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Sep 21, 2024
This manga gets brought up a lot during discussion of horror manga, often touted as a very disgusting and sick one that leaves an impression. I can not say I agree much with that. While the body horror is very good, I can not say the gore is much more than I've seen in the usual extreme horror fare. The most disturbing bits of it are the real world implications of what we do to animals for consumption. I often shiver thinking intrusively of what a human factory farm would be like. This is why I took an interest in this story.
The Plot. In
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the first chapter we are taken to a hellish underground factory farm and breeding facility for humans. Why? For creatures. Okay, so far it is disgusting already in concept. Now, spoilers. The creatures are aliens, from far away. They stripped their planet of resources because of their high caloric needs due to "intelligence." This is the issue here, the aliens are absolutely barbaric and idiots. They can speak and all just fine but let's think of this. They advanced further than humans, by far, intergalactic travel and all...but they lacked any meaningful foresight to plan their consumption. They also are shown to need to eat a LOT, like a massive amount. But they traveled extreme distances for prolonged time to even find Earth. In the manga they resort to cannibalism in minutes of losing their food supply. IT IS ALSO stated they changed their biology to maintain lower populations and made a queen to take over reproduction. This is a massive shift so their species can be seen as highly evolution centric... yet they could not adapt any method BEFORE their barren planet? In addition to this, humanity freely serves entities that can be killed with... kitchen knives. Now, they aliens also can destroy our planet through the environment. They have some terraforming capabilities, but... It is implied their numbers were very small in the beginning. Needing to bide time until they reproduced enough through their queen that was freely within their human structures. They also are afraid of firearms. The sequel series (which is better treated as a standalone at times) further makes this a bit more ridiculous as a student kills one with garden shears. All in all, the monsters would've been better, in my humble opinion, as more mysterious. Perhaps underground monsters discovered as Japan hides nuclear waste deep underground and holds some level of mind control or false promises. As aliens, they are just too inconsistent and not at all as intelligent as the manga describes.
Characters. I won't spend much time here. Our main 3 characters are: kid you see the world through, a cooler kid with a tragic backstory who has been on the run as he is special in terms of producing meat and has therefore never had a normal life. I like this one. Finally, a bisexual who gets a little r*pey in dialogue that I think was meant for fujoshis.
Art. Nice, cool, creepy. It is good, like very good. Painful, uncanny, inhuman. I enjoy it very much. Aliens are freakish, humans are there to be cut up like beef but you can tell the important ones apart.
Look if you want to binge a horror manga please do so with this. It is shlock, and it is fun. I just do not understand the high praise it gets in terms of being revolutionary or something. People talk about it as a 10 but I just do not see it. Maybe people like the nihilistic "we are not that important bro" energies of ancient aliens and too much Lovecraft, but as a gore fest it works regardless!
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Aug 4, 2022
The review in a nutshell is great story with good experimental art that evokes emotion from the reader. Please read it.
Story: The story of the horizon centers around a boy in a world not unlike ours except a mass scale war destroying all semblance of order and honor. Humans roam a dead world and are conditioned to view each other as problems or resources. The reason for the mass destruction is never given, but that is not necessary. Korea, in our world, has gone through a horrific war of foreign influence, of people from beyond the horizon using their lands as a battlefield. The
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threat of war is also present in their minds, so the reason the powder keg ignites is less important than the fact that it ignites. The desolation is broken by sounds of gunfire, of missiles fired from miles away, of screams and then silence. Humans are simultaneously a relief and a worry. The boy meets a girl, and they walk on a road. They walk forward.
Art: The art is extremely well done. I'm not a usual reader of Korean comics, but this is a FAR step ahead of what I have usually seen from there. It goes beyond American and most Japanese comics I've seen as well. It evokes emotion through exaggeration of human facial expressions. Contemplative dread is seen in the eyes, the pain of the heart contorts their faces, the great big smiles of happiness. Serenity of Love. It also becomes more abstract, thoughts of death and loneliness become scribbles in the brain or a deep abyss. As someone who struggles with depression at times, this is a good showcase of what it feels like.
