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Dec 8, 2022
*No Spoilers*
Slow beginning, amazing middle, fumbled ending.
This manga is a classic and rightly so. It is very well written and feels like a piece of literature that you could study in a college class. The symbolism, themes, and religious imagery will be good talking points to analyze with people. The manga really does a good job at non-linear storytelling (the story would go from the present, to the past, to the future, etc.) and does so a lot in the beginning. Be aware that this style may not be for everyone; personally there were times where I got very invested in a subplot
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only for the story to have a flash back or flash forward and an entirely new subplot began.
The manga is so good at introducing new characters and keeping them relevant. Even the most minor character has meaning and an interesting backstory and reappear throughout the manga -- which was always fun to see. This author is really good at that. The story, especially in the middle, has so many twists and turns that you will be hooked.
I gave it a nine, but the manga does have an issue, which is its ending. The ending was really disappointing. Throughout the whole manga it felt like every character, every scene had a purpose. But after around chapter 18 it feels like all that careful planning went out the window. The last six chapters felt rushed and dragged on at the same time and just felt like they weren't as well thought out as the rest of the manga. There were so many unnecessary additions near the end that only complicated the story to the point that it went from an amazing manga to a great manga.
Read 21st Century Boys. It's not a sequel, it's a redo and continuation of the ending.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Jun 11, 2021
*No Spoilers*
A little angsty; if Hot Topic was a manga it would be this.
Beware, the ending is a cliffhanger so if you need resolution do not read unless you are willing to also read the sequel story Tokyo Ghoul: re.
I feel like the demographic for this manga is women aged 12 to 20. That is not to say that if you aren't in that demographic you won't like it, but (as someone not in that demographic) that's my excuse for not giving it a ten.
What I liked:
STRONG FEMALE CHARACTERS: This manga passes the Bechdel test, but barely. The female characters
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are strong, powerful and pleasantly not just a jiggling source of fan service which I appreciate. They are characters that you can look up to and admire -- if though some do eat human flesh.
TABOO TOPICS LIKE EATING DISORDERS: The ghouls cannot eat human food, but to blend in they must eat it only to later vomit it out. I feel like that is a good metaphor for eating disorders, especially which are prevalent in what I think is the target demographic.
INTERESTING CONCEPT: I like that it is gory, but not too gory. It is philosophical, but not pretentious.
Why I didn't give it a 10:
I was thinking over and over again as to why I didn't love it. The major thing for me is that I felt like the story didn't have sufficient twists or plot points. Whenever something interesting happened I already anticipated it a mile away. In other words, the story was way too predictable and thus stale. A second minor thing was that this manga does not have a conclusive ending on its own, it requires you to also read Tokyo Ghoul: re for resolution -- not a major thing, but still.
Overall: I would recommend watching the anime instead. Yes, it makes some major changes to the plot, but the fight scenes are so much easier to comprehend and much more epic. The changes they do make, I am in the minority here, are for the better and streamline the plot.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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May 18, 2021
NO SPOILERS
It should be obligatory to listen to heavy metal while reading this manga. I would suggest the Doom Eternal OST.
This manga feels like the author came up with the concept in middle school, started writing/illustrating it in high school, and completed it by college. What I mean by that is that it is a very crude and juvenile premise and the art style is especially crude. Albeit the art style does subtly improve and, to my surprise, so does the plot. You expect very little from this manga as far as story - I mean I think we all know what to expect
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based on its cover of a dude with a chainsaw for a head and arms! But, there are plot twists and moments that did make me tear up or swell with excitement that I HAD to read the next chapter.
TL:DR: I am a little embarrassed of just how much I loved this manga. I expected to enjoy it ironically just from how dumb it was. But it surprised me from just how entertaining it was and the imagery near the end of it becomes somewhat profound.
All in all a 9/10. The only thing holding it back for me was its indie-like art style and the middle-school boy sexualization of the female characters coming off as a little cringe. *Tips fedora*
RECOMMENDATION: IF YOU LIKED ONE PUNCHMAN, MOB PSYCHO, OR MY HERO ACADEMIA then it would be impossible to not also like Chainsaw Man
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Mar 13, 2021
NOTE: The original Shaman King manga does not have an ending!!
