Jigokuraku
Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku

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Looking at the cover page of the very first chapter feels like opening the gate to Hell, matching perfectly with its title: Hell’s Paradise: Jigokuraku. This contrast of Hell and paradise is exactly what you will get in this manga. Suffer and joy, beauty and ugly, rough and smooth, all this at the same time! How could such a contrast story work? How is it possible to create a pure evil protagonist, but still be a kind-hearted hero? How can you make a total madness of action, but remaining sane? All these questions will be answered in this Hell’s paradise!

Note: see below for a short ... overall review.

- Story (8/10):
The story itself starts as simple as it could: a bunch of criminals go to an island where nobody came back from until now. Each of them gets an executioner to overwatch their doings. The mission: bring the Shogunate the elixir of life, which may lay on the island. However, just one of them gets a full pardon if she or he comes back… Until now, it sounds like any other battle royal story. Of course the action, the characters and art are nice to watch, but with such a simple story the joy remains simple… At least, that’s what you may think! After the start it begins to develop and construct its own world on this island, literally!
The best way to show that, is the power concept. For example in Naruto or My Hero Academia the concept of chakra/jutsu or quirks are mentioned at best in 2-3 sentences, and it is there from the beginning. You just accept that is the power of this world. However, not in this manga! You will experience a new kind of power or the evolving of it at the same time as our characters. It is like seeing the birth of something new, but not like in a ‘training arc’, rather like fighting an undefeatable boss again and again, until you suddenly learn something which increases your chances to kill it. So you try harder and harder, until you finally win! This struggle makes it so exciting and real!
Okay-okay, these are the reasons for a really good action manga and a basic good story, but for an 8 out of 10 you need more… And you get it! After the roots of this power concept are deep enough, the main story, worldbuilding, character development and backstory trees can finally grow! Learning more about this living hell of an island, about our protagonists and antagonists, while the outstanding action keeps the whole natural and thrilling! Not to mention, that at every corner something sudden can happen, which holds the death tense permanently.
And while you learn more, your own morals get questioned. Are the criminals good? Are the Shogunate/executioners bad? Is being weak the true strength? Is the meaning of life to die? Of course, right now these sound like total nonsense, but this balance of contrasts is the core of this manga. It makes you think. And a story which does that, is truly outstanding!
However, there are some little stains on it. First, it touches the dark/mature surface, but at the end it fears to really dive in. So nearing the end the surprise elements get duller. The second problem is the enormous amount of action, which is amazing, but suppresses the story.

- Art (9/10):
I saw some truly extraordinary manga artists in my life, like Boichi (Dr. Stone, Sun-Ken Rock) or Takeshi Obata (Death Note, Bakuman, Platinum End). To be such one, you have to have your own special style with long-term high quality. The speciality could be super realism, high variety or both (just to name some). For heavier/darker mangas the “rule” is, the more realistic, the more it devours you. If the mature parts of the story are not realistic enough it could easily feel childish and it won’t convince you.
I wouldn’t say that Yuuji Kaku is on the same level (for example) like Boichi, however it is still on a very high level. That is because of his outstanding artistic style. While other mangas feel like robotic drawings (even if some of them are really high quality) due to a too simple/uncreative world, this feels definitely more like art. As mentioned, the very first cover page catches the reader’s eyes instantly! It looks like a surrealistic portrait. This is also true for the character designs (particularly the antagonists), the action scenes and the whole environment in it. It feels literally like a famous painter would have drawn a manga.
Further on, the diversity. It isn’t as simple as you may think, because you have a specific style, so to draw different characters is not easy. For example, delete 1-2 individual marks of a character and it looks equal to another one where you delete 1-2 particular marks. That’s one of Boichi’s weak points (in my opinion), but one of the strengths of Tite Kubo (Bleach), and also of Yuuji Kaku. Jigokuraku shows you many different character types, physically and mentaly. This is especially important for the villains, where the gender characteristic became meaningless.
However, the manga has one deficit. There are too many backgrounds which are empty or at least felt like it.

- Characters (8/10):
Continuing with the characters. Every character has its interesting and mostly individual backstory, development and goal – especially the protagonist, Gabimaru, is well-written, and his struggle represents the manga’s contrast theme perfectly! – however, the problem is with this ‘mostly’. We get a nice amount of characters, so we have enough time to focus on each of them. Learning their backstories and goals one after one, but with the 6th or 8th character you will get suspicious. Something doesn’t feel right…
Thinking about it a bit, the solution was simple. Villains or heroes, side- or main-character, everyone has kind of the same development and backstory. Of course, they are all criminals or evil beings, so they have one certain point where they turn vicious, but I don’t talk about that. And don’t misunderstand me, their stories are different, but somehow still are the same. For example, one character's purpose is to fight and defeat as many as possible, and he doesn’t care about others. But at the end, he is one of the team helping and fighting together. Okay… Then we have another one, she is rotten to the core, egoistic and wants an easy life. But at the end, she is one of the team helping and fighting together. Hmm… Sounds familiar… Then we have… I think you got the picture, so let’s stop here.
So the best way to describe this, it’s like all our anti-heroes, villains and heroes turn from pitch black/bright white to greyish. And yes, that’s also somehow the concept of the whole story. Nothing is pure bad or good, everything is both. However, it still felt a bit uncreative, and I missed, like I mentioned at the beginning, the risk of going really dark and not just touching it.
One other thing which was disturbing is the amount of characters. As mentioned we have… or had a really good pool, but nearing the end ‘suddenly’ we get 3-4 new totally unnecessary personas. They had their own short backstory and even shorter developments, but their purpose was just to be there or to die, which felt like failed story dragging or deus ex machina events.

- Enjoyment (10/10):
This manga has some weak points, yes, but none of them are really disturbing. The art is amazing, the action is overwhelming, the story concept is basic but modified to something interesting! Especially how the powers in this world got explained and constructed was very exciting,and that is what I loved the most.
The characters are also really enjoyable. I'm the kind of person, who is bored of all this shiny and perfect or super weak but with huge development protagonists. Also I love anti-heroes. So a manga full of them, plus brilliant designed villains and different ideologies are more than satisfying.
However, someone who is searching for a darker and more mature, or a less action manga I would rather recommend something else. You could still find it good, but not as good as a 10 out of 10.

- Overall (9/10):
Altogether, we get a great constructed story, especially if it comes to the powers in this world, but it is missing a scent more darkness and due to a lot of actions it gets a bit duller/predictable with time. The art is amazing, with an artistic style. Action scenes and character designs are positively unique, however, the backgrounds are time-to-time too empty for such a good fantasy. The characters are all individual and well-written, with good back stories and developments, but they show little similarities. But at the end, the enjoyment is at the maximum, if you can overcome these small mistakes. It’s definitely a high-class manga and not some average work.

