About Death

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~*CONTENT DISCLAIMER: this manga discusses difficult topics like suicide, self harm, abuse, assault, and abortion. it also displays various scenes of death~*

TL;DR: about death is a quick but profound read that delves into death, acceptance, repentance, and remorse through various scenarios all depicting different characters and manners of death. god is portrayed as a neutral and somewhat sassy constant that helps each character come to terms with their manner of passing, the people they are leaving behind, and their traumas. it is a fast paced manga with some twists that kept me engaged and emotionally invested. please note the content warning!! some scenarios were harder ... to get through than others and i was definitely almost pushed to tears at some points. i would definitely recommend if you are into philosophy or psychological mangas and are not of the faint of heart.

SYNOPSIS: about death goes through 27 different vignettes of different people who have died, or on deaths door and pass on into what is presumed to be heaven to meet with god; god is the only constant character in the manga. each character goes through their life story, their situation just before dying, lay out any grievances, and try to work through their life up until the moment of their passing.

ART (6/10): the art style isnt for me but it wasnt awful or distracting. it was simple looking and straightforward -- just like death itself. i will give the manga points for 2 things: character design & the use of color. i felt like each character was unique looking and were expressive. the manga is primarily in black & white which i thought was a good choice. the use of color is introduced every so often but only to signify when the story no longer is in "heaven" but back on earth which i really enjoyed.

CHARACTERS (7/10): the only main character is god because he is the only recurring character. he is portrayed as fair, level headed, witty and sometimes sassy. he is the judge, jury and executioner in every story and i think i enjoyed how he was portrayed. he wasnt too stoic, he had some personality and i actually found him to be an enjoyable character. without giving too much else about the other characters away, i will say that each of the characters that go and meet god are all dynamic in their own right and the characters really push the storyline for each chapter. some stories are much more tense than others but i think the manga does a good job sprinkling in the touching/lighthearted stories in with the more intense ones.

STORY (8/10): each vignette is separate from the others so each chapter you are getting a fresh face which i enjoyed. there were some call backs and overlap between some of the characters which were cheeky if you were able to spot them but for the most part they are all separate. the stories are really pushed along by the characters and their development in "heaven"; some stories are really dark and others are touching and heartwarming. the only criticism that i have is that some of the deaths feel repetitive -- i felt like there was a lot of the same type of death and a lot of the same type of person dying so there was a point where it felt very repetitive and a bit predictable but i dont think it look that much enjoyment out of the read.

OVERALL (8/10): even though it is a face paced & short read it is quite the downer so be warned. a lot of the stories are very reflective and make you think about how you the reader think about death. it was a very somber and almost humbling read because it put into perspective my own thoughts and feelings on the matter and i really love when art does that to the participant. if you can forgive the manga for its art style and maybe slight repetitive nature i think it is a good read IF you are in the headspace to consume it.

About Death is an anthology series with each chapter following the immediate aftermath of a person's death. God, the only recurring character, will discuss the person's life story and put them on the path to reincarnation.

There is no overarching plot to About Death. Each chapter provides commentary on a different type of death and the possible repercussions of it. People on their deathbed, killed in accidents, who committed suicide and many more are all represented. The pain or acceptance death can bring to a person serves as chilling reminders for the audience about the presence of death. I enjoyed the philosophizing and how everything is ... handled with care no matter how touchy or possibly controversial. Each chapter can trigger different emotions. In some you might be bawling and in others dissappointed in how the dead chose to react. The emotional impact in some of these chapter cannot be overstated.

God is the only recurring character and thus is given the most character development, no matter how subtle it may be. We know the kind of person he is and how he can change his approach with people depending on who they are. Other characters do have multi-chapter arcs, but they are only relegated to 2 chapters each time. The Dead are surprisingly well developed for only being around for a chapter or two. Everybody is fleshed out enough to feel like a real person with believeable stories. They are equally tragic and beautiful.

The art style is a simplistic but effective one. The concept of Death is already complicated, so a bright and beautiful art style would only serve as a distraction. The art is rough to match how one might feel about death, but never becomes lazy or bad. Color is used to great effect throughout. The black and white palette is used to indicate the afterlife/limbo and color denotes the world of the living. The simplicity only adds to the beauty of the series as a whole. It's only con is that it looks a better in black and white and looks somewhat rough in color (especially in the first half).

About Death amazed me in its quality despite its short length. I found it to be perfect and infinitely rereadable no matter the age. It's simple yet complex, poignant, and has surprisingly well developed characters despite their single chapter appearances. An easy 10/10.

Story: 10/10
Characters: 10/10
Art: 9/10
Enjoyment: 10/10
Overall: 10/10 all day

Between a 6 and 7 for me. This is a story about death, and not a bad one as well. But I do think it lacks in almost every aspect for me. The art is not good and not for me, the characters are forgettable and the pacing is rushed. The plot is the part of the story I wasn't sure about. I can't tell if its amazing or horrible. It has no clear start and finish and no end goal to the story. Its just different scenarios put together. Maybe if it was longer I would like it but it wasn't so i did ... not. Overall, its not horrible as it has some deep moments, but it was not my favorite thing. Check it out if you want a short read.