Safe & Sound in the Arms of an Elite Knight 4 (Manga)

Safe & Sound in the Arms of an Elite Knight 4 by Fuyu Aoki

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Not much as far as story movement, but still a lot of context as we finally get Lloyd's history and the thugs show up again while they're in the park. Lloyd and Chloe are both coming to some new realizations, not that they'll admit them to each other just yet. There's also a cute side story included in this volume where we learn a bit m ore about Lloyd's seeming aversion to using people's names and how that ties into his past training. Even he seems surprised by Chloe's insight on this one, but it sounds accurate enough given how caring these two are.

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The Villainess Turns the Hourglass 7

The Villainess Turns the Hourglass 7 by Antstudio

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Some of this felt very familiar in the beginning, but it quickly takes a turn into the unknown. Everything seems to finally be resolved, even if the prince is rather hilarious in his antics, until Blissy turns up. It's a tad surprising that it takes Aria so long to recognize Blissy, and she still doesn't seem entirely convinced, where Asher seemed to zero in right away. This Ruby character sounds like she may be trouble as well. Hopefully Annie's warning combined with Blissy's appearance will turn things around enough that maybe the future is better than Blissy fears, without such a heavy sacrifice along the way.

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Fantasy Room

Fantasy Room (Android)

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars


This has been my favorite of this style game so far, especially where the treasure chest isn't trying to get you to buy bonus packs (though that option exists), but is unlocked by earning points in the other levels. While the levels do get harder as you go along, you can easily either replay easier levels to earn more bonuses or watch ads to for bonuses like most other games without ever feeling like you must pay to advance. The ads tend to be shorter sometimes as well, and the pieces generally are easy to move around the room, which is a plus. Some of the floor pieces can be tricky, but not as stubborn as other variants so far. The only real downside is that there are a limited number of levels at any given time. It took another 2 days after I finished the levels originally available for more to show up in the game, and now my highest level shows a 7 day timer before more levels will most likely unlock. Unsure if it's worth replaying levels or waiting that long between game play if looking for something that is new and has more playable options.

Cozy Home: Dream Storage Box

Cozy Home: Dream Storage Box (Android)

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


While this is one of the better versions of this type of game, it is frustrating as you practically have to throw the pieces that are supposed to be on the floor to get them to connect, so there's a lot of time wasted with hit and miss. In general, there's enough time for the levels, though if you watch an add for extra time, you'll lose a star (3 stars ranked total per level to progress). There are also only 46 levels currently in the game, so it's very easy to finish the game and end up either replaying the same levels or bored. I did go back and replay the 2 I had lost a star on to get the total 3 stars for all the levels, but now there's nothing new to play, so not much point in keeping it.

Artio Puzzle: Jigsaw Art Game

Artio Puzzle: Jigsaw Art Game (Android)

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars


This is a sticker art game, so you have some direction to complete your picture, but not all of the hints are very clear to build your final art work. There are ads for hints as an option so you don't have to buy anything if you don't want to. Can't say I love it yet, but so far it's had a decent variety and is engaging without being too aggravating in the game play. 

Brain Puzzle: Tricky Quest

Brain Puzzle: Tricky Quest (Android)

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


This is another game I wanted to love but found myself annoyed with more often than not. How does feeding money to a dog to turn it into an overly muscled guard defending from a former boyfriend make sense? Or escaping food poisoning by flushing the character down a toilet? Some of them are fairly logical, but some really don't make much sense and end up being frustrating. Of course they'll push trying to pay for hints if you don't want to spend all of your time watching ads to get through a level. You'll only get one hint at a time, too, so you could end up watching a lot of ads for a single level.

Find Hidden Objects: Spot It

Find Hidden Objects: Spot It (Android)

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars


This one is one of the better games, though it does still have frequent ads between levels. The pictures are challenging, and you do have a limited number of lives for incorrect selections before you fail a level and would need to retry. There is a list at the bottom of the items you are looking for though, so it's not entirely random, you just need to be careful in your search and hit your mark when you select the item you want to highlight.