Hell's Paradise is the least known member of what I've seen referred to as Shonen Jump's "Hell Trio", consisting of this manga, Jujutsu Kaisen, and Chainsaw Man. However, least known does not mean worst in this case, as I'd put Hell's Paradise on par with either of the aforementioned series (It's written by a former assistant of Chainsaw Man's author, and the eye for quality shows). While the action scenes are awesome, it's the character interactions and art direction that really distinguish this series from other Shonen Jump titles.

The main reason why I found myself so engrossed in reading this manga when I first ... picked it up last summer was just how likable all of the characters are. This may seem strange if you've only read the synopsis, seeing as half of the characters are death row inmates, but the author does an excellent job of explaining the circumstances surrounding each character's imprisonment. You can safely assume that any character that doesn't die immediately after they're introduced has redeeming qualities beyond their criminal history and genuine depth. This is especially true for the main character, who I kept forgetting is the most feared assassin in all of Japan due to how endearing he is. The samurai executioners who are assigned to each criminal are understandably biased against their partners in the beginning, so seeing them gradually begin to warm up to the criminals is also really fun to watch.

The other aspect of the manga that really shines is the art and overall style. This series incorporates elements from several different religions, and blends them into a disturbingly beautiful island that looks as much like heaven as it does hell. Watching the characters be hunted by disturbing imitations of divine figures is both exciting and surreal, and each character having a unique fighting style and demeanor keeps the action scenes varied and interesting. I often found myself going back through a chapter after reading it just to look at some of the art again.

One last thing I want to touch on is how different the character's attitudes towards death is in this series. Most typical Shonen has every death be drawn out and the characters have to be sad about it for a full five chapters before the story can get back on track, but not Hell's Paradise. Given that each character has seen their fair share of death in their lives, deaths tend to push characters forwards towards their goals rather than driving them to despair, which I really liked. This is necessary to the story as well, seeing as characters die pretty often in this series.

TL;DR - Hell's Paradise is an exciting dark Shonen with beautiful art and one of the most interesting and likable cast of characters I've seen in any manga. I'd absolutely recommend this series to anyone looking for a new action manga to read, and I'm excited for what the author does in the future. I'm also excited for the upcoming anime to release, so if you're here from that then 100% give the manga a shot too.

Overall relatively mediocre but with good art. The manga has some very good visuals especially at the start, and the mystery aspect of it is pretty engaging, however it quickly starts to fall apart.

The characters are mostly boring until they're about to die which is when the author remembers they forgot to make you care about them, so they have to put in some backstory to make it sad. This happens for most of the characters at the start, some characters are developed later and do actually have good arcs, Shion/Nurugai being the best written characters in the entire manga. They actually change in a ... meaningful way as the events of the story play out, it's nothing spectacular but it's well done and the two are a likeable team. The main characters Sagiri and Gabimaru are unfortunately pretty boring. Gabimaru's entire character is really that he seems like a bad guy but because he loves his wife he's actually a nice guy, and Sagiri's entire arc is that accepting her weaknesses make her strong. Ultimately I found the side characters a lot more interesting, they're more stakes and character development, Gabimaru is just an extremely boring shonen protaganist, while Sagiri is better I still didn't care that much. All the side characters like the brothers, Yuzuriha and Tamiya Gantetsusai are more interesting albeit still not great.

Another major problem is the pacing, it seems like the author had the structure planned out but didn't put much thought into how these events connect or why. For about five fights in a row we hear from characters that they're at their limit from fighting and could die if they make one mistake, well the fight ends and then not even few hours later another fight starts and the process repeats. The issue here is there's just no tension, characters are pushed to their limit and then go on to fight an even tougher enemy in this weakened state multiple times, it's not a one off occurence. Even a quick explanation of "I need to rest for 30 minutes to gather tao from my surroundings before I can fight" would have sufficed but especially from the middle to the end it's just a nonstop string of fights with increasingly tougher enemies.

This pacing issue is also really noticeable at the end, it's almost comical how the way the author tries to increase tension is adding a bunch of characters we don't care about to die to really up the stakes. During the final confrontation a second group out Iwagakure and Asaemon show up, it's been teased throughout the manga, these characters are tough and you're looking forward to how they impact the story, and then they really don't. The Iwagakure except for one are all just cannon fodder, they could have brought 50 or 100 or 500, it's totally irrelevant. The Asaemon are all boring and extremely forgettable, none of them except for Shugen and Jikka are memorable. Shugen is only memorable because he plays a major role in the ending confrontation with the main antagonist, however his character is another that is just extremely boring. If Jikka had never left the island and a second expedition was never launched, it would have almost no affect on the story, the only point to it was to try and make the ending more exciting by introducing a ton of new characters to fight who are even more boring than the ones we already have.

The ending aside from that is fine, I liked the final antagonist Rien more than the rest of the Tensen group, Tao Fa and Ju Fa were the only other Tensen that were interesting. What happens after the final confrontation was also good. The author does have talent no doubt but I was not surprised to see this was their first full work. I'd pay attention to their future works but Jigokuraku as it is has a lot of issues that are hard to ignore.

Is a person really in any position to rightfully judge another person, being as flawed as all humans are?

Story:

The world of Jigokuraku is mind-boggling, be it visually or morally. The story is very interesting, and keeps the reader involved at all times. Once you start reading it, you just don’t want to stop. The pacing doesn’t seem rushed, nor is it too slow. Essentially, it’s a ‘good’ vs ‘evil’ shounen-type story, packed with good action, interesting characters and a lot of plot-twists. However, it goes beyond that, in a sense that it portrays lives of the individuals pretty ‘realistically’; although half of the cast ... is consisted of humans deemed criminals deserving of the capital punishment, we get to see the all too well-known human traits and emotions pouring out of them. This manga does not simply paint its world in black and white, rather, it serves to show how nothing really is just one or the other. Throughout the story, we get to see ‘the beautiful’, ‘the ugly’, ‘the perfect’, the ‘abominal’, ‘strength’, ‘weakness’, ‘the good’ and the ‘evil’, explored in such a way that it makes us wonder if anything is as it seems and whether we are worthy of judging the nature of things or not. It also touches upon topics of personal goals and to what extent is someone willing to go in order to achieve them, self-doubt and rebuilding oneself, finding new strength, loss, hate and forgiveness. The story also relies heavily on the principles of Tao, and such a religious motive gives it a whole new level of complexity.
I do, however, feel like the love is the biggest motive of all, in it’s many shapes and forms.
Really, if you’ve ever loved any shounen manga, chances are you’re gonna like this, since you will be reminded of a lot of good characters and lessons from them.

