Gokukoku no Brynhildr happens to be a hidden gem of the manga world, passed up by obscurity, however, this makes it even more appealing of a manga, if nothing else. As expected of the mind behind Elfen Lied, Lynn Okamoto, Gokukoku is an intelligently done and fairly well thought out piece of work, rich in darker, more ominous airs. Unexpected however, is the "Death Note" style of command and control, cat and mouse esque thinking games also prevalent. Fans of grittier plots will certainly appreciate this particular story without the extreme sense that some horror or more psychological mangas provide. However, the gore and moderately
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sexual themes may turn some readers off, albeit not nearly the level of Elfen Lied, for example.
Story/Entertainment: The story starts off fairly typically, almost giving off an "awkward neet" sense, however, it builds quickly, within the first few chapters, adding Okamoto's "bleak and grit" charm. This particular charm, which never truly escapes the story, is a particularly wonderful effect for fans of the style. One could say the transition from introduction to center-piece of plot was too fast paced, however it doesn't detract in any real way, skipping over unnecessary details and fillers. As the story progresses, the grimness pervades every corner of the story ensuring a continuing theme of death and failure only inches from the doorstep of our protagonists, in a way however, that only bubbles just beneath the surface. In doing so this method of writing creates a sense of safety and well-being for our cast only to be shattered not long after. This cycle builds and adds to the overall enjoyment of the story, rather than an expected and monotonous "edgy and dark at all times" narrative. If any qualms are to be raised in the overarching story concept, it'd be the somewhat harem-ish feel that comes into play after a point, which some of our more purist or serious readers may not agree with. This feeling isn't explicitly detailed, but there are times when you can find yourself somewhat frustrated with our damsels at death's doorstep almost throwing themselves at the hero, detracting somewhat slightly from the gritty theme. One could argue that it is a sense of relief, much need in tales such as this and given the somewhat scarce nature of these occurrences a valid point is presented, and should be left to reader preference. As such, the slight presence of a harem-ism will not detract from the score and should merely be a note in the back of the reader's mind, leaving us a 9/10 in both categories.
Art: The art quality is extremely high and even the pickiest of readers will have a hard time passing up Gokukoku no Brynhildr for it's artistic style. If any issue were to be raised, it'd be simply that noir-style art can make it difficult at times to discern the image of what's being presented. Despite this, it doesn't obscure the image entirely, and is a rare phenomenon, earning the art style an 8/10.
Character: Our character cast is another high earner for the simple reason that the character personalities do not detract from the story in any way. It does take some time to see our various heroes flesh out more unexpected traits from their stereotypical presets, but they do fulfill their roles very adequately. With Ryouta Murakami being the role of the hero and protector of Gokukoku no Brynhildr, his initial introduction is somewhat....opposing of what would be expected. In the first few chapters, most readers will assume, as stated earlier, he is another awkward neet character. This is cleaned up fairly quickly, showing himself to be our hero we expect, and the highly intelligent planner we didn't. Murakami proves himself to be the unexpected mastermind all too infrequently seen in today's Japanese stories, and is a highly refreshing, and exciting change of pace from the bumbling idiots normally placed in heroic-centric plots. Beyond this, however, there is little deviation from character archetypes by the rest of Murakami's cadaver. The quiet and all too innocent "memory ridden" heroine, the ecchi and straight-forward girl, and our hopeless, clumsy child round out the crew. Yet even with this present there are still moments of doubt drawn onto our characters, and you can find yourself second guessing the nature our heroines due to the story-writing, and as such, can be forgiven.
Overall: I highly, highly recommend this to anyone with an interest in a more serious narrative, looking forward to a grittier tale and unafraid of less cheerful and bumbling story. The negatives are nothing worth denigrating Gokukoku no Brynhildr over, and as such, I fully well would advise giving this fine manga your time.
*Note, you'll see I rated it a 10 on my score, however this is due to personal preference in genre. You may disagree, as a 10 to myself, may be an 8 to you, so this review will be based as objectively as possible.*
Mar 2, 2014
Gokukoku no Brynhildr
(Manga)
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Gokukoku no Brynhildr happens to be a hidden gem of the manga world, passed up by obscurity, however, this makes it even more appealing of a manga, if nothing else. As expected of the mind behind Elfen Lied, Lynn Okamoto, Gokukoku is an intelligently done and fairly well thought out piece of work, rich in darker, more ominous airs. Unexpected however, is the "Death Note" style of command and control, cat and mouse esque thinking games also prevalent. Fans of grittier plots will certainly appreciate this particular story without the extreme sense that some horror or more psychological mangas provide. However, the gore and moderately
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