Mar 26, 2013
Recommendable for anyone looking for an easy to follow, dark, action filled psychological seinen, which follows a young troubled protagonist. It's complimented with a visceral and detailed art style.
The story is an interesting commentary on Japanese underground crime culture, following a twisted anti-hero's struggle. It is mainly martial arts orientated and character/fight driven, so anyone looking for an exceptional or detailed story, maybe should look elsewhere. The manga does flow and read well as an outcome of this though.
What it lacks in complexity it makes up for in character development. The mangaka does a great job in engaging the reader with the characters choices,
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as well as the violence and despair he continually faces. it is often dark and sometimes too nihilistic (comparable to the early volumes of Gantz). This can leave more to be wanted from the protagonist, who's personality can be described as one dimensional, despite its complexity. This may be intentional though.
The fighting is probably the manga's biggest strength, displaying a gritty and realistic representation of mixed martial arts.
It is of course important when mentioning this manga is to bring up its hiatus, which it has recently came back from. The manga isn't yet finished, but can be split into 4 parts. A often complaint is the abrupt departure from the story in the 3rd part, and its consequences that I am not sure was the cause of the hiatus.
Nonetheless to anyone also returning to read this series, it is now well back on track and heading in the right direction. Like I said before, it isn't incredibly deep, but it more than well makes up for it in entertainment and shock value. Along with its great art, it is very easy to pick up and read for anyone who struggles with manga or particularly the seinen genre.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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