Dec 18, 2023
Seeing as there aren't any reviews on MAL that go past Chapter 8, I'm taking it upon myself to write it.
Kagurabachi's time as a meme has largely run its course. As most MAL reviews will tell you, for its first 7 or 8 chapters, Kagurabachi is a series with good art, an ok cast, and a story that's generic but is still decent and shows potential with its worldbuilding and cold tone.
And then Sojo arrives in Chapter 8. And then there's Chapters 9 and 10.
By the end of Chapter 10, Kagurabachi becomes a legitimately good shonen.
Sojo, a character mentioned early on, is properly
...
introduced in Chapters 8-10 and is a GREAT villain. He's cold, he's sadistic in his treatment of others, and worst of all, he also worships Chihiro's father, but in the most terrifying way possible. He's a perfect foil to Chihiro; if any character is going through an early training arc right now, it's not Chihiro, it's Sojo.
And it's thanks to Sojo that Chihiro has someone he desperately needs to stop. They have no direct connection, their relation is so unlike most shonen protag/antag relations, and yet it feels so strong. The cast is being extended to include more characters who can fight against Sojo. Char's terror is now made clear thanks to Sojo's plans, plans that, if they go through, could make Sojo develop into a long-term villain rather than the secondary villain he technically is.
The art has gotten a lot better. Almost every chapter since Chapter 9 has an absolutely insane panel or two. While the faces could still use some work, the details going into character art is getting more polished. The cast themselves is showing some more emotional range, with Chihiro finally expressing sorrow rather than just the "fresh hatred" he's had since the start. To prevent it from being too overbearing, the supporting cast that surrounds Chihiro are much more emotive and even a bit goofy, albeit still able to do their jobs when necessary. The cast also helps make it clear that Chihiro's apparent lack of emotion is really just a way to mask his recklessness.
The point is that it's clear by this point that there's a lot more going under the hood of Kagurabachi's generic-sounding premise. That's not to say it's a *great* series, the art is still a bit rough at times, and the cast and story, while good hasn't yet made me fall head over heels. But that's the key word, potential. Kagurabachi is not just a series with potential but, unlike many manga that have ran in Shonen Jump (I would give Mamayuyu as an example but people would get mad at me because a lot of people really like that one), it's focused enough that me and other readers feel like author Hokazono is indeed capable of realizing that potential
The jury's still out on whether or not Kagurabachi is the next big shonen, but well, I won't be too surprised if that ends up happening.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all