Author/artist: Inio Asano
Year published: 2004
Genre: Drama/slice of life
Chapter count: 9
Date finished: 1.3.23
Premise: City of Light is an anthological manga that takes place in a beautiful city surrounded by the sun. A mangaka travels to the city with his girlfriend to search for inspiration and witnesses the suicide of a teenage girl, who is another victim of a strange string of deaths in the area. The manga flows from the point of view of one eccentric character to the next, which include an elementary school boy who is an angel of death, a girl who has been waiting at a bus stop for a year, and a thug who wishes to collect enough money to buy the city of light and turn it into a country town.
My rating: 9/10 I thoroughly enjoyed this manga by one of my favorite authors. It was similar to his other manga, Before Dawn and the End of the World (2008), which tells the stories of people simply surviving everyday life. While every character in City of Light is in unusual situations, their woes are simply exaggerated versions of something that could happen to anyone. The stories build upon one another, flowing seamlessly. It’s a concise read, but it's effective in its gloomy atmosphere.
Utsubora: A Story of a Novelist by Asumiko Nakamura
Author/artist: Asumiko Nakamura
Year published: 2012
Genre: Drama/mystery
Chapter count: 14
Date finished: 1.7.23
Premise: A famous author by the name of Mizurogi finds himself at the center of a strange mystery when a woman he knew, Aki Fujino, dies by a mysterious suicide. Mizurogi then meets Sakura Miki, who claims to be Aki’s twin sister, despite there being no record of her. As circumstances become stranger, Mizurogi begins to wonder if Miki and Aki are one and the same.
My rating: 8/10 Utsubora is truly a strange and intricate mystery. The manga is similar to Haruki Murakami’s style, as it creates an intermingling between the mundane, ordinary life of editors and authors and the surreal experiences of Mizurogi, Miki, and Aki. It gives the effect of a lucid dream. To be honest, I’m not entirely sure if I understood the mystery’s finale, but I don’t really mind. The confusion and the fluidity between the characters are what make Utsubora interesting. And while the manga is presented as a mystery, it’s really a commentary on authorship and what it means to be a writer.
Kasane by Matsuura Daruma
Author/artist: Matsuuraa Daruma
Year published: 2018
Genre: Drama/psychological
Chapter count: 126
Date finished: 1.27.23
Premise: Kasane Fuchi is a talented actress who hopes of making it big, just like her late mother. However, Kasane is incredibly ugly, and because of that is filled with shame and resentment. But she then discovers the lipstick her mother left behind gives her the ability to trade faces with anyone. With the lipstick and cruel determination, Kasane sets off into the world of theater with Habuta, a man with a mysterious connection to her mother, as her manager. Kasane will do whatever it takes to stay in the spotlight, and eventually, her drive is what leads to her downfall. A haunting tale of beauty and obsession.
My rating: 10/10 Kasane has to be one of the best mangas I’ve ever read. It’s advertised as a horror read, but its supernatural elements are minimal. The real horror within Kasane is incredibly human. It follows its flawed, but sympathetic characters as they lash out at the world and spiral deeper into their own obsessions, whether that be with fame, appearances, revenge, or someone they love. Kasane is a truly amazing tragedy manga that I will never forget.
Innocents Shounen Juujigun by Furuya Usamaru
Author/artist: Furuya Usamura
Year published: 2011
Genre: Adventure/drama/psychological/supernatural
Chapter count: 25
Date finished: 1.29.23
Premise: In the year 1212, Christian countries such as France were sending out crusades to Israel to take back what they believe is their holy land. Some of these crusades consisted of children. One day a young boy named Etienne from a small village is ‘spoken to by Christ’, who tells him he has been chosen to lead a crusade. Etienne brings 11 other village boys, as well as a strange priest in training named Michael, and they set off across the country gaining support and criticism along the way. However, the children must come face to face with horrors beyond their imagination and question the faith that has led them on such a perilous journey.
My rating: 8/10 This is truly a horrifying manga. Terrible things happen to the children, and as can be expected, their crusade is anything but success. A very very very very very very very dark story about innocent children being exposed to a cruel world. Innocents Shounen Juujigun is a tragic manga about the horrors that accompany faith.
Adabana by NON
Author/artist: NON
Year published: 2021
Genre: Drama/mystery/psychological
Chapter count: 28
Date finished: 2.06.23
Premise: Mizuki, a seemingly normal high school girl, has just confessed to the murder of her best friend Mako. She goes to the police and tells a straight story that no one seems to doubt but her lawyers. Adabana is a tragic achronological mystery manga with an unreliable narrator that’s very binge-able.
My rating: 8/10 Adabana has truly beautiful art, and its protagonist’s mysterious story keeps you on the edge of your seat. I read this manga in one sitting. It was quite sad, but I really liked it. A dark manga that at its core is about friendship, cruelty, and justice.
Crime and Punishment: A Falsified Romance by Naoyuki Ochiai
Author/artist: Furuya Usamura
Year published: 2011
Genre: Thriller/psychological/mystery
Chapter count: 93
Date finished: 2.14.23
Premise: ‘A Falsified Romance’ is inspired by Dostovesky’s Crime and Punishment, and takes place in modern Japan. The protagonist is Miroku, a hikikomori college dropout and aspiring author. When Miroku finds out his sister is marrying a wealthy man to help him pay for college, he crafts a plan to prove to himself and the world that he is one of society’s strong: he will murder someone the world will be better off without. But his plan goes awry, and while Miroku doesn’t feel particularly guilty for his crime, he finds himself even more isolated than before and is forced to choose what kind of life he wants to live.
My rating: 9/10 This manga is not a complete retelling of Crime and Punishment, and I think that makes it very good. The new elements and changes are refreshing, and A Falsified Romance proves to be a very good read. Despite Miroku’s extremely black-and-white thinking patterns and his objectively bad decision-making skills, he is relatable in his isolation and it’s easy to understand how under such circumstances he would be able to justify his twisted logic. A Falsified Romance effectively rejects a brooding intellectual’s way of thinking: other people can understand you, other people can love you, and you must let them.