Triple Halloween Feature

I've just had no luck with the manga I picked this year. Two thirds of the ones I read were not suitable for Halloween as far as I was concerned even though they had some sort of supernatural element to them and the half of the rest I didn't much feel like reviewing due to either they were just not worth it or some other force stopped me. In one case that was my computer crashing. In fact as I was editing this review, my computer, a different computer, crashed. I'm going to try for one more post on Saturday, but I've got a party to prepare for so it might be the day after, if I can even find one. Blah, blah, blah... random gif.

Black Paradox by Junji Itou

Art and story (c) Junji Itou

Genre: Horror, Seinen
Length: One Volume – 6 Chapters and 2 Extras

No, seriously this guy.

           The art style isn't entirely gothic, but it has a dark look to it for sure with lanky hair and lots of inked in black clothes. The faces are semi realistic, and so is the hair, and there is lots of variety to the characters as well. Just look at that long faced guy, seriously. The art is also very practiced from every angle. The movements are natural and the clothing fit well on the body frames. The clothing isn't all that interesting on its own, though, it is mostly black suits and dresses. The backgrounds are very detailed and the panels are concise and easy to follow. I can find no fault in the art of this manga, except that it looks creepy and unsettling but that is the point so it doesn’t really count.
           A group of strangers meet up one afternoon after making a date over the internet, the purpose of this outing is to drive to a secluded spot and participate in a group suicide. Things aren't entirely what they seem though, and when one member of the carpool notices another vehicle pass them with all the same passengers inside except for herself, things begin to get strange. Is it a premonition or something much more sinister that allowed this vision?
           What the f*** did I just read? No seriously, someone tell me, WTF did I just read?!? Its weird horror manga like this that has made me only read this genre at Halloween. I literally can't comprehend why someone ever thought of a story like this, let alone why they would draw it out so neatly for me to come along and read it. If the rest of the manga was like the first chapter I think I would have been okay, but no, Black Paradox takes a strange turn and then just puts pedal to the metal on this new road. I don't traditionally spoil things but the confusing nature of this manga has forced my hand. Okay, so, when, after the first chapter is over, and the group decides to go though with their suicide pact a second time (I'm not going to explain the first chapter because I actually liked that one) only one of them goes through with it. The other three stare in shock at his dead body before the man throws up an amazing jewel and comes back to life. No explanation later, and his stomach explodes from the jewels, two of the party try to sell these jewels because they are pretty even though they are certain the gems are crystallized souls from another dimension. The afterlife I guess, since the portal opened when he tried to kill himself, thus the crystals are souls. The last of the group slowly succumbs to almost insane fear, but it turns out that’s because a portal to the dimension the other man had in his stomach is opening in her brain, and the other two have portals, too, just in case you were worrying this was all random. In comes an enterprising doctor who operates on them all to get the portals so he can share in the wealth of the shining orb shaped stones that also explode with demonic energy when any force is put to them. Then, it ends with the fact that only they can go through their own portals and the doctor forces them all to gather the jewels. Oh yes, and these gems will, in the future, destroy humanity and the portal jumpers know this because they just do. I'm so confused. Someone, anyone, please tell me why I read this.



2/5 Interesting art, confusing plot.





Emerging by Masaya Hokazono

Art and story (c) Masaya Hokazono...also, ew.

Genre: Horror, Seinen
Length: 2 Volumes – 22 Chapters



           The art style is a semi-realistic with simplistic black iris eyes. The hair comes in all types of

They are clearly passing some message through their eyes here.

true-to-life styles and the faces are of all different shapes. The clothes are nothing amazing, but realistic as well, with good fit and plenty of sorts, though they are mostly hazmat suits from the third chapter onward. What I remember most now that I'm done with this story is the eye beams. Flares of light that exploded from the ocular regions of characters when something needed to be extra dramatic. Other than that, the art is done well, but not with any particularly remarkable detail.        
           When a man explodes in a fit of blood at a crowded intersection, his condition is met with fear and curiosity. The doctors begin to worry and, soon, everyone in contact with him are getting ill with flu-like symptoms and the emergency protocols don't seem to be able to contain or even control the spread of the disease despite all the good intentions that went into them. If a new virus emerges in modern Japan, will the society be able to cope or will they perish through panic and ignorance?
           This manga is a look at the spread of disease in modern society, and how people's fears and over confidence negatively impact it. Its an interesting look, though the ending isn't really realistic, in my opinion. After the recent-ish Ebola scare, I found this almost relevant. Thinking about a sick person spreading an unknown disease or finding a mutated already known disease is quite scary, even for a person like me who doesn't live in a crowded city and that aspect of the story is well shown. Though there were a few things that ruined the illusion of 'what if' for me. The strangest element, a character who is so obsessed with diseases its a fetish, is the worst offender. Throwing a character like that in gives some comic relief to the overall plot but she has no point in being in such a serious story at all. A time reference is also a little hard to pin down, so some of the urgency is lost to ambiguous frame of reference for how fast the sickness is progressing. The infected are quite gross, though, so that helps with spooky feeling you get. It really is about the human factor of the problem, though, so it isn't really that scary though the end tries to keep the creepy going through speculation that I found just boring.



3/5 Realistic germ scares, but nothing really ambitious.




Furou Kyoudai by Yuki Shiwasu

Art and story (c) Yuki Shiwasu

Genre: Supernatural Shojo
Length: One Volume -5 Chapters and a few extras


           The most distinctive feature of this manga is the big eyes, and I really liked that feature, the shape of them give the characters lots of expression, but they can also have excellent detail when the story calls for it. The hair also has a lot of personality, and not just in the main characters, either, their parents are easily recognizable as are the random classmates that only show up in one chapter, I enjoyed looking out for them as much as I liked the main two's looks. The backgrounds come and go,
but not any more or less than any other manga. The clothes aren't really anything special, either, but they add to the ambiance of the story by being mostly dark and heavy school uniforms. I actually really enjoyed the art, it has a uniqueness to it and a quality I find very endearing.
           Kyoko and Daisuke are twins who can never be apart, and while most people misunderstand them, they have very good reasons for sticking so close to one another. Apart, the two of them are weak and ghosts congregate around them causing them to get ill or scaring them, but, somehow, together, they repel such supernatural forces with gusto. While they understand they can't be together forever, the twins can't bare to force themselves apart. How will they cope when one of them finds an admirer?
           Aw, why did this manga end so soon? Its the only one of the three of these that I actually liked. This silly pair of twins deserves many more pages of manga, I tell you! I was worried about this comic at first because the description sounds a little incestuous, but Furou Kyodai is actually just about siblings who literally can't be apart with out being assaulted by ghosts who, as a result, are very close emotionally as well. As a pair, they also have different personalities that match and also go against one another. Kyoko, for example, is the loud mouth, but she also thinks about others kindly. Her 'little' brother Daisuke is the quieter of the pair but he understands people really well, especially when in comes to getting his sister to listen. The two of them together make a pair of 'rushes ahead' and 'is there when she needs him' that allow for not only sensible routes in the plot lines but it also gives up a ton of humor. The goofiness of the situations and personalities shine, the expressive eyes really help in that regard, but I also found myself wrapped up in the emotional aspect of the stories, too. In fact, had there been a few more sad stories in a second volume or something I think I might have teared up a bit. As it was, one chapter in particular pulled my heart strings and I was actually surprised that I had gotten so attached. Seriously, though, why isn't there more of these creepy twins?


5/5 I'd read this again and again.



Another random Halloween gif, cuz I forgot to find a cute panel to add here at the end...