Art:

Beautiful. No matter the scene type, the mangaka manages to preserve art’s dominant beauty and a degree of consistency. However, when circumstances call for it, it goes very, very well with the overall vibe of the moment, adapting to the point it’s trying to make. Character’s outer appearances go pretty well with their personalities for the most part, and when it comes to panels that really focus on something or someone, the details are absolutely on point and done with a lot of care.
It interesting how even in those panels where the reader’s supposed to get shocked or feel goosebumps, the art maintains its high level, in spite of the repulsive, eerie or gory nature of the scene.

Characters:

It is a rarity to find such a fine mix of seemingly similar characters and their motives, but so utterly different at the fundamental level. It becomes pretty obvious early on that we can crudely divide the characters into two groups by many standards: social standing, status, gender, good and evil, intelligence, species. However, it is with the progression of the story that we see the tiny bits and pieces of their personalities and personal history that truly make it impossible to simply deem any one of them as purely ‘good’ or ‘evil’.
Absolutely every character of any importance for the story gets character development, and most of the plot twists are character induced – be it due to their intelligence, resourcefulness or adapting power.
A person might be a villain in the eyes of the world, but the biggest hero to have ever lived in the eyes of a single person. Due to this, a lot of characters in this manga hold the MC potential, as well as the main villain potential. However, everything is well balanced, and in the end the respectful roles they end up having is story-wise justified one way or the other.
One thing that separates Jigokuraku’s characters from others is how beautifully and tragically human they all are: be it a high-class samurai, a murderer or a god-like creature, all of them will show some type of imperfection at some point, being reminded in the process of just how nothing is ever carved in stone, nor is it forever.
You might find it hard to actually hate any character; you get their motives, stories, hearts and souls displayed in front of you, and as you follow them through their battles, getting attached to at least some of them is pretty much inevitable.

Enjoyment:

This is a highly thought-provoking piece of art, there’s just no other way for me to sum it up. Other than that, the battles are portrayed very well and little is left for discussion considering the outcomes. Character interactions and bonds are also very interesting to observe and follow, as well as their inner monologues and memories. Every time a comic relief scene is used, it is well thought-through and just in time to make the most of it.
I must say, this manga really is not for everyone, since most of the fight scenes are pretty gory and graphic to an extent, while the surroundings or the story’s setting fits the words eerie and creepy perfectly, as well as nauseating at times.
All in all, be it deep philosophical thoughts and ideas, or just sheer bloodshed and chaos, there is enjoyment in every layer of this manga, depending on your personal preference.

"That's not weakness. It's a type of strenght."

I'm really impressed with Jigokuraku, I didn't expect that much from a shounen, since shinobi fights are not my favorite style. But this one got me.

This review should begin talking about the characters.

When they say this is a story about Gabimaru, or an adventure-fantasy-fight story, I tend to disagree. It's about every character, their relationships and their redemption. While the shogun must give one pardon, we are open to pardon all of the worst outlaws from Japan. Those characters are beautifully shown to us through flashbacks, casual moments and fights. No, the fights are not simply fights, ... but an excuse to show what's happening at the character's mind - and we would hardly know them if it was not the fights. Forget the condemnations, the bushido. Now they are exposed, we can see them clearly. We can see their motivations, the flow of their thoughts, and because of that, the change is evident. Most of them are not plain; they change wonderfully and humanly, almost tangible. The terrible Gantetsusai, or the egoistic Yuzuriha, Gabimaru the Hollow - they are not the monsters we think they are. They can change, and they are good, but their development is hard, not a miraculous that turns the bad guy into a good guy. They must suffer, love, hate and see other's suffer, and only then they can change. On the other hand, we have those strict, close-minded samurai, who walk through the same path of suffering until they can open their mind to see goodness inside criminals - in such a way they even renounce their samurai duties! Because they are more than samurai who follow rules - they are human,, and see how the criminals are similar to them. I can't forget the villains, who also show a potential of changing. Of course, not all of them could be good, but the glimpses of humanity that those immortals deities reveal is an indicative that they are also open to change, and they could be good if the conditions were different. It doesn't mean you'll love them, or every character, but your judgement won't be that limited.

Next, the story: to summarize, Jigokuraku is about a group of condemned to death super-criminals who are sent to an island - from where it's impossible to come back - where, supposedly, they could find the elixir of life. The one who brings it to the shogun will be pardoned. With each criminal, there is a highly-trained samurai to kill him if necessary. The problem is: the island is ruled by immortal deities who control the Tao, and whose immortality comes from a juice made from humans. If the criminals and the samurai want to come back to Japan, they have to fight together, kill those deities and their monsters.

I must admit, I didn't expect the story to be so deep. I mean, I thought it would be a battle royale of criminals and samurai. But it's about how the criminals and the samurai must adapt to defeat immortal beings. It can be a bit complex, because taoistic references are everywhere, and westerners may not understand it well, so you'll have to pay attention, or you'll get lost. Besides the characters, other subjects made me very glad: the author doesn't explain everything about the power of the characters. Oh, why are the shinobi that strong? Oh, how can they can see Tao? Oh, how the samurai can be that strong without knowing the Tao? It doesn't matter. Actually, it would take more time and brain cells to explain it. This is not Naruto, you'll have to suspend your disbelief and let things go. The narrative technique of telling character's past through flashbacks during fights is really nice, and the story doesn't seem rushed; the flashbacks can hold the fights, explain the characters, and then give the fight a deeper meaning. On the other hand, I didn't like how the fights were developed sometimes; the willpower saves them more than I could deal with, and there should be more deaths if it was not because of that. Maybe I have said before that it's not necessary to explain everything, but "the Tao" is not the answer to everything! It's just deus ex-machina. The fights should have another rhythm if the villains should die. What balances this problem is how hard things get through the story, with more problems coming until the end. They always have a dilemma to solve, so the psychological pressure on the characters is always at the peak.

Now, the art. It's gorgeous. Even when the manga is black and white, I can see the colors through that psychodelic hell's paradise. The characters design is really remarkable, and reflects well their personalities. The contradiction between beauty and brutality in the scenery fills our eyes, and we can understand why the characters say it seems "artificial". The influences of Chinese and Japanese aesthetics, as well the Taoistic and Buddhist imageries turned into monsters and scenarios is astonishing. You see how Eastern this manga is. The eroticism is also attractive, but not vulgar, what means it's done correctly; and this same eroticism counterparts the brutality and blood, following the concept of yin and yang. Finally, remember to spend some time admiring the watercolor paintings before each chapter, and the huge canvas covering entire pages.

