Jackals

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Jackals is an pretty good manga. There are a multitude of characters, mini subplots and the highlight of it, in my opinion, was the art.
Story: 8/10
The story was not particularly sophisticated nor complex, but still enjoyable without being too simple. At first glance, the story involves a city of violence, mafia and a hunter who kills everyone. (Dogs, anyone?) A little deeper, and you find there is a rivalry between the two main characters, each seeking to distill their burning desire for revenge. (Canaan, anyone?) However, a little deeper again and you will find many little subplots interwoven with the main ... storyline. Giving background to characters, and reasoning behind their principals. It gives a sense of familiarity and sympathy to the characters.
These 'subplots' make the story very interesting. The switching of the character points are well-used and give a spark to the story.
Art: 10/10
The art was absolutely outstanding. The realism, the gunplay, the fighting, all without match. Even if you aren't into the violent genre, I recommend this solely on the brilliance of the art.
Character: 8/10
The characters of Jackals are interesting and unique, however, they are not completely original since many fall into the physcopathic stereotype.
Also, if you were looking for character development you are wasting your time because in this manga there are virtually none, it is mainly from fighting scenes you understand them.
Further, the only two characters that are vaguely likeable, are the two main ones, plainly from their sheer awesomeness, but otherwise, the other characters are either disturbing or 'special'.
Enjoyment: 8/10
Jackals is very enjoyable, it has great action, great perspective drawings and constant pace. The plotlines add complexity to the story and the characters are the type you want to know more about.
In general, it is an intruging story, laden with betrayal, blood, and legends spawned from the most bloodthirsty.
Overall, I give it a 9/10 and highly recommend it for the non-faint hearted.

Wow, what can I say? I do enjoy a good slash 'em up manga, but this was disappointing. The plot was so thin, it might as well have not been there at all. It's not because I'm picky. I even liked Dendrobates, which had a pretty thin and predictable plot, but the supposed "surprises" and "plot twists" in this manga were...cliche, absurd, and annoying. This story brought nothing new to the table. NOTHING! I really did want it to be good. The artwork was so enjoyable, and a main character was named Alligator Nichol and wielded one of the most badass weapons I've seen in ... a manga! How cool is that? I honestly hoped all the way through for something to change to make the plot interesting, but in the end the setting, the characters, and the artwork all deserved better from the plot. There was way too much exposition. It was like the author explained everything to you without you getting the pleasure of mystery and discovery at all, and the author relied on little "character bios" at the end of volumes to make up for lack of actual character development in the story. The pacing was all too fast and didn't allow for any real moments. It was as if this story was written by a ten year old, while the mature setting and the violence, gore, and very good action sequences were trying to be more. If I could have one wish, it would be for a better author to take these characters and redo the entire thing with an actual story.