![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
juushikaGuess what I've been doing these last few days. No really: guess. (I'll keep these short, since some of them are one-shot manga. More to come, no doubt. All are read on One Manga, which is a wonderful website.)
Title: Alive!
Mangaka: Tsutomu Takahashi
Chapter Count: 10
Rating: 2 of 5
Yashiro Tenshuu is on death row for the murder of five people, but he is pardoned by a secret government organization after he agrees to become their test subject in an experiment to control a supernatural evil being.
Alive! has an interesting concept, or perhaps too many—a killer's story, a psychological experiment, a demonic possession, all in a single volume. It's attention-grabbing and creates a dark, tense atmosphere, but it's too much for one story. The elements are crammed together and the plot isn't convincing, and so this ramshackle manga ultimately fails. But it's a short read, and the protagonist is a willing murderer for all the best reasons—a strange contradiction which makes him fascinating. I wished for better, but there are worst wastes of time.
Title: Bitter Virgin
Mangaka: Kusunoki Kei
Chapter Count: 32
Rating: 4 of 5
Suwa Daisuke is the ladies man of his small high school, but he has no interest in shy Aikawa Hinako until he overhears her dark confession: she was raped by her stepfather and gave birth to a baby boy. Suwa's sudden concern for Aikawa leads him to fall in love with her—but how can he confess his love to a girl who is terrified of men?
The manga begins with an interesting premise but little more: skilled but unremarkable art and writing, undeveloped main characters, an unimportant and irritating supporting cast, and slow pacing. But as it continues, it improves: increased character development, swifter pacing, and emotional appeal eventually create an enjoyable, poignant story. It lacks nuance, but Bitter Virgin is an unusual love story—of love not despite but rather because of past trauma—which is ultimately worthwhile. This isn't the best I've ever read, but I tentatively recommend it.
Title: Boy's Next Door
Mangaka: Kaori Yuki
Chapter Count: 3
Rating: 4+ of 5
Adrian is a teacher by day and a serial killer by night, until Lawrence, a young male prostitute, discovers his secret. Lawrence promises not to reveal Adrian if Adrian helps Lawrence escape his pimp—so beginning a romance that may heal both of their violent pasts.
This violent, twisted, unusual romance comes from the author of Angel Sanctuary and features the same busy-but-beautiful art style. Only a volume long, it's a short story—but never simple. The characters have backgrounds to defy logic, but their love is surprisingly believable. The manga isn't quite long enough for detail and realism (especially given the unbelievable premise), but its intriguing concepts and emotional appeal make it quite satisfying. I recommend it.
Title: Alive!
Mangaka: Tsutomu Takahashi
Chapter Count: 10
Rating: 2 of 5
Yashiro Tenshuu is on death row for the murder of five people, but he is pardoned by a secret government organization after he agrees to become their test subject in an experiment to control a supernatural evil being.
Alive! has an interesting concept, or perhaps too many—a killer's story, a psychological experiment, a demonic possession, all in a single volume. It's attention-grabbing and creates a dark, tense atmosphere, but it's too much for one story. The elements are crammed together and the plot isn't convincing, and so this ramshackle manga ultimately fails. But it's a short read, and the protagonist is a willing murderer for all the best reasons—a strange contradiction which makes him fascinating. I wished for better, but there are worst wastes of time.
Title: Bitter Virgin
Mangaka: Kusunoki Kei
Chapter Count: 32
Rating: 4 of 5
Suwa Daisuke is the ladies man of his small high school, but he has no interest in shy Aikawa Hinako until he overhears her dark confession: she was raped by her stepfather and gave birth to a baby boy. Suwa's sudden concern for Aikawa leads him to fall in love with her—but how can he confess his love to a girl who is terrified of men?
The manga begins with an interesting premise but little more: skilled but unremarkable art and writing, undeveloped main characters, an unimportant and irritating supporting cast, and slow pacing. But as it continues, it improves: increased character development, swifter pacing, and emotional appeal eventually create an enjoyable, poignant story. It lacks nuance, but Bitter Virgin is an unusual love story—of love not despite but rather because of past trauma—which is ultimately worthwhile. This isn't the best I've ever read, but I tentatively recommend it.
Title: Boy's Next Door
Mangaka: Kaori Yuki
Chapter Count: 3
Rating: 4+ of 5
Adrian is a teacher by day and a serial killer by night, until Lawrence, a young male prostitute, discovers his secret. Lawrence promises not to reveal Adrian if Adrian helps Lawrence escape his pimp—so beginning a romance that may heal both of their violent pasts.
This violent, twisted, unusual romance comes from the author of Angel Sanctuary and features the same busy-but-beautiful art style. Only a volume long, it's a short story—but never simple. The characters have backgrounds to defy logic, but their love is surprisingly believable. The manga isn't quite long enough for detail and realism (especially given the unbelievable premise), but its intriguing concepts and emotional appeal make it quite satisfying. I recommend it.