Characters: It's a short manhua so do not expect a lot of development from the side characters. This does not mean they are bad characters. Some people seem to think if you're character doesn't have some kind of great journey of retrospection that you see, they are bad and flat. These characters are not bad in my opinion. They serve their purposes and do it very well. All these people used to be like you and me. Living a daily grind and finding satisfaction if something or other. We meet them thrust in this world, and we can see what it has made them. Their character is what they've become and if you could see yourself becoming that. Personally, it strikes me. You just see desperation now, it is anxiety inducing. You want life to go back to how it was, so they never have to do these things to survive again.
Final thoughts: This is a depressing story. Frankly I avoided it for this reason. I can not handle these stories like I used to. But I had heard it was bittersweet, not all is bad. I hope you do not see it as a spoiler since I will not say what EXACTLY happens, but it is true, there is hope in here. I'm a Christian, I struggle with it sometimes but I love going to church, and this story handles suffering in a similar way. Suffering is not to be ignored. It can not be. It will EAT you if you do. You will suffer. It will hurt. It will break you down. And you can build yourself up. Is there suffering that will end you? Of course, no one lives forever. Is there suffering that will temper you? Of course, you can not realistically have lived long enough to read this if hardships could knock you down forever. All we can do is live in those between moments, to be strengthened by our suffering and say tomorrow brings tomorrow. You do not have to be Christian to believe this, of course. I have finished Mob Psycho before this and I think there is a similar message there.
While you are here, love one another.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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May 27, 2022
It is super funny that in a manga with sadistic one note torturers and child abusers (and an implied molester) and r*pists people still say "no one is really good or bad"
I would not say this manga is so much about moral ambiguity as it is the ability of people to "justify" much of their acts as necessary or good. Whether you buy into some of them or not is dependent on your moral code. Im not into subjective morality personally but idk how some people can listen to a specific describe himself as evil and unjustifiable in action and be like "i
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am NOT supposed to hate this man." It is an example of how media today has gotten stuck on making villains VERY obvious that when a manga is presented with little bias that people assume they are not supposed to think some people are in the wrong.
that aside, the lengths each character goes to view themselves as either heroes or at the very least BETTER than a villain makes for a great story. The main character, Manji, himself is on a quest of absolution he just makes up on the spot and the elder wiser character is simply like "huh, i guess you could do that" without much fanfare. His employer, Rin, tries to justify her actions but constantly falls into doubt and fear. There are people who justify themselves through code, through family, through fairness, through love, through statesman's duty, and some through simple power. Hence, why I believe this is better read as an exploration to how humanity tends to convince itself that it is just and not the bad guy.
The story is quite compelling, first following our two protagonists and later branching off into various storylines from different perspectives. Some through only 1 arc, others through multitudes. The pace never feels too slow, there is always some development occurring either in the world or in a character. Trigger warning for r*pe scenes though, quite a few. Never comfortable and not insanely graphic, but still disturbing.
The art starts off quite rough, very pencil sketchy, but eventually adopts a cleaner look. Fights are well illustrated and the sense of direction is kept well. Some page spreads are amazing looking, Manji himself is quite a portrait. Like every gruff samurai put into one, and the energy is captured well. Fights are given a sort of artsy feel to be a counterweight to the brutality.
On that note, the characters and their designs are probably the strongest point in the series. No one feels super one note, even the psychopaths get to enjoy some shrewdness behind their animal behavior. The characters easily shift from heroic to villainous roles seamlessly in a believable manners, as their justifications go further and further into selfishness disguised as something more important to the world.
I loved this manga, there is a decent amount of period history that makes it fun and the action is a great display as well. Even moments of quiet with little action are enjoyable as the characters carry their own weight of the story.
Also there IS a good guy and his name is Giichi.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Mar 3, 2022
Jojolion is a difficult pill to swallow for some. All the bizarre components of the series are present, but in a darker and more story oriented method. The themes and the thrill of mystery carry this part more than any action pieces. Some of the action is quite nice and gory but it is not Part 5 (I mean, white album alone is more memorable than most jojo fights). But what are those themes?
