Mar 27, 2025
Smother Me is a concise manga with a simple story about young assassins dealing with existential crisis. While not a novel concept in Japanese visual media, it may compared with cult classics such as Crying Freeman, Kite, Phantom, and Gunslinger Girl. A concept often tackling the inability to find peace and not fitting into society. Smother Me is less about those internal struggles and more about dealing with the system that led to the societal decay.
Sold by his mother and forced into a life of assassination, Snake initially finds solace and reason to live through a blind woman, but soon becomes entangled in a
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conflict between two opposing factions with a long history of trauma vying for control over Detroit. Both with acclaimed grand ambtions and noble causes, either seeking to establish order or maintaining the chaotic status quo. As Snake and other characters interact, they challenge and amend each other's perspectives, and search for solutions to their dilemmas—whether to escape, change, or accept a broken world.
It's nothing special plot wise if you consumed similar works like the aforementioned, and the part about gang wars with grand goals is found in almost any fiction with war in it. It perhaps stands out with its devolving art style, becoming increasingly simplified during intense moments. The high-contrast, abstract, UPA-inspired visuals evoke a feeling reminiscent of Samurai Jack or Guacamelee, making for an interesting choice—especially for a story set in America.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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