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Title: The girl raised by Shinigami is crushing the pitch-black ken in her heart.

Score: 9/10

Review:

This manga ‘Shinigami ni Sodaterareta Shoujo wa Shikkoku no Ken wo Mune ni Idaku’ is an interesting dark fantasy manga with self growth theme as its undertone. It is based on the life of Olivia, a girl raised by a Shinigami, who uses a black colored sword and is in a world full of risks and suspense.

Plot & Pacing: The plot is rather good – there is action, some mystery and suspense, occasional romantic theme, which is very well done. The element of appealing character development that is brought by Olivia’s ... search for her identity and her powers is valuable, in the context of the series. However, the pacing is not quite consistent at times, though it’s understandable because some arcs get some of the most important events covered in a blink of an eye, while some others are a bit stretched out for no apparent reason.

Characters: Olivia’s character is complex and well developed, her personality is charismatic and the twist in the plot is oppressive. The characters are a bit more engaging as well but the characters could be developed more so as to bring out the part they play in the plot. Olivia and her shinigami guardian has been one of the manga’s greatest strengths when it comes to character development with a more light and humorous teacher-student dynamic.

Art: Manga is one of its kinds and the artwork goes hand in hand with it. It is quite astonishing and it encompasses the crass nature of the world that Olivia has to endure most of the time. The character models are unique and are easily identifiable and the movement sequences are visually exciting as well as easy to follow. At some point, the artist does a good work in catching the mood and feelings that are attached to some dramatic scenes which adds much more depth to the reading.

Overall: I can certainly recommend this novel to fans of dark fantasy and book that focuses on characters’ development to a great extent. Despite the slow something issues and disappointing characterisation the plot hook and the art is enough to warrant a look.