In Jojolion we are immediately introduced to a conflict. A man is naked and alone without any memories of who he is and what he is meant to be. His "Identity" has
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been taken. Through the story we meet the Higashikata family and at various points in their interactions we hear about "paths" and "happiness" within the world. Without getting too spoiler-y, The patriarch (Norisuke) believes happiness lies in family, Daiya believes happiness is love and the ability to share experience, Joubin believes it is to rise above where one was at birth. Every character is pursuing happiness, a path to follow. But this is different, Josuke (our MC) doesn't even have his identity, how is he to know what can bring him "happiness" when he has nothing. Alongside him is Yasuho, a young girl who has her memories but still feels the dread of a lack of "identity" and latches on to helping Josuke completely on instinct. Together they try and find their "identity" and from there can work towards "happiness by following ones path."
These ideas of happiness are very "human" so naturally the antagonists of this part are people who would either step on others happiness or are not human at all. The rock humans are isolated creatures devoid of the warmth of emotion and love that humans have the capacity to feel. Araki has long made characters who experience no love to be villains (remember Dio's childhood?). Here these rock humans live long lives and often have stands, their age is slowed and their strength is constant, but without warmth they are alone. Josuke has no memories but moves forward with the "flow" that is present in life, hoping to find his path. The rock humans in their quiet lives of secrecy are afraid that all they are is memories and dreams, the only paths to follow are those born out of those anxieties and angers.
"Happiness"
"Path"
"Identity"
"Memories"
These themes help create the most existential part of Jojo yet, but not wallowing in self pity and sadness like most other manga do. Overall, this is uplifting. In a world of calamity (Japan had gone through natural disaster at the start of serialization, and experiences crippling Covid infection now at the end of it), this manga does not ignore the ugly, but tries to affirm that choosing a path, and choosing the right one, is what humans do regardless. It's all we can do.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Sep 19, 2021
Tomoko is iconic. Weird to say, but people who have never watched this anime or picked up a single chapter of this manga know Tomoko. They are a meme. And that meme is usually centered on a complete loser.
Watamote (shorthand of the much longer title) is fantastic. Yes it has a major shift at some point in the series, yes it is not the same lately, but I think this is a deliberate choice in showing growth. This manga has been going on for a few years, people who related to Tomoko probably graduated before she did (or rather, will seeing as she is
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still in school). But let's look at how that affects the story.
In the beginning Tomoko is a mess, debilitatingly so. It is basically a mental illness, her ability to communicate is non existent. She is alienated from others, her interactions are only through the virtual. This is played up for comedy, but overall it is a sad state to be in. Even early on Tomoko is affected by the kindness of others, because overall the message of the manga is already showing. People tend to attract each other. No one wants to be alone. Later, Tomoko begins making friends through circumstance. Completely at random, friendships are made. Honestly, my friends are all circumstance. I never tried, it just happened. Tomoko experiences that as well.
People might dislike the newer volumes, but it is supposed to show growth, hopefully experienced by you as well. Tomoko no longer stutters, she no longer feels alone and isolated. Hell, at times she feels like she has no free time to herself anymore and laments it, but comes to the conclusion that she feels more fulfilled being "forced" to do things with others. She even says oh no i'm becoming normal. Her friends reassure her she isn't normal, that's why they like her.
Tomoko doesn't "change" to fit a mold, she's still herself. Yet, the perspectives of others and her constant growth eventually brings her to a new "way" of being herself. She's still true, but has the advantage of a loving group of people. There are still jokes, they just shifted to a more school centered gag marathon than just Tomoko going "guaaaaaaaah" for the 50th time. Everyone goes "guaaaaaaaah" sometimes, but they can still have friends.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Jun 2, 2021
I'm going to keep this one short since honestly a lot of Blame! is visual storytelling that simply does not translate very well to words. First I'm surprised by reviews saying this is not a deep story or philosophical. Though the lack of narration does seem to point to an action oriented series (which there is a lot of) it is like saying Dark Souls does not have a story. There are pieces of the world, but like Killy (the protagonist) we are incomplete. We can not fathom the history and scale of this world. It is physically represented as winding stairways and mazes which
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lead to nowhere, scarcely populated as humans revert to a type of techno-tribalism where technological preservation has become a tradition over an understood science, yet it soothes the mind of the people living in such a dark time.
