βl@ck★OUT
Blackout: The Enigmatic Game

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Okay so this manga has some stuff going for it, there are some really interesting ideas such as the virtual world and recruitment system, also the challenges the characters undertake are really interesting and this is defently where the manga shines which is a shame there are only a few of them. the characters themselves aren't anything special but then again the manga is quite short and ends before it can truly begin.

The manga is definitely worth a throwaway read but don't get too attached because it ends quickly, as I mentioned the challenges were super interesting so if the manga was ever remade or ... brought back then the challenges are definitely where the focus should be drawn.

The cover looks sick, and based off the first chapter it sounds like it could make a really good dark seinen. But after the first page, it is essentially just a gantz knock-off mixed with elements of sword art online and bleach. Don't read it, I only read it to see why another reviewer gave it a 7.
Plot is thrown out the window and boils down to "the real game was the friends we made along the way". This is something someone would write if they couldn't think of anything minutely original and just thought "I'll throw in random copied stuff, then never finish it". ... The only excuse would be that the manga says "end of part 1" but that makes sense, because it was bad so they abandoned it.

Plot: The plot is that they are constantly stuck in alternate world and if they want to leave they must drag two other people into the game. Supposedly there is an overarching purpose to the game but everyone just wants to kill each other and make money instead (except for some big group). Neither plot elements are explored in any depth; they also did not explore the consequences of "you die in the game you die in real life", so no "high stakes" whatsoever. You may be asking how the plot concludes then? Well it doesn't. They literally just show a bit of the world then cut to the people at a cafe where he says, "Because of the game, I made true friends!"

In regards to the challenges the characters face, I don't see how they could be described as exceptional, pretty standard Shounen challenges. I will say though that one of the challenges is about the tale of Princess Kaguya, which is only semi-interesting because it is about Princess Kaguya...

Characters: The only growth is that he "made true friends" which was slapped on in the last chapter, but they were already friends before hand... so there was no character growth (except for 1 side-character who was "hiding her true level like Kirito"). I also found it slightly amusing that the main-character's sword was like Ichigo's "Zangetsu" as in the sword was talking to him and was like "Yo, I'll lend you my powers" whenever he was in a sticky situation, but that dynamic was not explored much either.

Art: I do not judge based on art, but it is clear that it is slightly below average. P.s. the cover image is a scam, nothing remotely like that occurs.

Enjoyment: The only enjoyment from this is that it ends quickly and the fun of reviewing something that you know is bad (I only finished it for these reasons).

I think that about sums it up.