Opus

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THIS REVIEW WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS AND SHOULD ONLY BE READ AFTER READING OPUS

So, assuming you just ignored that warning, I'll say again that I will be spoiling the ending of Opus fully in order to discuss it, so readers be wary. If you just want a recommendation from me, this is it. Go and buy Opus on Amazon or wherever you can. It's a great read and completely worth your time, especially if you enjoy Kon's other work. The purpose of this review is to give readers some food for thought about the ending, and perhaps change how they felt about it if they were ... disappointed or unsatisfied.

My experience after finishing Opus mirrored that of finishing Neon Genesis Evangelion. Although both had troubled endings, I found myself satisfied with the result regardless. Both of them also later received an "actual" ending, though the ending to Opus wasn't available until very recently and doesn't undo the ending readers were left with in 1996. What's bound to anger many people is that there is no actual "end" for the characters. Just who is The Masque? Is everything eventually set right in Resonance and Nagai's world? What happens to the characters after Nagai finishes his manga? We'll never truly know, but I personally thought the current ending sent an interesting message about the relationship between author and creation. Much like how Nagai can't finish Resonance, Satoshi Kon was unable to finish Opus, and this comes to an interesting climax when Nagai confronts Kon in manga form. It purposely leaves the narrative to Opus and Resonance incomplete, but it strengthens the message that an author doesn't necessarily have complete control over their work. Although Opus focused more on how an author doesn't have complete control in terms of character and plot progression, the end shows us that sometimes the author doesn't even have control over finishing their own story. Nagai doesn't finish Resonance, Kon doesn't finish Opus, and the two clash over this fact in the final chapter. Although it's still a bit disappointing that we'll never know how Resonance and Opus were originally intended to end, the ending we got was far from a bad one and should hopefully leave the viewer thinking about the relationship between fiction and reality, which is ultimately what Kon originally intended.

Opus, better known as Satoshi Kon's Opus. is basically manga version of the 90's blockbuster movie Last Action Hero, starred by Arnold Schwarzenegger.

This time the creator of manga gets sucked inside his own work and becomes a character there. The settings remind of those seen in any battle tournament shonen where the main boy suddenly realizes the world is not what is seems and acquires a role in this newly found way of being. Only this time it is an adult man and he already knows everything about this new world because, well because he created it.

Unfortunately the idea itself is mainly just an ... excuse for the settings itself. It did remind me of the old saying "It's amazing how much you don't know about your favorite video game." This time showing how little the author knows about his own creation. Seeing how differently the author would write his story if it was actually "real" was also a real cool idea, but it didn't really expand this anywhere. Movies such as "Ruby Sparks" achieved much more with this same idea than 'Opus' which just brought it on the table. The ending was quite meh. "Let's add few extra layers so it seems deeper than it is."

I am sure Kon himself could have done miracles with this story by adapting it into a movie, but as a manga I didn't see anything special about it.

Opus – Spoiler Free – Not Recommended

TLDR
Story – 3/10 – 3 x 0.275 = 0,825
Art – 6,5/10 – 6,5 x 0.2 = 1,3
Characters – 3/10 – 3 x 0.225 = 0,675
Enjoyment – 4/10 – 4 x 0.3 = 1,2
Total: 4 -> 4

Story – 3/10
... Opus started out with an interesting premise but with a terrible execution.
Opus is a manga by Satoshi Kon, an animator by nature. It is one of his few manga works.
The story follows the protagonist – Chikara, a mangaka – that was literally swallowed by his own work of art – an action manga. The story then follows the interactions between the mangakas and the characters that he made.
While the beginning is somewhat interesting and engaging, Opus has the gift of ruining this in the first few chapters. It becomes a confusing mesh of events with no real connection between them.
When evaluating the story, one must also keep in mind that it is unfinished and thus has no true ending. One “final” chapter has been released, but it doesn’t conclude the story in any way.
Moreover, the story doesn’t seem to be the main topic of the manga, as he focuses more on the relationship between the mangaka and the characters he created. Again, it all ended too soon to be of value.

Art – 6,5/10
The art is not poorly executed but falls short of being impressive. The character design is average as well, although functional. The cadence of the panels isn't particularly well-accomplished. The backgrounds have some degree of quality in them.

Characters – 3/10
The characters are mid at best, although it is hard in such a short and unfinished manga to create compelling characters. The main character – the mangaka – is interesting, as well as the main character of the manga – Satoko –, but the rest of the cast is a mess. There are characters but they play no role whatsoever.

Enjoyment – 4/10
The manga definitely had potential, but it just didn't deliver. We are left with a sub-par story with a good premise but a bad execution. I can’t see how, aside from the legion of fans that Satoshi Kon rightfully has due to his animes, can Opus be of any interest to anyone. It is just an unfinished story going nowhere – at least, from what we saw. It could have some interest in the question between the author and his creations, but that would depend on how it evolved. It may be interesting if you are reading everything from him but not much else. And, in that regard, Tropic of the Sea does a much better job. Unfortunately, it deserves a not recommended.