Dreamy Room

Dreamy Room (Android)

My rating: 2.5 of 5 stars


I really wanted to love this game as I like the style and the idea behind it, but the timer and how difficult it is to get things to place correctly even when you know where they go make it highly aggravating and frustrating when you should be able to complete the levels but often feel like you can't unless you want to watch a dozen ads or pay for something to turn it into a true freemium game, which is an option, but one I refuse.

Satisfect: Tricky ASMR Games

Satisfect: Tricky ASMR Games (Android)

My rating: 2.5 of 5 stars


The last few levels are highly aggravating as what you are looking for to "tidy" is not clear and seems repetitive. Once you pass those levels though, you'll notice you start cycling back through puzzles you've already completed to tidy things up, clean things, or sort items. In some ways it's more direct and not as stressful as many similar game types, but the repeating levels make it easy to lose interest very quickly.

Colorwood Words: Cryptogram

Colorwood Words: Cryptogram (Android)

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This is one of the better games I've tried recently, combining colors and fun hints with a slightly different varying game play to a traditional cryptogram pattern. Sometimes you're looking for numbers, other times it's symbols. Sometimes you have some letters already provided, and others you have a few words with hints that you can find the word and then start off your letter hunt from there. It does have the traditional life limit per level to pass, but otherwise doesn't seem too bad so far and haven't had to pay for anything, though you will still run into some ads along the way, as usual for game revenue.

Happy Merge Home: ASMR

Happy Merge Home: ASMR (Android)

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


From the pictures, you would expect more cleaning and designing like other room building games, but it's actually more of a matching game like Love & Pies that then combines with a standard design game where you are given 3 options you can buy with the coins from completing orders in the merge section to build out the rooms and progress through the games story.

Perfect Tidy

Perfect Tidy (Android)

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


The timer is highly aggravating here, though the levels are interesting and it's one of the cleaner games as far the art without being too cutesy or animated. Sadly, none of these have been truly satisfying as expected given I do enjoy organizing things. The ads and timer drain it and drag on the game play so it's more annoying than the actual game play itself is worth to play.

Word Collect: Word Games Fun

Word Collect: Word Games Fun (Android)

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


This is a traditional word game where you're given a collection of letters in a circle and need to find all of the words you can spell with them to fill all of the spaces in the screen at the top. Some words that you may be able to find will be "extras" and won't count towards your level though. It's a good thought process and thinking game, but can get boring or irritating if you want something that's easy to play or you don't have to think too much.

Word Connect: Logic Association

Word Connect: Logic Association (Android)

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This is a different brain association puzzle. Instead of connecting them to create categories, each level asks you to "select 4" and if you submit the correct matching 4 items, it will create a category highlighting them and removing them from the pile until there are no matches left, at which point you've beaten that level and move on to the next. So far, each level has 4 sets total, and they're relatively easy so long as you pay attention to the words. Would imagine it would get more challenging as it goes on. There are ads between each level as well, but so far it hasn't been pushy about trying to sell hints or boosters. The dancing brain can either be cute or highly annoying depending on how you view it and if you want to play quickly as it's not something you can skip and does take awhile with the animation.

Tidy Master: Satisfeel ASMR

Tidy Master: Satisfeel ASMR (Android)

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


The idea behind this is fun, but the game has such a random series of levels that it's hard to figure out what you're doing - sorting, finding the correct spot for things in a pre-determined room, or finding a random order for something undefined that makes no sense at all. As a result you're either be tempted to buy hints or being watching a boatload of ads to progress through the levels, which drains the game play and turns it from cute to annoying.

Screwdom 3D

Screwdom 3D (Android)

My rating: 2.5 of 5 stars


This one gets close to Screw Master in that it has better shapes that are more fun rather than just buildings - for example the current level I'm on is a cat. It has the same pitfalls as others though where they bury the colored screws that you need, so ultimately you'll either pay for boosters and/or watch ads for extra color boxes to collect. Unlike the other game though, you can't watch ads for the boosters here, only purchase them, putting this game behind a higher freemium price lock if you wish to progress. 