I don't think that is necessary to waste more time talking about the enjoyment, as I stated my impressions through this review.
Story: 8/10
Art: 10/10
Character: 10/10
Enjoyment: 9/10
Overall: 9/10

Holy shit, this is probably one of the most overrated things I have read in a long time. I hope this is one of those things that I couldn't get because after 20 chapters or so this is probably one of the most boring mangas in terms of story and character writing I have read. I cannot believe I was foolish enough to manage to read through it expecting something good at the end.

The story loses its initial hook very quickly when you realise any fucking random thing is possible with the author's convenience, it does not even have a basic consistent power scaling system ... that most shonen mangas have and the fights have 0 suspense or tension behind them.

I wish I could say at least one of the characters was interesting but all of them are very one dimensional and most of them seem to serve no fucking purpose in the grand scheme of things but the author wants to forcefully enter them somehow in every context.

The only good thing about this manga is it sometimes looks great with the art, and the side stories were almost okay i guess ?
But the main take away is that at least for me this manga did nothing good to justify reading 127 chapters. I wish I could say this was an average shonen manga, but at least for me, this manga had nothing to offer after 50 or so chapters to warrant even reading the whole thing.

Fighting for survival/ Path of returning home or searching for immortality

I didn’t have any expectation. But after a few chapters or 65 chapters later, I came out close to addicted.

If you are searching for some fantasy fighting or shounen-ish manga while hoping it can combine the element of thriller or plot-twists, you should check out this manga~~ Oh yeah, not only this is a gory manga, but this manga also heavily details on its characters’ development.

***Warning, this is not a ninja manga that focuses on whose Jutsu is cooler or stronger. If you are trying to read a manga that makes you happy ... or laugh, this is not a manga for you*
*Minor Spoilers*

Before talking about the story, I must mention the MCs.
-Gabimaru: “Best” Ninja/ Prisoner.
-Asaemon: Sword Master/ Executioner.
Due to “coincidence” or “story setup”, these two MCs somehow “teamed” up together along with the other executioners/ prisoners to pursue the elixir of immortality on a mysterious island in order to be freed and return back to home.

Along the way, both of them must face or prevail their personal conflicts and weaknesses. More importantly, they must survive death-threatening opponents or challenges ahead of them.
For Gabimaru, he was supposed to be a heartless human killing machine; however, he must find a way to incorporate emotions and feelings to become his strength.
For Asaemon, she was supposed to be arguably the best swordmaster; however, she must find confidence in herself and her expertise in the samurai sword.

Other than the MCs, the side characters can be extremely interesting as well. Overall, the characters in this manga are hella striking in their own ways and can actually steal some spotlights away from the MCs.

For the story, the setup is extremely unique. Despite having the samurai/ninja element + Edo-ish vibe, the mangaka, Yuuji san, completely created his own universe. With the existence of a mysterious island, Yuuji san demonstrated crimson contrast between hope and despair, survival and death.

For the art category, it is definitely a highlight of its own. Don’t want to go further into this, go READ x)


Story: 9 (unique, well planned, smooth)
Art:10 (meticulous, aesthetically pleasing, astounding background, love the human sketches)
Characters: 10 (detailed, see growth, consistent)
Enjoyment: 10 (Became a huge fan of this manga)
Overall: 9.5 (highly recommend to give it a shot)


P.S. Yuzuriha is THE BAE

If there is confusion whether a place is hell or heaven, you can be sure it’s hell. And this particular hell is all about sexy times between Buddhist sculpture, Taoist esoteric teachings and Boschian thicc predatory plantlife. Body horror meets clerical gardening in a tale that’s interesting to look at, but not so much to actually read through.

It’s a fresh Asian-themed flavor of the deadly mutant-infested “zone”, normally characteristic of post-apocalyptic settings. It’s just that it’s pre-apocalypse for now and not a wasteland – like really, it’s quite lush.

And it’s also often so pretty. In later chapters a reveal of a new landscape makes you ... stop and whoa – it’s imaginative, beautiful and striking like best comic locations are. The designs of the characters are also masterful and well thought out (author’s notes on how he designed clothes were impressive).

In addition it’s a battle royale. With a culling of the cast coming early, heads flying and real final deaths even for named characters.

So yeah, there’s blood and there’re naked bodies. Jigokuraku is an example of fanservice done in an adult almost proper way. Characters pose naked when it’s logical for them to be naked, sex is a thing that people do. The fanservice is very male-centric in its vibe, with only female bodies being shown off, thought there’s narrative BL bait for ladies, some clothed handsome men and there’s attention to the struggles of women in their world. Yet I say almost, because while it’s written so much better than the vast majority of similar manga, a bunch of same worrying stereotypes is present – an age shifting mute loli with a dark past, several evil seductresses, an incestual bromance… There’re hints on sexual violence (which is fair considering the context, but it may make some potential readers reconsider). Oh, and the unique fetish this manga can satisfy is gender-flipping hermaphroditism with a darker edge.

…Too bad that all of this still isn’t engaging enough. And a big part of the reason is because the plot is overstructured. It’s a typical battle shounen with power levels, bosses and skill acquisition, and a battle royale with additional interpair relationships between executioners and their charges. The system is too rigid, familiar and predictable – no miracle has happened because of the fusion, no fresh meat has been grown on the bones. Now, it may change with the addition of new characters and forces, but it’s a maybe at 70+ chapters.

And the rest of the reason is that the concepts of the characters are also old. Gabimaru, the repentant ninja, is basically Mumon from Shinobi no Kuni, but less interesting, or the main character of Basilisk, and the executioner, Sagiri, is a great female character bound to be protected, sidelined and too ideal for her own good, like Tokine from Kekkaishi or Hime from Bleach. The worst part of writing is the tell-don’t-show approach to aggrandizing, when the author spells verbally how great the characters are – a character is often “thinking” that another one is oh-so-strong or cool: “Look, she/he is so cool, look”.

Additionally I honestly can’t say that battles are exciting. Too much is delegated to energy levels and weird ninja magic, so you can’t exactly build expectations, worry and celebrate, you just follow the lines.

In short, the manga drags, because it lacks emotional hooks. You know who is going to win and the character development isn’t engaging. Plus only several characters in the focus get it, side chracters remain largely simplistic.

When I read Jigokuraku I constantly feel the pull of two opposing forces. I want to see more of the gorgeous disturbing feast that the world of this manga is, its visual proficiency and mature (both in themes and in skill) narrative ideas make me want to continue to follow and enjoy it. But then the plot drags and drains, most revelations are predictable, I struggle to care. Tastes and mileage may vary tho, so Jigokuraku is totally worth checking out – for its interesting hellscape and rare brands of body horror, for a big amount of great female breasts and bi-everything plant handsome people, for Buddhist inspirations and historical fantasy fighting. Maybe the story will redeem itself, but for now it tests my patience, you can see for yourself how much it strains yours.