The story itself is fantastic, it is an almost spiritual story of lost flock waiting for a sort of prodigal son that will be able to connect their world to the next (a sort of data afterlife is shown in between the worlds) and provide stability. I truly believe that "data" here in this story is a substitute for the "soul" and repurposes classical hero tales in a cyber-horror setting. The hubris of man creating an impossibly large prison. If you think any of this is a spoiler, let me assure you that it can be interpreted in any number of ways, the beauty of such loose narration.
The art here, as mentioned before, services the story in a fantastic way. The scale of battles bring mass destruction, attacks being able to punch through 25Km of what seems to be concrete, and yet the environment is even more imposing as 25Km of concrete is hardly a dent in the grand scheme of things. The buildings are imposing, they are mixed with industrial pipelines and roads are hardly big enough for one person. The lack of logic in construction manifests in so many ways, making a concrete hell of a scale that humbles the human form (which is why cathedrals are built as large as they are).
Characters are great in this story. The side characters specifically are given so much characterization with little words, their backstories hinted at with interactions and their personalities revealed through their reactions. Show don't tell is used to great effect here. Killy himself is quite silent, and generally callous, which can seem boring but he slowly becomes a man who can not escape the path laid out for him. Cibo herself is very interesting, sadly this is where I can not say much for it is very important to the story, but by the end of it (through her plot line and some of the panels stylings where she is involved) she becomes a sort of Virgin Mary figure to me.
Overall, nothing quite like this! Please pick it up if you think you can stomach such a daunting world! (Or not! seeing as it is enjoyable even without this overthinking lol)
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Apr 25, 2021
This manga is an autobiography, and one that is written in a disjointed manner with the author going into trains of thought that take place completely separated from chronological order. The author herself admits this so it is not as confusing as it sounds, and in fact makes it seem much more conversational and friendly. This is what makes it so special in my opinion. This is a real look into a person life as the person would tell it to you, and it is raw at time. She does not pretty up her actions or thought process, this is a human being. It is
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difficult at times to admit when you've done wrong, it fills us with guilt and regret, it fills us with pointless musings into what we could have done better in a timeline that is impossible to obtain now. This sound heavy, but the author really does this all in a comedic way most of the time! Even though this is a real story that happened and is centered on drawing manga and going to art school, that conversational realness to it helps expand it to other venues. You can relate to this if you have your own mentor you owe a lot to, or even just a person of great importance to your life who you have not always shown the greatest gratitude for. You can relate if you've had a dream you felt others would think was childish but you still put up with formalities of college in order to get to where YOU wanted to be. Those periods of laziness you've been through, the fiery motivations you'd get, the victory after many defeats, the great work life and sometimes tragic private life colliding.
So as you can see I love the story! The art is great for the gags, and surprisingly striking when it needs to be for more dramatic points. The characters are really just two, one you're with the entire time, and I think she has done well to explain her experiences for the readers. Overall, I could not think of a way to improve this, it is fantastic in doing it's concept justice.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Jun 26, 2018
In case someone just wants the quick review right away, my verdict is that if you have even a bit of curiosity in the manga series or manga in general, then read this over watching it.
