Jul 23, 2016
The Drifting Classroom is a curious horror manga, a story that sets Lord of the Flies in a desert surrounded by nightmares. Children are transported to a wasteland along with their school and the surrounding grounds. Chaos ensues as they negotiate the dread of limited food and water, as sixth grader Sho Takamatsu tries to prevent his fellow students from becoming ravenous animals. First published in 1972, The Drifting Classroom still manages to create an eldritch atmosphere thanks to Kazuo Umezu’s classic manga artwork.
After the first volume gruesome scenes occur nearly every other page, saying far more than poorly translated dialogue. At times it’s
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disturbing, but it’s not disturbing for its own sake. What’s depicted is realistic when faced with murder and absurd horrors, a brutal reality indifferent to the well-being of stranded children.
Two themes run through the work. The first is hope, which becomes a bit kitschy and force-fed but in such a situation what else could a survivor hold on to? Afterall hope was the compass that guided Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage.
Death of innocence is the more interesting theme. Children who can’t rationalize are the first to succumb, regressing to infants or becoming barbarians—which may be the only true path. While the protagonist manages to hold on to civilization, manages to empathize even when his own survival is jeopardized.
Like Lovecraft, Umezu piles one question on top of another and never gives the reader an answer. I was left as confused, unsure, and excited as the unfortunate children. Some interesting plot points are raised, as if an epiphany is about to reveal itself that will resolve every mounting question; only to be pushed aside for the next mishap. It’s somewhat disappointing but works to reinforce the sense of hopelessness that runs through The Drifting Classroom’s veins. It’s clear the manga is not perfect.
Breakneck pacing is The Drifting Classroom’s biggest disappointment. Once one impossible conflict is conquered the next one immediately begins; there’s no time for characters to develop or breathe after an arc. It gives the impression that events have happened in a matter of days, contrary to plot points that beg for more time to be sensical.
As a consequence characters fit snugly into their archetypes and never push against the boundaries of their mold. Takamatsu is a fearless leader throughout, always a symbol of hope. Other characters are introduced and remain one-dimensional–paper-cuts. But The Drifting Classroom is not a story about characters. The atmosphere is the protagonist, the stage that treats the humans which tread upon it as pawns in its game.
What begins as a tale of survival pushing against insanity becomes a story driven by curiosity. By the final volume of The Drifting Classroom I wasn’t sure if I was reading because it was entertaining or I needed to know the conclusion. “How will this end?” But I realized I read for the atmosphere, the sense that apocalypse could repeat on the following page.
The Drifting Classroom is well worth reading if you’re a fan of horror manga. While it doesn't have the tight narrative of The Enigma of Amigara Fault or surreal continuity of Uzumaki, it entertains while raising the question, “could you survive The Drifting Classroom’s absurd universe?”
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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