Jigokuraku focus on the story of a former ninja searching for the elixir of immortality in a mysterious land, so he can be pardoned from his crimes. Overall, the premise of the story isn't quite new, but not quite old. However, the author makes up for this!While the story is young and still developing, the author has done a great job with the series. This is due to great world building, art and characters expression.

Because of the plot, we're suppose to be in a mysterious world with the unknown; therefore, we (the readers) are suppose to feel that and feed off that energy. My ... hair is suppose to stand! And from this author I can feel it! The author has done a great job of keeping that energy and constantly introduce new elements to keep the readers on their toes and interested.

Secondly, the author can't keep that energy going unless he has great art to portray expressions of characters. This I might say is where the author excels the most. He constantly brings better art each week which is nice. This allows the reader not to get bored or distracts by bad art instead of the art helping the story come along.

Overall, while it is a young story, I feel like it is moving in the right direction to becoming a main stay in the action manga we talk.

Jigokuraku or Hell's paradise has to be the most mediocre Shounen I have ever read, i'm honestly genuinely impressed on how the author can balance it's positives and negatives to the point that it's not bad but it's not good either, just very average.

Story: 5/10
It's nothing you've never seen before, about a ninja who's supposed to be "hollow" or empty that's going through some execution for the crimes he's committed and then later on he realized that he still has a will to live and that he doesn't want to die yet as he suddenly out of nowhere wants to meet his wife. And so ... he and a couple of other criminals were given the task to find this thing called the elixir of life, it's stated that whoever consumes the elixir of life will be grant immortality but the elixir is located in a deserted island full of weird and powerful creatures, and So our little protagonist is on a journey to seek immortality in order to live a normal life with his wife. The plot is honestly really boring, I couldn't care less about the events that occured during the series as they're pretty repetitive and a lot of the times came off as generic. The series doesn't present anything new, the protagonist is an overpowered ninja that's undefeatable and then later on he found out the creatures of the island are quite unbeatable and then he finally understands how the power system works and every single fight whenever he nearly lost he then goes to a sudden power up and Taa daa he magically won! It's really boring and repetitive

Characters: 3/10
Even tho I just finished reading this manga like a day ago I already forgotten the names of every single character besides 3 people, and that's just how forgettable the cast is. The way the characters are written is either they came off as too annoying or I just couldn't care less about them, and whenever a character dies they never left any impact towards me as the author just forgot to make them memorable. The side characters are extremely bland and boring, I couldn't resonate with any of them as they are either too uninteresting or just straight up annoying (aza brothers). Now the antagonists, oh boy this series has the most MEDIOCRE cast of antagonists, I was never a fan of the tensens and I find the final antagonist to be extremely bland and predictable. The only relevant characters in the series are Sagiri and Gabimaru, the rest of the cast sucks

Art: 7/10
The art is pretty good, i've definitely seen a lot of better drawn new gens but I have to admit Hell's paradise got a nice artstyle and most of the time I really like how the series was drawn. And yes this is the only redeeming factor.

Fights: 5/10
There was not one moment was I ever hyped throughout my read of Hell's paradise, and that's mainly because sometimes the paneling sucks so much that I couldn't even tell what the hell was happening. Also some of the fights are really cheap and repetitive, they never created any tension. None of the fights are memorable so I don't have much to say.

Overall: 5/10
I was most definitely disappointed at this series as most of the reviews are overwhelmingly positive and I rarely see someone point out how mediocre this series is. But still i'm looking forward to the anime adaptation and I hope it's at least more entertaining than this underwhelming manga. Yea that's gonna wrap up this quick review, I hope you all that's reading this to have a pleasant day/evening, thanks for reading :)

Jigokuraku is a fine shounen battle manga. I hoped that it would be great, and it is - for a long stretches of time. But I certainly have some problems with it.

Act I is sometimes needlessly brutal, almost comically gory and overtly cynical. But gradually manga sheds its edginess, and its characters turn from over-the-top caricatures into more or less relatable and certainly lovable humans. The premise is wonderfully ridiculous, the mysteries are captivating and exiting, the horrors of the deadly island are disgusting, thrilling and alluring.

Of course, there is an impressive rogues gallery. Villains are completely amoral and hopelessly evil. It is ... very easy and very stimulating to hate them. And their inhuman wickedness makes it easier for us to accept our (anti)heroes as a force for good. Because, yes, almost all of them are criminals, almost all of them are “bad people”. But at least there is Something good in them. At least they are People, not literal monsters.

Act II is all about classic shounen fighting, duels to the death, rapid evolution and self-actualization of characters. You know, the good stuff.

Unfortunately at this point lovely and nuanced relationships between main characters Gabimaru and Sagiri begin to fizzle out, because story forces them to spend too much time apart from each other. Author decides to just stop developing their friendship, as if there is a limit to how many friend-points two people can get. They hit 100, and their friendship is locked, and now they are friends forever and don’t have to bother anymore. Their internal conflicts are also very cleanly resolved by this point, so nothing to see here.

As a result, our “protagonists” are constantly being upstaged by crazy, charismatic secondary characters. Which is not a bad thing. It’s nice to have a robust and diverse team of colorful individuals. They gel together very well and develop strong bonds. Every time someone dies, it hits hard, it is painful to accept. Every time they score a point it feels exhilarating.

It is true that characters spend too much time explaining to each other various powers, abilities and affinities. But when the time comes to punch and kick and slice and dice, they enthusiastically get down to business.

Then Act III comes, and everything starting to fall apart.

Author decides that he have to throw more able bodies into the mix. So he brings a second expedition of fighters to the island. Naturally, it poses a problem. Because the whole story up to this point was about maintaining a delicate power balance between heroes and villains. Heroes sacrificed a lot to figure out how to fight the bad guys, and then spent a lot of time and effort to catch up to them. It feels immensely satisfying to see them fighting back, hurting and even killing their ridiculous inhuman opponents.

But now we have new fighters on the island, bursting onto the scene like a bunch of overpowered paid DLC characters. They don’t have to level up, don’t have to learn new skills. They are regular humans. But it doesn’t matter, because they just steamroll through everyone and everything to jump into the fray as soon as possible. Our heroes have been fighting gods up to this point but suddenly find it difficult to deal with samurai and ninja.

By the way, badass newcomers bring with them a squad of 40 shinobi, to use as cannon fodder in battles. And it feels like there are not dozens, but hundreds of them. Everyone and their grandma fighting these shinobi, everyone killing them. But there is always more. As if there is a spawning point hidden somewhere on the level.

