ib: Instant Bullet

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As a big fan of Kaguya and Oshi no Ko, I wanted to learn about Akasaka's previous works. I fully expected to find the growing pains of a developping author, but I never expected I would find such a gem.

It is quite hard to talk about this manga since the ending was so rushed. You can clearly see as you enter the fifth volume that things had to end fast. But the potential was there and even with the rushed ending, Akasaka managed to share a story packed with more character development in 27 chapters than most manga have.

This manga is driven by the strengh ... of its characters and the twists of its plot. The characters will often spend the entire chapter talking about the scars of their pasts and how it affected them. Since just about everyone has a dark backstory, this manga can seem quite edgy sometimes but I thought it walked that fine line quite nicely.

The story talks about love and empathy, what it means so be stripped of the means to express them and how they are important for people to be happy. It can seem at times a little hard to understand since it's mostly metaphors and setting but it does the job quite nicely.

The plots is quite good at the beginning and manages to keep you on the edge of you seat by dropping hints at what might come next through a certain character. It is quite a ride of emotions and you can clearly see the potential that the story had before it was cancelled.

Overall I enjoyed this manga quite a lot for his breathtaking plot and how deep the development of the characters was in such a short amount of chapters. This manga had more character development in mearly 27 chapters than most mangas have in 150.

Akasaka's words at the end were quite painful to read as he seemed to like this project a lot and it's amazing to see how he managed to bounce back with Kaguya-sama. The author always said that he would get back to Instant Bullet eventually, and now that Kaguya is over and Akasaka passed auditions to find an artist to draw his next story, I'd say it's reasonnable to expect a reboot of Instant Bullet in this coming year and I'm very hyped for it.

The manga is intriguingly unconventional. While it may appear to be flawed at first, there's a certain inexplicable appeal to it that I can't quite put my finger on. Despite being unable to fully empathize with the characters, what draws me in is the intricate web of relationships that connects them, coming together like puzzle pieces to create a complex narrative that showcases a single person's psyche, thoughts, and story.
Although I may not possess the necessary intelligence to comprehend it fully, if you can establish the right connections, you may be able to catch a glimpse of his 'life creation'.

PROS
The art is fine and some of the pacing and twists do work well. I'm not a fan of "timey-whimey" plots, but the witch was well made imho. Older sister plot part was also a cool concept although contrived.

CONS
I cannot believe this is made by Aka Akasaka. The characters are more edgy than 90ies Final Fantasy rivals. The dialogue and plot is worse than Kingdom Hearts. The level of drama is a COSTANT STATE OF CAPSLOCK! Background stories for every character is beyond tragic to a level that it becomes almost laughable. To think the same guy could make Oshi No Ko and Kaguya-sama ... is wild to me. I could never recommend this to anyone.

3/10 from me sorry.