The Crater

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The Crater is a collection of 17 short stories by manga genius Osamu Tezuka that delve into the recurring tribulations of boy hero Okuchin, as he is moved from one dark scenario into another. With each story grounded in the horror and science fiction genres, and all ending on a twist - whether you see it coming or not - The Crater becomes like a manga equivalent of 'The Twilight Zone'.

Tezuka's storytelling is potently effective with his usual rapid-fire pacing, his combination of dramatic irony with comedic relief, and his self-insertion into at least two or three of the stories. Because of all this, one ... never tires of The Crater's short stories, especially those familiar with Astro Boy and Blackjack. The title story of the series ends with a sombre, but fitting, note to the whole set.

The artwork still holds up to today, as Tezuka mixes realistic and well-referenced backgrounds and objects - such as guns, airplanes, and military bases, etc. - with cartoon-style anime characters.

For those who enjoy old-school manga action and those wanting to be introduced to Tezuka, this is a good place to start.

The Crater is not just one story, but a collection of 17 different stories (with the last one being called "The Crater") of supernatural mystery.
I've read in some articles that it was made during an experimental period in Tezuka's career. He was transitioning from his adventurous and chldish-focused stories (like Lost World, Astro Boy, Kimba the White Lion etc) to write more mature content. So The Crater is an experimental work; he was trying new stuff and made a collection of short stories to see how it would go. I think this fact is the answer to my opinion on each chapter: some of them ... were pretty good; some others chapters, on the other hand, were so confusing that I just stared at the last page wondering what the heck was that.
If you enjoy "Twilight Zone" or something of the sort, you're definitely going to enjoy reading this manga.
The art is bad, but you have to keep in mind that it was drawn in the late 60s, so that was the stardard way to draw during those times.

Story: 6
most of them are good stories, but they just all go way too fast. It misses the drama.

Art: 4
Very outdated, but it is very old. I just hate how people walk in the beginning of the series. Everything is too cartoony

character: 8
I really like how Ruuichi is almost in every story the main character. You really grow attached to him

Enjoyment: 8
... I really enjoyed it. I just think every story should have been a 50 page story instead of 30

Overall: 7
I think this will work better as an anime than as a manga.
I liked the stories Okuchin's unwelcome guest and the crater best. I give them both an 8