Jul 18, 2020
Gekiman is not a traditional manga, so you should know what you're getting into. Gekiman is more of a remastered Devilman manga with "Director's commentary" track added. Yes, most of the content of this manga are redrawn pages of the original Devilman manga, so you should read that first, as you will definitely get spoiled otherwise. Really, read the original manga first, don't go into this thinking you're fine to go if you've only watched some of the adaptations. This is, after all, about the original manga and there isn't really a need for someone who isn't a fan of the Devilman manga to read
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this - if you didn't like it, you will most likely not enjoy reading Gekiman at all. Well, technically this manga also partially spoils Harenchi Gakuen but as that manga doesn't even have an English translation I doubt anyone cares about that.
Personally I enjoyed every part of this manga, both because of the interesting information surrounding the creation of one of the most influential manga and interesting extras like scenes that did not make it into a final cut (something even Nagai didn't manage to push through the editors), but also because this is practically a remake of Devilman with noticeably better art. Reading this is just like reading the already great story of the original manga again while also learning of contexts and maybe gaining even more respect for the author. Well, technically it does not cover the full story as some parts are omitted or mentioned only briefly, which is why you should read the original first, but it still covers about 75% of it. And the art is really great - it certainly shows the improvement Nagai Go managed to go through. Not that the art of the original is bad, but it can feel a bit dated sometimes. Gekiman on the other hand has abundance of cool pages and fresh art. Also, some redeeming information about the 70's Devilman tv series is included as well.
The main problem with Gekiman is that some parts might feel a bit overdramatized and if this is your only source of the information then as a reader you're not sure whether it is 1:1 retelling of the situation or if a bit of dramatizing things up is involved. Nonetheless, if you're a fan of Nagai Go and specifically Devilman, I would wholly recommend it. 7/10 would be more fair rating, but as a Devilman fan myself my enjoyment was 8 out 10.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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