Screw Master 3D: Pin Puzzle

Screw Master 3D: Pin Puzzle (Android)

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Do we sense a theme here? Went through a lot of these screw games trying to find the best game play, or at least something that didn't end up frustrating me too much. While the general game play is similar here and you'll watch a lot of ads for bonus boxes or boosters, this is much easier to play than feeling like most freemium games. As a bonus, the puzzles are more interesting, often featuring familiar forms from piggy banks, to the Joker, Stitch, or Sailor Moon. Ads for a fun little highlight each level that so far the other games haven't played off of. 

Screw Blast: 3D Screw Puzzle

Screw Blast: 3D Screw Puzzle (Android)

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


This is another typical screw puzzle game that has a similar ad play with the 3D house, but the actual game play is pretty standard to the others, is not the same style as the ads portray, and is riddled with ads. The difference in this one is that you earn decorations with each level to build out different themed rooms on the homepage. Not a big enough difference to really make it truly engaging, but it's an interesting twist with all the room theme games that seem to be highlighted recently, except this one you don't get to design or build at all; just watch it progress through the stages each level until you move on to the next one.

The Villainess is Adored by the Crown Prince of the Neighboring Kingdom 7

The Villainess is Adored by the Crown Prince of the Neighboring Kingdom 7 by Puni-chan

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Tiara and Aqua do seem happy, but it seems the water faeries aren't in agreement. Tiara is either rather naïve or is intentionally smoothing things over for Aishira and the faeries. With yet another faerie seeming to take a liking to Tiara, it will be interesting to see if the final tides may eventually turn in her favor. Aishira doesn't seem to be faring well either and does not yet seem interested in looking elsewhere herself to try and find her smile again. Aishira's happiness does seem to directly impact the small faeries at least, even if their king seems to be indifferent. 

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The Villainess is Adored by the Crown Prince of the Neighboring Kingdom 6

The Villainess is Adored by the Crown Prince of the Neighboring Kingdom 6 by Puni-chan

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Wow, so much is packed into this volume. Starting off with the big fight between Keith and Aqua, and ending with the wedding. Akari is a big surprise, even showing up at the wedding to help ensure Tiara really did get her happy ending. Even Keith throws his support officially behind the couple in a surprising display. Unfortunately, it seems the water faerie may not be so pleased if the last little bit is any indication. There are a few volumes left in this series as well, so hopefully nothing too rocky will come about. Tiara seems to have settled a lot after Aqua's little display during the wedding and the actual ceremony now being complete; hopefully that things will look up for everyone. They may need to find a new happily ever after for Aishira though if the sea is truly angered.

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The Villainess is Adored by the Crown Prince of the Neighboring Kingdom 5

The Villainess is Adored by the Crown Prince of the Neighboring Kingdom 5 by Puni-chan

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Keith seems to be series, but Aqua fortunately isn't backing down either. Tiara remains committed to him as well, so hopefully things can be worked out. It doesn't help that Aishira is constantly at the castle and working with Aqua if not just spending time with him for unknown reasons. Keith, on the other hand, doesn't seem to care one bit what humans think and is more than happy to put Tiara first, not that it's swayed her at this point, but it does make it understandable why Aqua would get jealous, especially after the cake incident. Keith seems to be going out of his way to provoke him as well. And what is this about a true king needing all 3 of the faerie's blessings? Seems there might be more to this kingdom's history and just what these blessings really mean than people think there is.

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The Villainess is Adored by the Crown Prince of the Neighboring Kingdom 4

The Villainess is Adored by the Crown Prince of the Neighboring Kingdom 4 by Puni-chan

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


It seems Tiara isn't the only one who may be jealous now - Keith seems like he could certainly turn things on their head, especially being a fairy king, not just a human prince. Akari and Heartknights seem to be almost afterthoughts at this point, though Tiara clearly still fears the game's control over events in this world. When Tiara and Aqua are together it's clear that they care for each other, and Aqua doesn't seem to be fickle. Lady Aishira also seems to want them to be happy, but it's easy to see where Tiara's insecurities would come from, especially adding in her limited knowledge of the game and how her last relationship played out.