The most embarrassing scene comes when The Main Villain of the story suddenly confronts one of the newcomers and a bunch of her goons. In previous episodes this guy demonstrated power that far surpasses even his closest comrades. But now he is being outplayed and outsmarted in the most ridiculous ways. It is true that he never before encountered opponents so cunning, but it is not the point. Imagine Dio Brando being robbed in the middle of the street and then helplessly watching thieves running away from him.

At this point I just started rooting for the villains. Not because I found some sympathy towards them, but because I wanted them to eradicate foreign elements and get the story back on track. But, alas, it couldn’t be salvaged at this point.

Like many shonen manga before, this one devolves into ridiculous mess during its final volumes. The Final Battle goes on forever and escalates to the point of absolute absurdity, when any suspension of disbelief is being thrown out of the window, every single person involved it the story "dies" several times. At this point we look not at the characters, but at toys being crashed into each other. One is like - BAAAM! And the other is - DRUUM! And then - CRAAASH! It is utterly exhausting to read.

But it is not the end of the world, it does not ruin the experience. For the most part the manga is very well paced and visually unique. Sometimes even educational, because it is bringing up a lot of interesting mythological information. Like a said before, it is fine. I am genuinely happy for characters that managed to survive it.

If you are planning on reading this manga and have read any other shonen manga before, don't. It isn't worth your time. This manga isn't really bad, but it's not good either. I went into it with high hopes and was hyped to read it, but was wildly disappointed. I kept reading, hoping that it would get better. Other people must be seeing something I'm not with this manga. The only redeeming factor is the art, and even then there is WAY too much fanservice for 0 reasons. Character designs are also pretty cool if I'm being honest. Other than that, don't waste your time ... on this manga. There is so much better manga that you can read that would be somewhat enjoyable. I didn't care about any of the characters, no matter how many random ass flashbacks the author stuck in right before a character they introduced less than a chapter ago died. This manga is the epitome of shonen tropes and manga stereotypes. Even its main message about morality made little to no sense, with the main character killing hundreds of people and just being excused "because he's doing it for his wife." Another thing that pissed me off was character stamina. Someone will say "I don't have much left, if they hit me one more time we all die!" and they'll proceed to defeat three supposedly invincible beings after having their skull caved in. The power system was uninspired, the characters were flat and boring, and the story was so incredibly mediocre that I didn't even laugh at how terrible it was. I was just straight-faced reading this, hoping it would improve. Anyone who is saying this manga is good has probably never read anything that wasn't published by shonen jump.

Pros:
- Art
- Character design

Cons:
- Pacing
- Tension
- Character personality and nuance
- Excessive fan service
- Message
- Unoriginal and boring power system
- Confusing character stamina
- The entire story

(This review was written after I read 37 chapters and dropped the series.)

Boring, uninspired shonen that likes to pretend it's anything more than that. Though the designs are cool and the premise is interesting, the story fails to make me wanna keep reading after 37 chapters and I feel like at this point I should be at least a little bit hooked.

The manga seems to try to make some point about morality and redemption with its characters, but it's usually really one dimensional and boring. People talk about this manga like the characters are nuanced, terrible, horrible people who have to deal with their ... guilt every day and struggle with morality and have to make difficult choices on their path to redemption- what it REALLY is is people who killed some other people and who like to pretend they're tough but are actually kinda soft on the inside. That's about the extent of it, and the manga wastes NO time in shoving that fact in your face unceremoniously over and over again. Oh, wow, the main character who's infamous for being a hollow killer is actually a softie who doesn't like to kill and loves his wife! How deep and original! It feels like the author is jiggling keys in front of your face.

The fights are okay, and the ninjutsu the main character has access to seems like it could be kind of interesting, but it doesn't really get expanded upon in any interesting way. The actual power system is basically Haki from One Piece (from what I've seen up to now, maybe it gets deeper or something). Except this manga lacks all of the context which makes Haki interesting in One Piece. The invincible bad guys use this power to... throw invisible projectiles. Like air blasts. And stuff. Very riveting abilities.

The story is just boring. Though the stakes are technically high, from moment to moment, there is zero tension. There's no huge battle with a time limit and people to save. There's no goal that has to be accomplished at all costs as soon as possible. I mean, technically, there is, but the sense of urgency just isn't there and the goal is very vague. The story basically follows our main cast as they aimlessly wander around the island and get into minor fights trying to find an elixir of life. Because of this, we know that every other prisoner is doing the exact same thing. None of them know what's going on. Why should I be worried that someone is gonna get to the elixir before our main character? The bad guys seem content just sitting around and killing people they bump into. They don't really have any overarching goal or purpose. So where exactly is the tension supposed to come from?

Overall a boring generic shonen which doesn't bring anything interesting to the table and fails to make any sort of point about morality even though it's the main theme of the manga.

A thrilling and thought-provoking manga that excels in storytelling, character development, and visual aesthetics. It manages to seamlessly weave action, philosophy, and supernatural elements into a compelling narrative. Whether you're a fan of intense battles, intricate plots, or well-developed characters, this manga offers a satisfying blend of all these elements. Yuji Kaku's creation stands as a testament to the richness and creativity within the realm of manga.

The story revolves around a group of condemned criminals sent on a perilous mission to the mysterious island of Tengen. Their goal: to find the elixir of immortality. What follows is an intense and unpredictable journey, rife with betrayals, ... alliances, and encounters with bizarre and formidable adversaries. The island itself becomes almost a battle-royale scene shrouded in mystery and ancient secrets? However, our characters need to team up in-order to cope with the onslaught of enemies!

Strong start, Okay end

Jigokuraku is the epitome of everything a shonen battle manga is, with the events of it taking place on what is essentially the Dark Continent of HxH in a no holds barred arena slugfest style.

The beginning does a perfect job at showcasing this, managing to perfectly depict the otherworldy nature of the island with the help of amazing art, it also manages to introduce the cast of characters in a way that shows their character off really well, particularly focused on Gabimaru who is already one of the more fleshed out characters in the entire story, overall a very good beginning.

Though from ... here its flaws as what is essentially a pure battle shounen become more apparent, particulary in its cast. While one can't really argue that most if not all of the cast performs some amazing feats in the story, that's basically what it all boils down to, "Criminals Do Cool Shit And Kill Each Other, The Story" While it has well choreographed fight scenes and great art to boot, it sacrifices most of its character nuance or depth for it, which is perfectly encapsulated in one of the main characters, Sagiri.