It was cancelled before a true ending could be completed so it has an abrupt stop, which (if you are like me) could be off-putting.
IMPORTANT: If you are thinking about reading Shaman King I would recommend to read Shaman King Kanzenban (it's the exact same except includes more chapters that were left out originally and of course has the true ending)! Or if that is not possible, after reading the original manga read chapter 265, 266, and then 287 until the end at 300 (yeah it sounds weird but these are the chapters missing from
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the original run).
The original Shaman King with the abrupt end (again since it was cancelled before it could be finished) would be a 7 because there is no ending. But with the Kanzenban true ending I would give it an 8. I enjoyed the ending and thought it was quite good.
Review: Imagine One Piece mixed with Digimon and that is what Shaman King feels like. I admire that the method Yoh enacts to settle conflicts is more peaceful and relaxed than most shonen protagonists who evoke the usual "might makes right" mentality. The reason why it's not a 10 for me is because I feel like it has pacing issues and some plot holes.
The pacing issues are that characters seem to drastically power-up in a short amount of time without really showing the viewer HOW they develop those techniques. It felt as I was reading that the author was either impatiently trying to get to "the good stuff" at the end or that he had a strict time limit and thus had to keep the story as concise as possible within 32 volumes. Considering that the series was cancelled that might have literally been the case and so I don't blame him. This is a flaw for me, but based on other reviews I read, some people enjoy that the pacing is so quick because it removes any fluff or filler.
All in all I enjoyed it! If you had to choose between reading the manga and watching the anime I would recommend watching the new 2021 anime coming up instead. Not often is the anime better than the manga, but in this case I feel like the 2021 anime of Shaman King would resolve my qualms with the manga.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Feb 18, 2021
For a manga that is only 29 chapters long, the plot moved a little slow.
The premise of the manga, a biocontamination crime thriller seemed apropos during our current pandemic of 2020-2021 and so that attracted me and perhaps it would you as well. I enjoyed the characters in the manga, especially the two main detectives -- I cared for their well-being and felt that their personalities were nicely fleshed out and three-dimensional.
The biggest draw-back for me about this manga is that it seemed to drag on a bit. For example, when the main antagonist committed a crime in one chapter, it felt like
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the entire following chapter was just about explaining to the reader what had occurred. It had some interesting ideas in there, but it didn't grab me in suspense to eagerly read the next chapter. If it wasn't for it's short length I probably would've dropped it.
I don't mean to come off as harsh; I did enjoy the manga, but in my opinion it was alright, not great. I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys crime narratives as long as they are aware that it is slower-paced.
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
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Dec 24, 2020
From the same creator of Akira, if you are a fan of that manga I would recommend this; it's a quick read and has a lot of similar elements. Fans of Stranger Things might also enjoy this.
This manga would make for a great Netflix or HBO 12 episode miniseries. There were some solid ideas here that could maybe have been stretched out a little more for impact. For example, the deaths have little suspense or gravitas because they occur so abruptly that concern for particular characters is minimal. As well, the killer is revealed so early in, it would make for a much better
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mystery in my opinion if that reveal occurred later on in the story. To be fair, this is a short one shot so a lot had to be condensed.
All in all the premise of the manga and the charming art is likely what I will remember most from it. Good, not amazing.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Dec 17, 2020
Great especially around Halloween to get in the creepy spirit. The manga is basically a campfire ghost story extended to an 11 chapter manga. It delivers what it promises, a quick and sweet scary story that you can finish in a day. Don't expect any deep resolutions at the end or explanations for motives because that is not the point of scary campfire stories anyway -it's meant to be a little mysterious - and I think you will enjoy it.
Think of it as an episode of Goosebumps or Are you Afraid of the Dark or Tales from the Crypt. I liked it a lot
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and will be sure to remember it as another scary story to tell during the Halloween season.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Dec 17, 2020
The most salient aspect of this manga is its strong moral. Superficial materiality and obsession over physical appearance is self-destructive; the perfect beauty is an illusion.
I think anyone would enjoy this manga, but I feel like its moral is especially important for young women to hear and for that reason I think its demographic would be women aged 13 - 25.