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The Villainess is Adored by the Crown Prince of the Neighboring Kingdom 3

The Villainess is Adored by the Crown Prince of the Neighboring Kingdom 3 by Puni-chan

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Well we have confirmation Akari is also originally Japanese, and she's played the sequel game, so she knows more about Prince Aqua and his story line coming up. That doesn't make her actions more tolerable though, so it's good to see her controlled at least for the moment. The princes both seem to be determined to do the right things at this point, though only Aqua seems to have a hope of making Tiara happy. Hopefully things won't be too rocky as this new story plays out given the way the encounter with Akari turned out.

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The Villainess is Adored by the Crown Prince of the Neighboring Kingdom 2

The Villainess is Adored by the Crown Prince of the Neighboring Kingdom 2 by Puni-chan

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


It seems things are going exceptionally well for Lady Tiararose and Prince Aquasteed, at least up until the end. Prince Heartknights on the other hand, seems to be learning a good deal of regret and having to consider his past actions. Hopefully nothing too troubling will come of things, though it does appear that Tiara may have been growing comfortable in her new life thinking that events she knew of from the game were now in the past.

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The Villainess is Adored by the Crown Prince of the Neighboring Kingdom 1

The Villainess is Adored by the Crown Prince of the Neighboring Kingdom 1 by Puni-chan

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


It's another reincarnation isekai series, but it has potential. The names are also rather long and potentially descriptive with the exception of Akari, who has a rather plain Japanese-sounding name as the originally playable character from the first game. It seems this character may remember something of the game play as well as she is talking about the "main game" at least at one point and seems rather dead set against Lady Tiara, for all that she certainly played the concerned friend after her collapse. At least it seems the prince might not be as dense as he seemed once the truth is put in front of him, which is more than can be said for many other characters in his role from other series. Will have to wait and see what develops now as we're already outside of the original game's story and at least the true main character has now knowledge of the pending sequel's game play.

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The Too-Perfect Saint: Tossed Aside by My Fiancé & Sold to Another Kingdom

The Too-Perfect Saint: Tossed Aside by My Fiancé & Sold to Another Kingdom (2025)

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


So far this seems to be following the books very closely, though there isn't a lot of material with only 2 light novels (and now 2 manga that don't finish the story from the first light novel yet), so some concerns that this will be a one season show only and end up lacking a real conclusion given the books are still ongoing. We'll have to wait and see, though so far the art is beautiful and it's enjoyable to see the story come to life in animation, even if it is a bit of a slower moving series in some respects.

The Too-Perfect Saint: Tossed Aside by My Fiancé & Sold to Another Kingdom 2

The Too-Perfect Saint: Tossed Aside by My Fiancé & Sold to Another Kingdom 2 by Fuyutsuki Koki

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


We haven't caught up with the end of the first light novel yet, but we are about even with where the anime is at this point in time, though that may change with this week's episode. It's still interesting to see the characters in art form rather than imagining them just through the words on the page. Philia is as dense as ever in some regards, while still being very talented and clearly having found people that do value her other than her sister. Not much in the romance department yet, but that takes awhile to sink in with everything else going on and how so far removed Philia has been from normal emotions for so long given her unusual training and upbringing. 

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Black or White 8

Black or White 8 by Sachimo

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


I honestly don't know why I keep reading this series as nothing much ever happens outside of the sex scenes, but I hate leaving things unfinished, too. The CEO now seems to be showing up once again, which could spell trouble, especially now that they've somehow managed to get everyone on the same set. Just how badly could this house of cards really fall?