Sagiri shows exactly why the show don't tell mentality of writing is so important, constantly being touted as having the potential to rise above her peers and possessing a strong motivation for doing so, but always falling short and requiring rescue at every step of the way, with some brief moments of badassery here and there, making this facade of a strong character that grows into their own when in reality they never quite achieve their goal, it doesn't help that she's not very interesting as a character

It doesn't help much either that on the other end of the bland protagonists, are the even more bland antagonists that serve as the major conflict of the series, the Tengen. They possess absolutely any individual character that could let you even identify any distinct qualities between them, sans two, that would allow you to know who you're even following the narrative of, they are the rawest purest form of villan fodder, existing simply for the protagonists to have a goal to tend towards, and nothing more. Even their origin story does them no merits, its no surprise you'd never see any in contention for character popularity because outside of their role in the story, they have no purpose.

The later chapters don't do well to rectify this problem, its flaws get even more amplified with the introduction of Shugen and his crew, characters who arrive far too late to really be anything more than additional muscle to tip the odds in our main characters favours. They only ever get the obligatory origin story coupled with a flashback and nothing more, simply providing some level of conflict and continuing the grand fight slog that is the manga, and nothing more, the worst part is that this would probably have been the case regardless of when they were introduced into the story.

While it clings to some themes and few characters show some level of potential, it never really dwells on them long enough for what the story did to be anything impactful. It only ever succeeds with Chobe, a character who starts strong and remains consistently good and interesting throughout the duration of the story, on top of managing to top out practically all of the cast in badassery, an indication of the potential the writing had in later chapters, but ultimately didn't really reach.

Its ending never quite finishes on a grand note either, wrapping everything up completely but in what was perhaps the most boring predictable way possible, while ultimately the events of the ending are liked or disliked on preference, I can't help but feel it was a bit too abrupt and condensed, not really giving off the feel of a definitive ending to the series.

Overall, jigokuraku is a very solid battle manga, but a very average series on its own, recommended if you just want to read a manga where people beat the shit out of each other, but you may be disappointed if you were looking for something a bit less predictable and generic in its narrative.

I felt the need to write this review even though I didn't finish the series (I read ~50 chapters, or a third of the series). I started and stopped this series so many times because it was difficult for me to justify continuing.

Story:
Typical shonen. The best that can be said is that the whole island itself is very original. The plot is too simple, and that is its downfall. If the plot was more complex I think there would have been more room for the characters to be interesting.

Art:
The art is technically alright, but the fanservice is gross. ... Oftentimes there will be random titties. Everyone in the scene will be fully clothed and there will still be titties. I hope you're comfortable with a lot of nudity if you're reading this manga. I wouldn't be as bothered with the nudity if there were at least a reason for it. The paneling is subpar because there were times where I legitimately didn't know what was going on. But otherwise, the art was pretty standard. I did enjoy the hellish design of the island's environment, though.

Character:
Literally all of them are boring. I felt nothing when a character died. The only thing that was compelling for me is when Gabimaru talked about his wife.

Enjoyment/Overall:
Besides what I listed above, there were two other things that were really hampering my enjoyment of the manga. First, how would actual Taoists feel about the antagonists using sex as a powerup to boost their tao? Second, why so many titties? I've read plenty of manga so I know every manga has a certain amount of bullshit, but I literally felt myself being objectified as I read this. Anyway, I really wanted to like this manga. I wanted to finish it, but I couldn't because it was too mediocre and creepy.

This review is only based on the first 50 chapters. Although I gave it an overall score of 8, I may rise it if the quality of the manga keeps improving as it did. Also, I'll try to keep this review as spoiler free as I manage to, and I'm super sorry if you'll find any error, as English is not my native language.

So, what makes this manga really worth reading to me are characters and art. The two things are connected, as every single character is well drawn and, of course, many times the way a character is drawn in this manga gives hints ... to what to expect from him in terms of characters or combat. Fightings are really important, one of the fundamental parts of this manga, and the author's attention to details is so high that every single fighting scene is clear, even where some strange powers are involved and he clearly doesnt want to let the reader understand too much about those.

The premise of the story is quite simple: some criminals, sentenced to death, are given a second chance to redeem themselves and become free. Each one of them will be followed by an executor, who'll kill them if they don't follow the rules or try to run away. The quest is to bring back the Elixir of Life from a mysterious island cloaked in mist, and anyone who manages to do so is free for the rest of their lives. The thing I like the most about how this premise develops, is that every single character has some reason to go to that island, and if they don't have one the author soon finds a way to give them one. Something I don't really like are the big evil enemies, who as of chapter fifty seem put there only to provide us some good fights and to explain the powers surrounding everyone on that island. They don't seem to have a good personality and/or some reasons do whatever they're doing other than gaining power or achieving eternal life.

Another thing I don't really like is world building: the island looks as mysterious as vague, the author did not manage as of now to give it some consistency, meaning that it looks more like a floathing thing made of nothing and out of nowhere, and not an exact place in which the story is taking place.

Every other aspect of this manga is awesome, and although it has some minor flaws I expect it to really improve over time and become a super good reading for everyone who likes this kind of stuff (it already is!).

YOU'LL FIND A LONGER AND MORE DETAILED REVIEW BELOW!

OVERALL THOUGHTS AND A VERY SUMMARIZED VERSION:

Hell's Paradise shines in several aspects, particularly with its well-developed characters and the island.
With an original story that blends intense action and philosophical reflections, it's a highly recommended read for those who enjoy complex/emotionally charged narratives, some mystery and action.
With amazing battles/action and an excellent power-system.

Final Score: 8.7

... ---

LONG REVIEW:

1. Plot

- Originality and Complexity (Score: 9):
Hell's Paradise offers a unique premise, blending ninjas, samurais, and a deadly island filled with supernatural dangers.
The quest for the elixir of immortality is gripping, and the inclusion of the "power of Tao" it's a very good power system with almost zero plot holes, and adds a philosophical and spiritual layer to the story giving it depth beyond the action.
What sets it apart is how the combat system requires characters to undergo introspection and personal growth to unlock their full potential, placing the author from the outset under the 'obligation' to develop the characters and write them well.

- Plot Progression (Score: 9):
The story progresses in an engaging way, with well-timed twists that keep the reader hooked.
The balance between action and plot development is well-maintained, ensuring consistent interest from beginning to end.

- Narrative Coherence (Score: 9):
The narrative remains solid and consistent within the world created.
The characters act in ways that align with their motivations, and the universe’s rules (like the Tao) are respected, giving the story a cohesive feel, although I encountered a super super minor discrepancy or perhaps a small inconsistency with Tao, but nothing too serious or that detracts from the experience.

2. Characters

- Character Development (Score: 9):
Gabimaru and Sagiri are complex characters with well-developed emotional arcs that depend on one another.
They grow throughout the story, facing internal struggles and becoming stronger and more complete individuals.
Their relationship is layered and evolves naturally, making it captivating to follow.

