Umi no Misaki

I got into harem manga only recently and this was one of the first ... and it seems like it's the best I'm ever going to find. Beautiful series.
 
Interesting premise
slow paced but consistent
good art
the fem leads aren't too flat in character (for a harem series)
the male lead is so boring and really annoying at times
sexual content is super safe and gets stale over the course of the run
atmosphere's good, made me feel the sea breeze and sunlight

overall, for a harem, this is one of the better ones
 
@john9983 I'm not sure you read the same manga I did.

The sex wasn't gratuitous, and was deeply linked to the story. The same with the religious aspects and the harem. There needed to be three girls, and there needed to be a religious background or the story just wouldn't work. It was four teenagers thrown into a situation where duty, belief, love, and sexuality were all mixed together in odd ways. The entire plot is about how they deal with it, so missing any one of those aspects would have destroyed the story.

Imagine if you found yourself in a situation like one of the girls - you're supposed to compete with your closest friends for the affection of a living god that happens to be an attractive and nice guy. You can't hate them for trying to attract him, but you can't stop yourself feeling jealous. Your insecurities bubble to the surface because you think you're not as worthy/attractive/good as the other two girls. And there's the nagging knowledge in the back of your head that the Rising Dragon festival is approaching, and you don't know what you'll do when it comes.

Or for that matter, you're a guy that shows up on an island and find yourself told you're the main focus of the local religion, and you're presented with three beautiful girls who do anything you say and told you have to choose one. As you get to know them better, you fall in love with all of them. You have to restrain yourself because they will literally follow any command you give them, and that kind of weirds you out. How much of their affection is real, and how much is duty? Then there's the festival coming where you have to choose one... what do you do? How can you make a choice and hurt two people you love?

Honestly, I think it could have used a bit more drama just for realism's sake, but overall I think the storytelling was really good.

(I didn't find the "cult" to be that odd for Shinto, but I'm an outsider so maybe it is. Still, animistic religions are like that. I imagine most Japanese consider monotheism to be strange.)
 
I love the feel of this manga and overall like it a lot but there are things...

For starters the loli shit. How hard it is not to lewd the fucking loli? The whole creepy teacher crap made doubly creepier, because she looks twelve. And then there is Rinne, who is actually like 12 and has more nudity.
Soyogi got the short end of a... stick? If it was a typical harem that would've been fine, because everyone can't be a winner, but here, everyone is, so it doesn't work kind of.
The ritual aspect of it is not well thought out at all, and comes as "Well, shit! I have to wrap this up". There could've easily be some foreshadowing and development towards that goal. He even falls off the same cliff in the first chapters.
And if there is this type of "favoring" involved, it's for the purpose of making babies and then the whole manga-ritual falls apart because maiden sacrificing. Returning dragon god to the sea makes a lot more sense. After one or more maidens have the package.
It feels very tacked on the way it is in this manga.
 
I've always liked this series and the time since it was completed (was it really only six years ago?! 😳 ) has not changed my feelings in any way.
 
Anyone else get frustrated with how the art style changed? I loved how it initially was, but the artstyle changed to some chibi-esque style that does away with a lot of detail and character.
 
It’s pretty good pretty enjoyable ending leaves questions. Could have have foreshadowed some of the darker stuff a bit but all in all 8/10 better than most harem mangas
 
@Jackone They do a little bit.
When Mike is talking about the end of her drama series where she kills herself for her "lover" it shows all the girls reactions, when you read it a second time you realize they aren't surprised because they might have to do the same thing.
 
good harem manga, but..

who in their f*king mind think sacrificing a F*KING GOD, against his f*king wish, to earn his favor is a good idea? or even make sense? this insolent island could be sunk a long time ago, if not for the fact that they kept the god's maidens as hostage..
 
@gunnybunny I don't think they are sacrificing the God. As its stated in rin-chan's flashback, she tried to go to the sea herself but the dragon God refused to let her go and chased after her. It seems to be a continual cycle of the chosen maiden trying to sacrifice only herself to save dragon God, but the dragon God always tries to bring the maiden back (and failing). Of course, the last God finally succedes in bringing his maiden back. Twice too.
 

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