After God

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I'll try to make this review spoiler free. this is my first review, Please be patient.
I wrote this review when 22 chapters were out.

World building and setting
Okay, Let's start with the setting and the world building, It's
extremely unique. It is pretty much like the synopsis suggests, Creatures called "gods" have infested tokyo, the area where "gods" are labelled as danger zones. If "gods" make eye contact with you, your basically dead, thats why everybody wears masks. The manga does a good job at conveying urgency and it has great action scenes too. The "Light-hearted" moments are very nicely conveyed too, they dont have ... any forced-type jokes and it feels very natural. It could've done a better job at transitioning into the "light hearted" to "serious" moments, but It isnt that noticeable and it wont ruin your experience. This is all I recommend you know before going into this manga.

The next Few parts include slight spoilers.
Story
The story is well, pretty generic. The main character gets "possessed" By something, A idea we have seen alot with manga past decade. The main character loses control, and gets saved by a group of people, again very generic. Honestly, If the story wasn't executed like this and it didn't include the level of art, it would probably would of been a score of 5-6 instead of a 7.

Characters
The characters are well, okay written. The main character's motivation is somewhat unique , She does not have a stupidly tragic backstory and feels very human. Her personality is well, basic but in a good way, she acts like a real person but to some people that may be a downside. There is one comic relief character that people may find annoying, But it didnt really bother me.
One of the characters is basically the opposite to the main character, if you like chaos There is someone for you too. Overall i'll give the characters a 7.6 .

art
Okay, so the art its extremely pretty, the artstyle is semi-realistic while I usually dont read manga with that style , But i'm glad i read this manga. Even if you dont like the story, You could easily just stick around for the art.
The character design is realistic but very unique, I'm a big fan of two of characters design

I enjoyed this manga alot, It has Good action that you can follow easily and the characters are very entertaining. The world building really piqued my interest, since its so unique. This manga might not be for everyone but Hopefully you give it a try.

This is absolutely one of the best stories I've read so far.

Fights are interesting, although not overly abundant, but the philosophy about life and humans, societies and struggles, is over the top good.

The most infectious thing in the world is an idea, and idea is portrayed by humans, therefore humans must be eradicated or submitted to (This is mine, not from manga)

Everyone who comes across this manga should read it, it's a masterful storytelling, art design is brilliant and aside from mostly being black and white, when it is portraying the heaviness of the moment it starts mixing in the colors, which gives you an ... idea that, that moment is important and that holy sh*t moment is coming.

It's only 30 chapters in, and as it would seem it has a long way to go from here, but I do expect it to be new hype manga of the next year. Do give it a read, and you will get hooked! Look in to this mangas eyes and you'll never want to look away again ^_^

Wow. This is phenomenal.

My catalogue of consumed manga is fairly limited compared to some so this might come across as a bit of 'person who has only seen boss baby' type of comparison, but this feels like someone took the sense of humor and fascination with body horror of Q Hayashida, the interest in exploring the human condition and our relationship with spirituality that was present in 'I Am A Hero', and the character depth and drama of Tokyo Ghoul :re, and married it all together. If you've read 'Bibliomania' it's incredibly reminiscent of that both in terms of the themes it explores and ... the visuals it likes to indulge in.

Expressions and full page panels are something this author EXCELS at. Nyababa and Obikawa in particularly have a lot of great faces that I couldn't help but grab for out of context use, and a lot of the action sequences, while simple, remain incredibly visually striking, so much so I had to refrain myself from sending them to friends because it's something you really have to see within the context of the story.

And don't get me started on the chapters where it delves into romance.

I don't know if this will deliver when it eventually ends, but with what's here, I've been so thoroughly engrossed that even if it falls completely flat I think it will have been well worth the journey.

After God is a genuine unique horror delight. It's a story of how grief can haunt you, mixed with the theme of how only a human can truly feel human but then again, what IS humanity? What separates a god from a mortal? Is it their power, or their ability to connect with others, or their age? When suffering is almost beyond them, it can paint a deity in a childlishly curious light as they live beyond consequences. But what happens when a deity comes face to face with consequences and worldly attachments for the very first time? What happens when a god is hungry, ... when a god loves, when a god grieves or feels guilt?

