Fudatsuki no Kyouko-chan

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Fudatsuki no Kyouko-chan is a pretty decent manga that just didn't live up to its full potential.

Story: 7
The pacing of the story is nice, but the level of development in the main premise is lacking. For a story that is based primarily on the interactions between sister and brother, the side romance element seems to be too overwhelming and forced. It feels like the author is desperately trying to "ship" the brother and Hibino out of fear of the taboo of the alternative (bro+sis ship), when in fact doing so would create a much more powerful and surprising narrative (if the sister was actually the ... brocon deep down). This is mostly because of Hibino's character development and interactions with the MC.

Art: 9
The artist very nicely draws a distinction between dere Kyoko vs. tsun Kyoko. Best example of this is the first time her ribbon came off. That super adorable smiling and apologetic face, when juxtaposed with her usual appearance, clearly conveys a sense of bipolarism in the character.

The MC's expressions are also well-drawn, so that the reader feels his anger, embarrassment, and even horror whenever the ribbon comes off.

Character: 7
The characters are decently likable, but their full potential weren't realized. The tension between Kyoko's two states and their relationship with the MC could have been explored in much more depth, especially with Hibino as fuel. However, because the author chose to develop a romance between Hibino and the MC, Kyoko's quirks became secondary. Added to that is Hibino's blandness as a character: She never really was much more than a passive person who wasn't afraid of the MC, and by some convenient reason he liked her. In a way, it felt like she didn't deserve him. On the other hand, because of her tsundere personality, it always felt as if there was something more to Kyoko's feelings towards her brother the MC, but this was glossed over in favor of a less "incest"-y manga.

Due to all of this, while the ending was fine, it felt a little bit like a cop-out. The central problem still isn't resolved. Kyoko dangerous nature is never fully addressed or tamed.

Enjoyment: 7
It was good. It gave me a few laughs, but nothing more. I did get hooked on it enough to read to the end, so it was interesting. Yet, due to the issues mentioned, it felt incomplete. It never reached its peak and definitely didn't end with a bang.

Overall: 7
Could have been one hell of a manga, but ended up being just decent.

NO spoilers : )

Premise: Fudatsuki Kenji has to constantly care for his younger vampire-like sister, scaring away all people around her (protecting them from her), while also acting as her daily blood bank. During their time in high school they run into romantic hijinks (with other people of course) as well as realize their special familial bond.

Fudatsuki no Kyouko-chan attempts to fit into a specific popular genre of "episodic, infinitely repeating, and comical expressions of love or understanding between people who will never admit their feelings until the last chapter," instead of something deeper and perhaps more controversial like what the premise promises. ... It rather successfully filled that genre. However, in my opinion, the premise had so much more potential, all of which was lost to what it is now. Now don't get me wrong, this manga is *cute as fuck*. But there was just as much wrong with it as went right.

Story: 6/10
In pursuit of becoming an infinite slice of life/comedy/romance "wow that's super cute look how wholesome it is" it becomes a "you don't need plot or anything, that's too heavy, also throw out continuity too" because of how much promise it had in the beginning but had to shave off and how many possibly heavier themes it could have covered but would have not fit its designated cheery atmosphere. I know I keep talking about the premise but it is just that important.
Many questions invariably arise... which would be VERY interesting to flesh out, but never are. What about his and her family? Can't she wear her hair in a more secure way? What is the origin of the ribbon as a talisman? How did they get by in the past as children? Why doesn't daily blood sucking result in any neck scarring? How does Kyouko cook great food if she can't consume human food without feeling sick? Instead we are treated to some 37 chapters of ribbon-on/ribbon-off tsundere act. Ad infinitum. The romance premises were extremely endearing, but all plot points met long-delayed yet abrupt and unsatisfactory resolutions.

--> My biggest observation: this story was never about hiding her true identity as a vampire or protecting other people from her (like the premise would have you think). That would be too interesting. The "danger" or "jeopardy" is not placed on something like being discovered, it is placed on shallow romantic relations and misunderstandings.

The story had a ridiculous amount of potential. Too bad it threw it all away.

Art: 8/10
The art is great. All the character designs are endearing. Everyone's appearances are very distinct.

Character: 5/10
The main sibling pair Kenji and Kyouko are very endearing. Kenji is the most fleshed out, and his personality is evidenced to be a product of the environment he's forced himself to mature quickly in. Kyouko has a nice character design, but her entire role in this story could be summed up with the ribbon-on/ribbon-off gag/act.
A specific few side characters are evidenced to be incapable of human cognition and reasoning.

The characters are all exactly what the author wants them to be: simple and distinct. There is no depth to any of the characters, since I infer they're not meant to be seen as three-dimensional people. However it could have been very different. By the author's vision though it serves its purpose well, so I won't stir anything more.

Enjoyment: 6/10
What was VERY enjoyable: the setting-up of premises! The jeopardy of the situations the author puts these characters in are genius. It makes me look forward to what will happen next.
What was NOT enjoyable: being strung along and bullshitted until the end of the manga because the author just had to have some limbo in place to keep things barely interesting.

Overall: 6/10
This manga was the feeling of someone telling you about a great amusement park, then arriving to be met with a botanical park. It's a nice park with nice flowers, but it's not what you told me. This is NOT supernatural or drama or even comedy, it is tease escapism-romance which is concentrated on selling well to a large casual audience. I should not have expected so much out of Fudatsuki no Kyouko-chan. It became increasingly more difficult to read as time went on because I kept losing hope (and interest). If you like this genre I suggest you read it, but only until you feel numbed with disappointment.

Fudatsuki no Kyouko-chan is a middle of the road slice of life rom-com with a disappointing ending.

Story: 4
The pacing of the story is the worst aspect of this manga. The chapter to chapter flow is classic Yamamoto slice of life but the lifespan of the story creates a situation where progress needs to happen quickly and b-plots aren't able to be fully explored. And the jiangshi gimmick needed to be leaned into more or used less often for my tastes.

Art: 9
Yamamoto's back in his bag with this one, read as clean linework and tones, easy to follow panel formatting, and characters with massive foreheads.

Character: 5
The ... Characters are for the most part one-note, MC is a fake siscon, sister is a tsundere brocon, heroine is the japanese ideal woman, and everyone else is present. The characters have potential but again the lack of exploration due to chapter count doesn't do them any favors.

Enjoyment: 6
I was able to read the entire plot in ~1.5 hours, so it's a quick read that's enjoyable but not very memorable.

Overall: 6
Could have been good but delivered mid.