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 I am now current on The Summer Hikaru Died and I'm really enjoying it so far. I think it does a really good job exploring the tension inherent in its premise. Which if you didn't know is that a teenage boy named Yoshiki discovers that his best friend (who I'm pretty sure it's implied he had a crush on) has been replaced by some sort of horrific, otherworldly creature, but he still wants to be close to it because the creature is so very like his vanished best friend, so he does his best to continue on as normal in the wake of this revelation. 
The not-Hikaru is inhuman enough to feel genuinely alien and not just like a human who can do some freaky body horror stuff. He's also characterized with a really compelling mix of danger and almost childlike innocence.
The dynamic between him and Yoshiki kind of reminds me of Ringo and Ecolo, though it's darker and more fucked up. I guess I'm just a fan of the complications and tensions inherent in the dynamic between a misfit teenager and the eldritch abomination that's imprinted on them like a baby chick.

 I got volume 10 of The Girl from the Other Side today. It was very good but dang this series is grim. Remember when this was a fluffy slice of life about a girl and her goatdad that only occasionally delved into horrifically depressing territory? Ah, those were the days.
On the bright side, I feel like we've got the potential some pretty good catharsis going on here. The series seems to be heading into it's endgame now and I'm honestly pretty stoked to see how this turns out even if the ending is a sad one. Maybe even especially if the ending's sad though personally I'm hoping we can still get something bittersweet.
( Spoilers for The Girl from the Other Side... )
I think one of the biggest strengths of this series (besides the art which makes amazing use of light and shadow) is how well it sells the bond between Shiva and Teacher. The slice of life chapters at the beginning of the series are important because they show us how much these characters care for each other. This means we really root for them to be reunited when they are separated and hope against hope that despite the cruelty of their world they can somehow find happiness.
Or that's how it makes me feel at least.
I recommend this series if you like crying at comics and/or have ever wondered what Yotsuba&! would be like if it took place in a grimdark fantasy setting.