Reviews

Otherside Picnic: Their Strange Exploration Files by Iori Miyazawa

pippancakes's review

adventurous dark mysterious reflective

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror and Gun violence

pixelatedlenses's review

5.0

A solid first volume that mixes Japanese horror, internet creepypasta, 2chan horror stories, and the Uncanny Valley together in a terrificly terrify stew, all centered around finding a lost friend in a haunting, mezmerizing parallel world that often creeps into our own.

(Also features a very sapphic main character!)

I'm very excited for Volume 2.

christinefredrickson's review

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

ryuutchi's review

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

saintlyhowl's review

3.0

the plot was superrrre f*cking cool and i loved the action/sci-fi/lore aspect of this, it was really interesting learning about it and also seeing sorawo and toriko fight them and stuff. i think the connection between fear and the otherworld was also so damn cool and it made me feel smart when i understood it even tho it was the most basic explanation ever but wtv. i LOVED sorawo, she is honestly such a mood. the only down sides was 1) the writing style (a personal preference) which wasn’t exactly my cup of tea but i enjoyed it nonetheless and 2) sorawo and toriko’s “relationship” and how i wish sorawo had a more solid reason for venturing to the otherworld a lot. idk if i’ll continue the books or just watch the anime but it was definitely a very cool concept. it’s more so plot focused than character focused, which i’m hoping we’ll see more of the characters and learn more about them in the other volumes.

peeper's review

5.0

Trippy, i'm gonna watch the anime, loved the characters

soyweebs's review

adventurous mysterious tense slow-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

lisagna's review

adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced

• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

makyou's review

5.0

Since the very first encounter with the Kunekune, to the end of volume two (three needs to hurry up), I was utterly engrossed in Otherside Picnic. Though, admittedly I am not the most well versed in prose, the tone of the world and of the writing always captured me.
Let’s explore that.
Iori Miyazawa’s Otherside is an incredible place. Permeating with an incredible sense of melancholy, the world has an incredible sense of impactful imagery, all emotionally potent and enthralling. From lonely fields baked with the yellow glow of the sunset, to the abandoned mountaintop Kisaragi station, these almost dreamlike images instill this tone, this feeling, of longing? Melancholy? A sort of sad yearning? I’m not sure how I would place it, but I love this emotion. If I were to insert more pretentious descriptions of this feeling though, I guess it would be like a cold and windy day, where the sky is still a sharp blue? I don’t know, I’m bad at prose.
I love it.
- steeeal @ cgdcg

syuudim's review

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

survival sci-fi isekai featuring japanese urban legends with monsters and also horror/mystery and body horror vibes? and also it's yuri ????? what more could you ask for?