain a dirty piece of rock.
      • It's hard to avoid drawing comparisons to Slime Rimuru. IMO, the plot progression is much faster than Rimuru, but the quality and depth of storytelling and the plot itself just far worse.
  • Should you read it: Art quality is exceptional and combat is interesting. Unfortunately, the release rate is slow as hell for the manga, even though the story progression is faster than Slime Rimuru. Also, expect the story to change midway through. At the first part, it is very lacking in proper social interaction at the start of the manga (the author literally creates a skill so that MC can split her consciousness to talk to multiple mental copies of herself); for the entire manga so far you can count with one hand the number of (proper) conversations the MC has had with other creatures. In the second part, the quality of interactions remains quite meh. Honestly, what makes this series bad is not really the quality itself, but how the story could've been so much better if the plot was better fleshed out and the storytelling done better. My disappointment with the plot and storytelling is immeasurable, and I don't really recommend this. The quality of the action scenes are quite well done, but beyond that, it's pretty trash.

Score +0: Can consider reading. Forgettable​

Sincerely: I became a duke's maid (Isekai josei) (7/10 (+0))​

  • Synopsis: Woman pities MC, isekais into his world as a maid to save him, and unwittingly changes the story
  • Genre: romance, slice-of-life, shoujo/josei, isekai, harem(ish)
  • Release rate: Weekly
  • Should you read: I have mixed feelings about this one; it's both good and bad.
    • The manga drops the ball when it comes to handling big, important plot points. Main lead makes an unexplained isekai arrival into the novel after falling asleep (which makes a cliche introduction even more lame), then rescues the prince from the curse with an unexplained prayer which scars her hand for some unexplained reason (which makes an important plot moment cringe, cheesy and lame all at the same time). While they can be salvaged in the future (e.g. by explaining that she died before isekai-ing, and that she resolved the curse due to her lineage or something), the way they were handled are very... cliche, anti-climatic, unsatisfying.
    • Some may find the shota to bishounen transformation weird. I found it somewhat unsettling myself.
    • Timeskips are not clearly highlighted with narration and it is only told through speech bubbles. It is easy for the reader to read portions of the story with the same frame of mind, despite the fact that a season has passed or 3 years have passed etc.
    • I can't help but get the vibe that the main FL is meant to be a self-insert.
    • Yet, the characters are relatively well fleshed out; their actions are consistent with their personalities & beliefs, which are in turn consistent with their backgrounds and initial perceptions. They give me the vibe that I wouldn't find it boring if I were to perform character analysis on them, yet to some extent I think I'm just overthinking it.
      • The MC's mental age clearly affects the way he acts
      • Main female lead can't stop thinking about what happens in the novel as opposed to what is actually happening

Score +1: Can consider reading. Lacking in some way​

My Brother is From Deep Mountain (Slice-of-life) (9/10 +1)​

  • Ongoing
  • Summary: A cute, relaxing and comedic slice-of-life fantasy manhwa about a sister who reunites with a brother she didn't even know of.

Score +2: Stuff I liked, followed and don't mind sharing​

Bokuben (9/10 +2)​

  • Ongoing (soon to be completed)
  • Summary: Trashy romcom
  • Worth reading: A lot of filler / fanservice throughout the story. An enjoyable read, but like I said it's a pretty trashy romcom; a guilty pleasure. Some characters don't get enough justice.

Score +3: Stuff I can safely recommend​

Oresama Teacher (Shoujo Romcom) (Score: 9/10 (+3))​

  • Synopsis: Delinquent girl turns a new leaf (?) when she changes school
  • Genre: shoujo, romcom (focus on comedy)
  • Release rate: Irregular
  • Read until: 155
  • Fav chapter: probably 72 lol really made me burst out loud
  • +ve points:
    • the facial expressions are on point and the humor is quite good
  • Points:
    • [SPOILER-ISH] I didn't expect her to slowly form a reverse harem lol.. Then again, this is a shoujo
    • Don't expect in-depth romance. Any romance is usually touch & go, unrequited or just really close friendships kinda thing.
  • Should you read it: I'd recommend it. It consistently delivers on the humor. The plot sometimes feels kinda shallow (e.g. everyone turns out to be a good guy in the end kinda vibes), and sometimes it's not too hard to guess the plot, but honestly it's pretty good.
  • Tidbit: Usa-chan Man!

Score +4: Works of Culture​

It's hard to order these series when they are all of high quality, so within this level, just take rankings with a pinch of salt.

Nan Hao & Shang Feng (Comedy) (10/10 (+4))​

  • Synopsis: Slice-of-life high school manhwa that is stupidly hilarious
  • Genre: Comedy
  • Release rate: Inconsistent
  • Read until: Ch 57
  • Should you read it:: There is no plot; don't expect progression, or development etc. It's all slice-of-life. But what cements its spot as one of the top works of culture is how stupidly over-the-top funny it is. The art is exceptional, the facial expressions are all meme worthy and the comedy is consistently on point; the last time I laughed this hard at a comic was with Grand Blue. It makes a lot of references to other popular series, which is also pretty funny.

Score +5: Masterpieces​

Cultivation Chat Group (Xianxia Comedy) (Score: 9.5/10 (+5))​

  • Synopsis: Cultivation and martial arts in a modern world
  • Genre: Xianxia, shounen, comedy
  • Release rate: Weekly? (or maybe even every 3 days for the manhwa???)
  • Read until: Ch 1700 (webnovel)
  • Points:
    • The manhwa often falls short in quality (hence the 9.5 score), and some of the manhwa chapters are kinda meh compared to the novel. While it does make some scenes more funny, it understandably has to drop some of the finer details found in the webnovel, which kind of limits its potential as it doesn't bring out the full depth of the story.
    • Definitely a very entertaining read and the story is kinda well-thought out, even though MC will often pull out heaven-defying plot devices and get heaven-defying benefits because of his insanely powerful connections.
    • One of the interest aspects of this series is to bring a refreshing twist to xianxia by injecting modern elements into it. So you have these amazing battles with qi, blades and magical treasures, but these cultivators also use technology like handphones and such (hence the name). That being said, the use of handguns and rifles (in the conventional sense) is rather limited.
    • Being a Chinese story, there are some very Chinese concepts (e.g. the concept of "face") and a couple of terms directly translated from Chinese e.g. (seek death / 找死)
    • MC has plot armor / plot everything (to the point where it almost becomes a joke) and he is stupidly lucky/unlucky. Sure, he goes through many life and death tribulations, but in this story, there are occasions where MC suddenly has a plot device to rescue him from complete death; it's not a story that's meant to be taken too seriously.
  • Why you should read it: It is very funny and it brings a smile to my face when I think about all the silly things that happens in this series. The beginning's a little slow (yes, you spend the first 10 manga chapters reading text messages in the chat group) and the MC is just stupidly lucky (or unlucky?) but it's really good, addictive even.
  • Tidbit: There's way too many things that make this memorable.

Dropped halfway before a proper review can be provided​

Tonari No Kaibutsu-Kun​

  • Read until: 1st 2 chapters
  • Relationship felt a little toxic

Entangled with the duke​

  • Read until: 100 chapters
  • boring and frustrating to read

Classics​

There are some classic manga / series that I have read but don't list because I read it prior to creating the list. It is non-exhaustive.

Shounen

  • Jojo Bizarre Adventures
  • Naruto
  • One Piece

Shoujo

  • Ouran High School Host Club
  • Kaichou Wa Maid-Sama!
  • Kamisama Kiss

Harem

  • Negima