Story: The source material for this manga is absolutely great. A comedy adventure Seinen which is a dream come true for my interests. The world is fairly fleshed in the anime, although the manga does moreso through the introduction of historical context and small tirades about local wildlife and food. The characters themselves become very interesting, more get introduced with their distinct personalities and reactions. One thing about adventure manga
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and anime that is fantastic is that eventually, you come to know how a character should react, because you become in tune with their personalities. Golden Kamuy does a good job at introducing these kind of characters. One BIG fault in the anime i saw is that my personal favorite arc, (focusing on an old samurai, his comrade, and a sniper wandering into a lawless town. It was explicitly Kurosawa thing to do, the author wrote a love letter to the samurai films of old.) That was completely cut out. Now it's a nitpick maybe to some,at 12 episodes things have to be skipped and streamlined. But even then, the final episode landed on an arbitrary note. It could have easily ended on the samurai arc. Again personal nitpick that highlights that the manga is filled with more information. 7/10
Art: CGI bears everywhere. Good lord i hope they make them look better because there is an arc with 3 bears constantly in frame as a foe. Besides that though, the artstyle is adequate. People are identifiable, movement is sometimes a little choppy but it works, the comical facial expressions translate well. 6/10
Sound: nice opening theme and ending theme, but i can't say i remember much of the music within the actual episodes. In fact, at times i felt the show was too quiet, although that kinda adds to the natural aspect of it. 6/10
Characters: I have already stated above that the characters are amazing. Interesting dynamics arise as you follow 3 groups that have their own goals, getting even more interesting when they bleed into each other as members start using various groups for their own gain. I can't get too into detail because i feel it is much more effective to watch it. 9/10
Overall: Good introduction, but the manga is much closer to the authors vision so if it interests you please go read it. If not and you enjoy the manga, rejoice because you get a second season this same years.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Feb 20, 2018
Story: 7. The reason I rate the story a 7 is not because I found the plot lacking in any way, but because the anime itself knew that the story was not the strongest point of the show. By this I mean that episodes could be one-offs, completely detached from a previous character arc, and still be effective. In a quick summation, you can count on the episodes to focus on either the highs of Satou's life, or the very deep lows, in the form of setbacks to his counseling to become a more social person. Some episodes did not play into the larger
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story within NHK, but that wasn't necessary at all. It's strength was in characters, which i will elaborate on down below.
Art: 9. Very grungy and fluid. A distinct early 2000 style that is commonly seen as aesthetic nowadays. It does its job, while there is a scene or 2 which just looks funky, a majority of the time it helps enunciate it's more indie and outsider type of feel. It's by no means ugly, but the lack of detail at times and the wide motion blurs when the characters move wildly are complimentary to the entire tone of it all.
Sound: 9. The soundtrack is melancholy whenever the characters are revealing their problems and how it caused them to become what they are (otaku, shut ins, schemers, lonely) and it really helps drive the point home that none of them are perfect, but their melancholy is beautifully human and we should be sympathetic. Otherwise, during the more up beat times within the show, the music follows suit. It's bouncy, sometimes in the area of rock. The opening is fantastic as well, the visuals and music both moving at a similar pace and really getting the overall feeling across to the viewer. The ending songs, while less memorable, do their job.
Character: 10. Here is where the show really shines. The show is labeled as comedy drama, but it's obvious that the pull is in its character drama. I can't say I laughed too much, I don't know what that says about me, but I definitely felt some old aches come to surface while watching this. Satou, the protagonist, is massively unstable. The very thought of going outside stresses him, people around him always seem to be laughing at him, looking down on him... sound familiar? Satou is the embodiment of that little voice in your head telling you "hey, they're watching you." That anxiety that comes with growing into society with no real path taken to the extreme. He's a character everyone who has ever felt doubt in their path can relate to. Beyond Satou, you have his neighbor Yamazaki. The embodiment of rebelling against a set path. He moves to Tokyo to follow a dream of making it as a game creator. He's bitter and has secluded himself with otaku culture in order to compensate for all the pain he suffers when he goes outside. Though more socially competent than Satou, he still suffers from poor social skills in the form of his hot headed nature and distrust of women. Then you have his high school friend, Hitomi, who is paranoid and depressed. Every time something is going right, that's because something is about to go wrong right? Because someone wants it to hurt all the worse right? Finally, we have Misaki, but I won't talk about her all that much because it's very important to the climax in her arc. Just remember, we all like feeling useful right?
Enjoyment: 9. Don't quite know what to right here, I enjoy it quite a lot thanks to the reasons above. Although enjoying reveling in sadness is a quirk isn't it? lol
Overall: 10
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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