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Black or White 7

Black or White 7 by Sachimo

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Well, didn't expect that twist with Shige's manager. Can't say there are too many surprises regarding the filming process or what happens in Shin and Shige's relationship. Everyone keeps talking about protecting Shin especially, but now even Tatara knows at least some of what Shige has been putting up with for the sake of their relationship. It's a wonder truthfully that both of them are doing as well as they are, and at rival companies, though it's not like Shige seems to be given a choice in the matter. It would be interesting if a time came that he genuinely could leave and join the same company as Shin and Tartara, though that does also make me wonder what company Tatara was with before he joined Shin's; can't recall if that was mentioned previously, though obviously he's been around for awhile and knows the kind of dirty tricks people play. Even then, he seems shocked at Shige's story. 

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Black or White 6

Black or White 6 by Sachimo

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


It looks like Shige's agency may have basically blackmailed him into signing up, but the picture we've seen so far also looks like it may have been from college and not a recent "mistake". Now we get more romance scenes on the set and the boys come together even more desperate than before. Shin still has no clue what Tatara is thinking, but it seems the other's may have a better idea, even when Tatara himself claimed all he wanted to do was protect a friend and fellow actor. For all that Shin may truthfully be the better actor while Shige has been in the spotlight longer for his looks, both still desperately try to hide their own insecurities while also clinging to each other. They might be terrified of their "secret" getting out, but they seem sure of each other any time the few people in the know challenge their relationship.

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Black or White 5

Black or White 5 by Sachimo

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Shin and Shige both grow a lot in their careers, but the ride isn't over yet. Their friends and managers even pitch in to help out, but it seems even with all their caution, someone else is poised to drop the other shoe on their story before they may be ready for it. This may be the eye of the storm, but there have been a few good realizations along the way that hopefully will help them through to the end.

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Black or White 4

Black or White 4 by Sachimo

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


While everyone does seem to want to protect Shin, it seems Tatara might have some other hidden motivations that at least a few of those around him have picked up on. Shige is struggling while Shin seems to be hitting his stride, though he still lacks confidence in himself. Can these two really pull it together and find their own confidence, both in their own careers and together, before it's too late?

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Black or White 3

Black or White 3 by Sachimo

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Shin seems both aware and oddly clueless at the same time, while Shige is even more visibly jealous at times. Neither one seems aware that Tatara has discovered their secret, but for the moment, he at least seems to be on Shin's side as they've made unlikely friends in the business, so hopefully that will be another win for this couple. Even Shin seems to get jealous at times now, not that he has much of a clue what to do with it. On a whole, they still aren't talking a lot about their insecurities or how to work on things together, especially if their secret does come out as things seem to be hinting towards.

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Black or White 2

Black or White 2 by Sachimo

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


While we do get some cute back story, a lot of this volume is jealousy, angst, and miscommunication if they aren't actually in their apartment together, which is a really hard way to live. Hope these two can find some comfort and common ground sooner rather than later, because they look pretty desperate and rocky at the moment, which is even more sad given how clear it is they both want to be together.

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I Abandoned My Engagement Because My Sister is a Tragic Heroine, but Somehow I Became Entangled with a Righteous Prince 3

I Abandoned My Engagement Because My Sister is a Tragic Heroine, but Somehow I Became Entangled with a Righteous Prince 3 by Masuke Mawata

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Leia seems more emotional in this version of the story, but that may just be because we can see her expression to go along with her actions and words. She seems more easily flustered as well, though it's clear she's finding she enjoys her new life and does not wish to leave it. Her sister, Jill, continues to be a concern, though we should be seeing things pick up here quickly if the story continues along the same arc as the light novels. 

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The King’s Beast 15

The King’s Beast 15 by Rei Tōma

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Rangetsou is getting better at interacting with Tenyou and reading him even when he refuses to say anything. Hopefully, Tenyou is correct in her determination this time around and she can bring both Boku and Tenyou's brother home safely from the war. At least Tenyou seems to be doing well when he spars with this brothers and he does still have Sogetsu at his side. The two siblings still seem to baffle those around them, but Sogetsu seems much more laid back overall, especially compared to Rangetsou's training and discipline. She's learning to relax where she can though and seems to be starting to identify the things she herself wants in the future, even if it means fighting for it along the way.

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