Zetman

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Alternative Titles

Japanese: ZETMAN

Information

Type: Manga

Volumes: 20

Chapters: 226

Status: Finished

Published: Oct 31, 2002 to Jul 24, 2014

Genres: Action, Drama, Romance, Sci-Fi, Supernatural

Demographic: Seinen

Serialization: Young Jump

Authors: Katsura, Masakazu (Story & Art)

Statistics

Score: 7.61¹ (scored by 14,234 users)

¹ indicates a weighted score.

Ranked: #2231²

² based on the top manga page. Please note that 'R18+' titles are excluded.

Popularity: #398

Members: 43,808

Favorites: 666

Resources

Wikipedia

7.61

Ranked #2231Popularity #398Members 43,808

MangaYoung JumpKatsura, Masakazu (Story & Art)

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Volumes: /20

Chapters: /226

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Synopsis

On the surface, Jin Kanzaki may seem like an ordinary street urchin, but he possesses a supernatural strength that he uses for the welfare of his fellow man, or so his grandfather wishes. Much to his chagrin, his grandchild demands 10,000 yen for every good deed that he carries out. However, Jin's modest life is suddenly thrown into disarray when he encounters a player, a deadly entity possibly responsible for several mysterious murders.

As Jin attempts to navigate the situation by punching his way through every obstacle, a group of mysterious men desperately hunt down an individual with a ring-shaped mark on their hand. As they continue their investigation, various secrets surrounding the world begin to unravel—and it seems like Jin himself might be the solution to the puzzle.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

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Background

Zetman was published in Spanish by Glénat España from October 2006 to June 2012 before declaring bankruptcy; it was republished and finished by Ivrea España from June 2013 to March 2016. It was also published in Brazilian Portuguese by Editora JBC from June 2015 to October 2017.

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Characters

Kanzaki, Jin

Main

Tanaka, Hanako

Main

Amagi, Kouga

Main

Amagi, Konoha

Main

Haitani, Seiji

Supporting

Kawakami, Akemi

Supporting

Kanzaki, Gorou

Supporting

Hashimoto, Mayu

Supporting

Sweeper

Supporting

Hayami

Supporting

Reviews

Jan 30, 2016

machinist

Recommended

Zetman is a Devilman derivative (or in the case of the original one-shot, an obvious pastiche) that fills the niche of those looking for a darker, sexier superhero comic while retaining some of the camp of the genre, along with character duality reminiscent of a reversed Batman/Superman dynamic. Fans of the slow-burn will enjoy the steady build of the plot, while others may be frustrated at points where it seems to move *too* slow.

Its strongest point lies in its artwork, which will likely keep people reading despite bumps in story construction. The artwork is beautiful and polished, with immaculate attention to detail and anatomy put ... into the character designs and settings, which is impressive during extensive fight scenes with highly detailed characters. Those who appreciate the hyper-detail that goes into works like Berserk will likewise also appreciate the effort put into Zetman's art and design.

Storywise, Zetman is a familiar sci-fi take on a classic subject and becomes fairly meta as genre-specific anime origins become integrated into its plot. While slowly paced, the story is full of timeskips and flashbacks, at times becoming incoherent or suffering from superfluous dialogue when the priority should be "show, not tell." The attention to detail is extensive, but the storytelling would benefit with streamlined editing. While the overall soul of the story is meant to be in the internal conflicts of the main characters with a "nature vs. nurture" subtext, it remains weak by being largely driven by plot points, with the main character remaining fairly static. While a hit-and-miss for some, Kouga's character arc remains the most dynamic thus far.

This lack of dynamism extends to the female characters to a great degree - most lack dimension and serve as plot devices to create conflict for the male characters. It's worth mentioning that this manga could be called "Fridged Women: Zetman Edition." Those with a low tolerance for this trope will quickly become frustrated by the constant sexualized peril and exploitation of the female characters, which appears so fetishistic it can border on guro. While tolerable the first few times, the constant recurrence can quickly become redundant and exhausting. Those discerning of well-developed romance will probably crinkle their nose when the first major one comes out of left field, feeling jarringly hasty and uncharacteristic. The motive for the shoddily constructed romance is blindingly obvious, which will leave some with a sour taste.

For all its flaws, Zetman has its poignant moments and is worthwhile for those looking for a niche seinen with retro superhero vibes. This story could also satisfy anyone simply looking to read something with beautiful art. It is committed to retaining suspense and tension, which makes it an exciting read when all the elements flow smoothly. With the action only now seeming to truly kick off, it could still have time to iron out its flaws.

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Oct 13, 2021

Joricardo

Mixed Feelings

Funny

Preliminary (80/226 eps)

A manga with great art, but that's all it has to offer.

An uninteresting story with a shallow development that doesn't seem to go out of place.

Apart from the characters that are very one-dimensional. Seeing Kouga screaming "justice" all the time is so irritating, and development around this theme is nil.

The art is beautiful, that's a fact. The fights are also very well done.
But that's not all that makes a story good to follow.

Anyway, it wasn't a good read. But the main point that led me to drope was because the work had an open ending for an act 2 that never came...
I see no reason ...

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Sep 6, 2024

T-Imarudi

Not Recommended

TL;DR: It starts off well but gets annoying and pointless after the second half.

The first part of the work is good, seeing the two childhoods and origins of the main characters until the point where they meet becomes very interesting, seeing how Kouga's perfect sense of justice clashes with the difficult reality that Jin lived, seeing the disagreement of both until a friendship and partnership begins. Up to this point the work remains good and interesting, but it starts to go downhill from there.

After this, the story just gets messy, mainly because of the character named Seiji. The manipulation he does at first is mysterious ...

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