Nice! I'll add some more thoughts.
I agree with the overall rating of 8/10. <: My favorite characters (in no particular order) were most likely Emma, Norman, Ray, Isabella, Phil, and Mujika, and it's difficult to further rank these characters, except for Phil and Mujika. I liked the main trio and Mom best. I had been hoping for a more proper ending for Isabella and it came true! Emma was/still is like radiant sunshine to me (who grew in ways I loved), Norman such a thoughtful, kind, multi-faceted kid, and Ray and Isabella both fascinatingly complex/mischievous. They all in some ways feel like role models, though I liked/appreciated many other characters as well.
My top three moments:
-Emma's talk with mom about giving up escape, shortly after Norman's "shipment". A quiet and original little moment of good storytelling.
-That ambush/attack by Andrew & his soldiers back at the underground base/nearby woods, that the kids barely survived. I did not see any of it coming and was genuinely afraid for the family for some chapters. It left an awful aftertaste for a little while.
-Emma and Ray's joyous reunion with Norman at the other secret base, followed by plans for war/mass killing/paradise. Also didn't see this coming, and was initially shocked and overjoyed, then later nervous/apprehensive about the direction Norman was taking. I feel I've come to understand his motives/circumstances much better since then.
I very much enjoyed the various pieces of promotional artwork, as well as many of the side stories. I was really surprised and happy too to see that the season 1 anime adapted one of the side stories into a flashback.
Favorite cover art?
Agreed, the scene of all the moms' backstabbing Peter was excellent! I also wished Isabella could've stuck around, much better guardian! I thought Yuugo's final moments were quite well-done/poignant, and was just a great older character/mentor in general. There isn't much I would honestly want to change within the story, except for maybe the way Emma and Ray confronted Norman at the royal capital palace, and perhaps the pacing of the GF infiltration leading up to confronting Peter. There was a lot more potential/details to delve into within the latter, despite pressures to end the story soon. I also thought a slightly more complex, emotionally-intense, and gradual talk to convince Norman to stop would've felt more natural, but I'm not that disappointed and found the outcome to be pleasantly unexpected. Lastly, I really wish the story would offer a bit more explanation into Norman's 1 1/2 year long journey before and after escaping Lambda. I was very curious about that. Maybe in the upcoming light novel...? An epilogue could also be added to the light novel. A backstory about... somebody, extra details on Norman's escape, and epilogue content can likely fit, it's more a matter of the author's decision I suppose.
Thanks again to the author and artist both for their brilliant story!