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The Zaregoto series upon completion has become my favorite story of all time. Being an avid fan of NisiOisiN's works I expected to love the series but I did not expect it to surpass not only everything he's written that I've read but every other piece of media I've completed in my lifetime.

Characters 10/10
Like any NisiOisiN work the characters are easily the highlight of the story. His signature combo of eccentricity and deeply nuanced writing is present here more than ever before. Many of the characters display some of the most fantastic development I've ever seen while simultaneously just being plain fun. Even the ... less developed side characters are dripping with personality in a way that had me smiling ear to ear.

Writing 10/10
Unsurprisingly the writing of this series is also top notch. Every line of dialogue has loads of character and conversations while long never feel boring with NisiOisiN's almost rhythmic way of writing dialogue. This is another aspect that anybody who's experienced his body of work will already be wholly aware of his prowess in. Essentially every character speaks in a way unique to themselves.

Plot 9/10
The plot in most NisiOisiN stories isn't exactly the focus. His narratives are always deeply character driven and often don't have very traditional structure or pacing. This is by no means a negative though as I feel in regards to plot Zaregoto is the strongest of his works I've read. On an arc by arc basis the series jumps from murder mystery to mind games to full on battle shonen and each and every one is fantastic. The strongest of the arcs plot wise would actually be the first arc due to it being a deceptively standard (by NisiOisiN standards) but still brilliantly executed murder mystery. In the end anybody coming to a NisiOisiN work isn't really there for the plot even if its extremely good in this series in particular.

Themes 10/10
The themes of this story are numerous and deeply impactful. Delving into things such as the importance of connection and self love. The thematic struggle shown is one of learning to cope with the pain in life and how this acceptance of pain will allow us to grow into stronger and happier people. Many different coping mechanisms for each individuals struggles are shown in order to portray the many healthy and unhealthy ways people deal with pain and struggle in life. Upon its completion of many character arcs the story then delves into a rejection of fatalism (Belief that the course of the world is pre-set) leading to a deeply powerful and humanistic conclusion that simply upon retrospective brings me to tears.

Setting 9/10
The setting of this series by some miracle I thought impossible is surprisingly deep and multifaceted. NisiOisiN is often know to even more so than plot throw setting to the way side in order to focus entirely on character writing and thematic strength. Despite that Zaregoto's world is fantastic with the atmosphere in many locations being palpable despite the complete lack of setting pictures in the books. The varied people and groups of the world give it a constantly exciting feel as each new location and group brings more understanding to the way this insane world of geniuses, assassins, and people who surround them functions day by day.

Presentation 9/10
This isn't the most consequential section due to Zaregoto being a novel series but the art and character designs drawn by artist Take who's know for also doing the character designs for Katanagatari and the modern Pokémon games are fantastic. The designs are unique hitting a middle ground between Saturday morning cartoon vibes and traditional anime designs. No matter what Take is working on I'm always blown away by the amazing color usage and expressiveness displayed in her work.

Individual Novel Ratings

1- Decapitation 8.75/10
2- Strangulation 10/10
3- Suspension 8/10
4- Psycho Logical Part 1 9.25/10
5- Psycho Logical Part 2 10/10
6- Cannibal Magical 10+/10
7- Uprooted Radical Part 1 9.75/10
8- Uprooted Radical Part 2 10/10
9- Uprooted Radical Part 3 10+/10