- Supporting Characters’ Relevance and Development (Score: 9):
The supporting characters are not sidelined; each has their own story and reason for being on the island.
They contribute significantly to the plot and have their own moments of spotlight, making the world richer and more engaging.

3. Art

- Technical Quality (Score: 8):
While the art in Hell's Paradise is detailed and expressive, capturing the brutal and dark from the story tone with the use of heavy black and a lot of contrast, there are moments where the action sequences become difficult to follow.
The chaotic nature of some fight scenes can make it challenging for the reader to fully grasp what's happening, which slightly detracts from the overall experience.

- Artistic Style (Score: 8):
The artistic style is strong and fitting for the series, with a unique visual identity that matches the dark and intense atmosphere. However, there are works out there that deliver a more polished or innovative artistic approach, which makes the art in Hell's Paradise really good and solid but not perfect.

4. Worldbuilding

- Depth and Consistency of the Fictional World (Score: 9):
The island in Hell's Paradise is filled with mysteries and dangers, with its own mythology that is gradually revealed.
The author does an excellent job building the island and the villains.
There could have been a deeper dive into some of the lore, they talk a lot about Iwagakure, China and even Japan but we saw almost nothing of it.

5. Pacing

- Narrative Flow and Tension Balance (Score: 8):
The pacing is mostly well-handled, with action scenes that keep you on the edge of your seat and quieter moments that allow for character development.
However, there are points where the story slows down a bit.

6. Theme

- Theme Exploration and Depth (Score: 9):
The manga touches on heavy themes like redemption, the meaning of life, and the struggle between life and death.
These themes are explored in an interesting way, especially with the concept of Tao, which has huge potential for complex philosophies.

7. Emotional Impact

- Emotional Response and Impactful Moments (Score: 8):
Hell's Paradise connects emotionally with the reader, particularly through the personal dilemmas and sacrifices the characters face.
There are several genuinely touching moments that stick with you, showing that the manga goes beyond action and really resonates on an emotional level.

8. Enjoyment (Score: 9):

Reading Hell's Paradise is an immersive experience. It's combination of action, mystery, and philosophical depth keeps the reader hooked from start to finish. The battles are intense and creative, bolstered by a well-designed power system, and the emotional arcs of the characters add an extra layer of engagement. The mix of stunning visuals, rich lore, and thematic depth makes Hell's Paradise a manga that is both entertaining and thought-provoking.
9. Conclusion

- Reader Satisfaction and Arc Resolution (Score: 9):
The conclusion is satisfying and ties up most of the story arcs well.

---
Final Score: 8.7

I don't particularly think that a group of people journeying into a closed off island/civilization with strange happenings is exactly a unique idea, but Jigokuraku manages to mod such a generic synopsis into something special.

First of all, the mysticism surrounding the island gets revealed in not too short of a manner, yet not too long winded either. Plot progresses at a satisfactory pace, something that manga of this type tend to not be able to do. The introductory sequence into the island makes enough sense, as in: why do the people even journey to this death island? Overall, the beginning of this manga is very ... well executed, with the plot make sense. And once you get into the mysterious island, you will see some riveting imagery: truly artificial, yet terrifying. Abominations made by collecting seemingly random species of animals into a single one, and the imagery shows, and it makes you wonder: what exactly is going on in this island? This mystery is definitely explored, and keeps you wondering as to what is going on.

Of course, characters play an important role in this manga for it to be successful. If I don't really like or care about these characters on the island, or they're just plain one dimensional, I don't have this anticipation on whether or not these character will survive or not, and the manga definitely captures the characters' feelings when writing it. Motivations, life or death experiences, and bonding all change each character into different people, and the ever changing circumstances make you wonder what the characters will end up doing. Sure, there are indeed some drastic changes in character in the first chapters of the manga when they land on the island, and it might seem a little forced at times, but on the same token, having to experience something so drastic will definitely change people. I don't really think of this as a huge flaw. Of course, some characters barely change at all, but you get to know them better, which adds to the depth of the stories. What exactly are these people like? Sometimes, the answer is not obvious, and it eventually get explained as you watch them act in different scenarios.

In the case of this manga, the mysteries of the island are not exactly revealed at the end, so the plot still continues. I always find the wrapping up or ending arcs of these sorts of mysteries to be a little messy or badly executed, and this is not exactly any different. It really makes you wonder, how much plot armor characters have at some point. There are very questionable moments where they could have been slaughtered, but due to, I don't know, the laziness of the enemies, they survive and get stronger. In the end, the island is wrapped in strife and danger, and the fact that their weak selves got to the point of "getting stronger and leveling up" is hard to believe. I do admit though, this manga is not afraid of killing off some characters. It's not overabundant, as in, I still know who gets killed, and I understand them to an extent, but it's also not too little, where you are certain this character will survive to the end.

I've mainly mentioned only good points, but my biggest gripe with the manga is the "power system." It's extremely convoluted, but it takes inspiration from the trigrams, feng shui, and fundamental concepts of daoism. As a person that has read chinese cultivation novels, or "xianxia," this manga does a much worse explanation in terms of how people gain energy. In chinese novels, its real simple: take in the spiritual energy that is present in the world, and use it to enforce your meridians, flesh, and dantian. This manga takes in different inspirations from everywhere, the way dao is actually strengthened is fuzzy, and the overall concepts are just very obscure and vague, despite there being many chapters dedicated to focusing on it. How should I say this? Dao as a form of power is emphasized very much in the manga, yet it still is confusing as to how exactly its being used, and it's just the result of mixing in a bunch of Chinese ideologies that might not conform to the single concept of "dao."
Another kind of fluctuating point I want to talk about is the art. Sometimes, the art is great, like the depiction of grotesque beasts and animals, as well as the scenery are stunning, but at other times, it feels mediocre at best. Fight scenes also vary from beautifully drawn, to messily coordinated. It's honestly a mixed bag, so I can't say the art is consistently the best, but there truly are times where it shines brightly.
edit: I just finished the manga, I think the ending was quite good for this type of series. It's coherent, makes sense, and it's not a "it was just a dream" sort of conclusion. A good series overall

Truly the best manga I've had the chance to read this year.
Skillfully written plot, touching storyline, great logic and well-drawn fight scenes.
Give this manga a read, I guarantee with my life you will not regret it.
The art is absolutely astonishing, as expected of someone involved with Chainsaw man.
Every single character is fleshed out and masterfully developed. Some bring your to tears, some to laughter, but all of the characters are great. The motives are genuine, carefully considered and well-executed. You don't hate any characters, because the manga makes you sympethize with them all.
Truly, a masterpiece.