Scuro by Rinka Kusunoki

Scuro by Rinka Kusunoki

Art and story (c) Rinka Kusunoki

Genre: Shonen
Length: One Volume – 3 Chapters


            Its of a Gothic style, though it isn't nearly as angular as some, but there is lots of dark and creepy details as expected especially in the clothes. The cover really drew my eye, actually, I like Kabuki makeup, though this one turned out not to be that aesthetic at all, the art was still excellent. I'd say its more Nightmare Before Christmas Gothic than anything else, so top hats, frilly shirts, and lace up boots abound in typical Victorian style. I also sensed a little D. Grey Man in here as well. Despite the over used dark genre, I found this had an originality to the art, and it was very attractive. The hair and settings are diverse, and the eyes show a lot of expressiveness, there isn't a lot of differences in the face shapes but the rest make up for it. The main character's hair is always dynamic thanks to the movement given to it, and he isn't the only one with interesting hair. There's lot to look at in the clothes and faces, but the backgrounds do tend to disappear. The action, at times, was hard to follow, though that may lead to the fact that there is piano wire involved. I enjoyed the art much more than the story, there is a lot of personality in it. In short, very appealing and coherent.
            Scuro is an assassin, or, he used to be. Running away from the organization that raised and trained him because he is tired of killing, he slips into an old fortune telling shop where he is told that his fortune will not be given to him but a place to stay is offered instead. It almost seems too good to be true, but Scuro wants to be free and to pay for the sins he has committed up to now. Can the random chance of this meeting lead to that?
            I often choose manga just by a single attribute, in Scuro's case I took it just by it's art, because I think its fun just to see if I can find something I wouldn’t usually choose just by the description to be a good read. I wouldn't call Scuro amazing, but it was beautiful to look at and had an interesting enough plot to justify reading it. It feels sophomoric, though, lots of little things in the writing or the story could have been better, or made it a little less generic. It wasn't too short, but it seemed a little unfinished and rushed, especially in the last chapter. The fortune teller obviously has a lot of secrets, but not even one is revealed so that you can get a bit of closure. Scuro's story is resolved, sure, but his life is only starting. I guess what I'm trying to say is that this manga could have done better with another chapter at the least. Still, its a strong read, though a little forgettable beyond the art due to a fairly generic story involving assassins, I liked it but I didn't love it, and I don't see a lot of re-reading potential either. Perhaps this mangaka will only improve from here, if so, I think I'd look forward to the next manga they create. As it is, though, I can't really recommend this on art alone. I already mentioned how it reminds me of D. Grey Man, and the fact remains that I'd rather go read that instead. Well, this is getting a little harsher than I meant it so I'll just put my numbers at the bottom here...



3/5 Good art, story falls a little short.

One last question remains, though, and that is this: How can this guy eat with stitch mouth?

Don't just sigh, sir!