After God aims to tackle the themes of loss and loneliness, shame and twisted self perception, and hunger for connection in very curious ways that I'm excited to see more of going forward. I especially adore the complicated and messy ways the 3 main characters are intertwined and how they all have differing views of each other. I really have to give it props for treating its 18 year old main character as overall, someone still growing and in need of mentorship and guidance and healthy boundaries with the older adults.

As a bonus, the art is an absolute banquet for the eyes. The use of intricate lines and expression work is really stunning and I adore how the character designs are simple yet iconic and easily distinguishable from each other, as well as the grand and otherworldly feel the gods have!

This manga is seriously such a hidden gem.

The art for After God drew me in immediately. The illustrations are stunning and very intricately detailed, and the splashes of color added in the more intense scenes added depth to the storytelling. I mean, just look at the covers!

The manga mainly revolves around Waka, Tokinaga, and a few other characters you will meet later on. The characters feel very developed and human, with distinct personalities and motivations. There are many minor characters as well, and they received less focus but I still liked them. I enjoyed seeing the way the characters interacted with each other, as well ... as the dynamics of their relationships. As the story progressed, more backstory was added to the characters causing us to question their pasts and their motives. The struggles and pain felt by the characters felt real and the art did a great job of conveying these emotions.

Story-wise, I enjoyed the world-building and the pacing of the plot. Many manga struggle with awkwardly fast pacing but After God's pacing felt quite natural and balanced. The story is a bit generic in the beginning, it takes place in Japan after Gods have invaded, who are beings that can kill with just their eyes. Our heroine, Waka, is found staring into a danger zone (where Gods reside), by the researcher Tokinaga. During their encounter, Tokinaga realizes that Waka may hold the key to understanding these Gods and is taken in by a group of researchers. As you keep reading, the manga gets quite deep at times and explores the nature of humanity and the suffering caused by humanity. It’s a very thoughtful manga and I can tell the author put a lot of work and care into it.

After God is still publishing as of this review, but I’m sure that the future chapters won’t disappoint. I’m really looking forward to seeing how the story unfolds and I urge those who haven’t read it to give it a try.

I only made it to chapter 12.

After God was a series I picked up after looking through the MAL suggestions that were up a couple months ago. The blurb plus the art style really compelled me to give it a try. The style lives up to the hype it got, the anatomy was really amazing and the linework was a testament to the skill of the mangaka - however mangaka are artists first for a reason.

A lot of my reviews have begun following this rule; if I'm spending more time questioning "why" rather than reading then I'm not enjoying it.
During the 12 chapters I ... read through I found myself often pausing to give me eyes a break from essays of "worldbuilding"/exposition and staring in shock at my screen as a random plot point barrelled onto my page. I never felt like I had enough time to fully digest what was being conveyed through clunky dialogue, and speech heavy scenes. Even when the action happened it was over as fast as it started and really left too many spots where a break to just look at art would've helped slow the pacing.

To top all of that off, the thing that made me really just give up was the "gotcha's" the manga really liked using. Twists and turns that had no build up, no real answer besides "drama!" that felt like the ending of game of thrones where the crazy queen plot literally plops itself down and demands to be taken seriously. In the case of 'After God' I too couldn't take these plot twists seriously.

I think if you're into fast pacing, non-stop on the go ADHD on drugs style manga this is the perfect one for you, the story itself pretty good when it manages to get points across - but it didn't do it enough to keep me hooked.

"After God" is truly a hidden gem manga that impresses in many ways, particularly with its art style and setting. The artwork is detailed and atmospheric, making the world feel vivid and immersive. The setting is well-crafted and captivating, drawing readers in from the very first page.

The story itself is good, though relatively average. However, it is executed well enough to keep readers engaged and eager for more. The pacing and narrative structure maintain a steady level of excitement, allowing readers to connect with the characters and their journeys. The portrayal of the gods is especially noteworthy; they come across as menacing and are depicted ... with great intensity, adding to the dark and intriguing atmosphere of the manga.

One drawback is the inclusion of a chosen one trope, which feels somewhat clichéd. Despite this, "After God" remains a solid manga that can be easily recommended. It may not be a masterpiece, but it offers good entertainment and is perfect for a casual read.