I feel like this was a manga full of good ideas, but was a little half-baked. Essentially, it feels like a solid first draft for a would-be great manga. The plot points are all there, it's just its execution that leaves something to
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be desired.
The art wasn't the best. The art on the cover is amazing, but that doesn't match the art on the inside, which comes off as a little crude dilettante. It reminds me of the art used in comic books meant for very young girls. Although, the art is also encouraging in the sense that it inspiring to know that if this artwork could be published then perhaps so could one's own. Albeit, it was refreshing to see a different art style in manga, even if it wasn't my favourite.
One of my biggest issues with the manga is that it explains plot points instead of just showing them, which nerfs the impact. For example, instead of showing a person getting shot in the head - which would be such an interesting plot twist - the narrator writes in a paragraph that a character was shot in the head, thus weakening the impact of the surprise.
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
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Dec 15, 2020
*NO Spoilers Review"
tl;dr: This is the BEST zombie manga ever written so if you enjoy the zombie subgenre I would recommend this. However, the manga has 3-4 problems with it that prevent it from being amazing. So it may be the best zombie manga, but in general it is a good (not superb) manga.
If you are a fan of The Walking Dead and Tokyo Ghoul I would recommend this manga. It starts off as a traditional Hollywood zombie movie, but about half-way becomes very animesque.
The Good:
The manga follows traditional zombie tropes, which for zombie movie lovers is great. Happily it also
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ADDS to zombie lore by having unique twists on zombies that I haven't seen before and that I very much enjoyed.
The way the zombies are illustrated is perfect. There is a great variety in their appearances and abilities, which makes for a more interesting read.
The Bad:
It starts off slow; it is not until about chapter 20 that a zombie shows up. To be fair, slow starts are traditional in zombie films so I didn't mind it as it is meant to show the contrast between normalcy and a zombie apocalypse.
The author of the manga unashamedly and obviously put himself as the main character - they are both manga artists and look identical. To insert yourself as the main character comes off as pretty self-serving and cheesy in its wish-fulfillment that forces me to roll my eyes.
The Ugly:
The absolute worst part of this manga is the HIGHLY problematic and implausible romantic relationships. Romance in this is so clumsily written; it makes no sense that certain characters would develop romantic feelings for each other at all. In fact it is so unrealistic that I could more readily believe in zombies running around rather than these two characters hooking up. The romantic relationships in this were so bad that it dropped my score from an 8 to a 7.
I've noticed many people comment on how terrible the ending of this was. I somewhat disagree; I think the ending itself was good, but what is terrible is that it has so many plot holes at the end! It doesn't resolve at least 3 major plot points which is inexcusable.
The main character has a highly active imagination bordering ion schizophrenia. In the first chapter you learn that him being scared triggers him to see illusions. Sounds interesting right? Maybe the manga will play with the concept of whether the zombies are even real or just a figment of his overactive imagination? Nope. As soon as the zombies show up this is a plot point that is essentially never brought up again. What was the point of including that as a characteristic for a character if it isn't even addressed for the rest of the manga? That is such clunky writing.
Conclusion:
Give this a try. Many times I considered dropping it, but every time I did the next chapter would have such an amazing twist that hooked me in to continue reading more and more.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Oct 12, 2020
The manga equivalent to Catcher in the Rye, but where Catcher is about teen angst where nothing happens, something eventful actually happens in this manga.
The psychological aspect of never really seeing what PunPun or his relatives actually look like, but rather a metaphoric ever-changing depiction instead was my favourite part.
A slice of life that gets dark and highly philosophical. Should be taught in high schools; it teaches an important lesson that teenagers must find themselves and knowing one's identity takes time and that is okay.
The reason it is not a perfect 10/10 for me is that it is repetitive - especially in the
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middle - and it takes a while to get invested in the manga. The repetitiveness is probably intentional to denote PunPun's depression. I really enjoyed the characters; they were well established and had three-dimensional personalities.
Overall 6/10. I am in the minority here and I am glad that the community has given it higher praise because it deserves all its acclamations. Personally, not my favourite, but very well done and I would recommend it to anyone in highschool because it will help a lot with mental health because the characters are relatable about sensitive issues.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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