Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
對日本幽靈介紹詳盡，讀起來亦相當有趣，是一本讓人讀完仍想再讀的好書。（很遺憾後來要買此書時已經絕版了，真希望以後會有電子版）
I love reading classic manga. Too often these are the manga that have shaped the industry we know today, but haven’t been published in English for decades, or maybe longer. Now, all that seems to be changing, and I am making sure I read as many as these fantastic manga as possible. Devilman: The Classic Collection Vol 1 by Go Nagai is a fantastic horror manga that has truly stood the test of time.
Devilman is the story of Akira, a high school student who gains the powers of a demon. These demons which once ruled the world were forever entombed in ice. Until now, at least. The only way to fight them is to wield their incredible powers against them. Together with his friend Ryo, Akira is willing to do just that.
I really enjoyed this manga, and am very happy I got a chance to read it. Sections of this manga grew much darker than I expected them to be, even knowing the general premise of the story. Devilman holds no punches in either its art or its storytelling. Characters are not immune to pain or suffering. Yet, this never seems egregious.
The art in this manga is interesting. This definitely fits within Go Nagai’s style, but might catch some American readers off guard. The characters have a more ‘cartoonish’ aesthetic than one might expect, especially from a horror manga. Not only did I enjoy the art style, I think it enhanced the horrific, frightening elements of the demons. The demons are grotesque, some looking more like the standard demon or monster but with many more having extremely creative, very different character designs. As cartoon-y as some of the normal human characters might be, the demons are not. They’re scary. They’re frightening.
A few sections did become a bit info-dumpy. The world building was fantastic in itself, and these sections did hold my attention. However, the characters weren’t doing much of anything except talk back and forth with does make the art just a little boring. Even so, the demons, their history, and the history of the earth itself is very interesting, and I enjoyed reading these sections. They didn’t turn me off from the story at all.
There are plenty of fight scenes in this manga. We get to see Devilman fight back against the demons. We get to see the human characters, mostly Ryo, fight as well. These sections are scattered with fantastic one and two page spreads. The demons are shown in all their horror.
The ending of volume one saw my attention waning as well. While each new adventure in this section was fun in itself, it did feel like the plot was a bit lost.
Even so, I will absolutely be reading the second volume in this series. It was fun, with some very interesting character designs, and remains one of the most influential horror manga. If you like horror manga or classics I would highly suggest checking out Devilman: The Classic Collection Vol 1 by Go Nagai.
This manga was obtained from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
This review originally found on Looking Glass Reads.
Devilman is the story of Akira, a high school student who gains the powers of a demon. These demons which once ruled the world were forever entombed in ice. Until now, at least. The only way to fight them is to wield their incredible powers against them. Together with his friend Ryo, Akira is willing to do just that.
I really enjoyed this manga, and am very happy I got a chance to read it. Sections of this manga grew much darker than I expected them to be, even knowing the general premise of the story. Devilman holds no punches in either its art or its storytelling. Characters are not immune to pain or suffering. Yet, this never seems egregious.
The art in this manga is interesting. This definitely fits within Go Nagai’s style, but might catch some American readers off guard. The characters have a more ‘cartoonish’ aesthetic than one might expect, especially from a horror manga. Not only did I enjoy the art style, I think it enhanced the horrific, frightening elements of the demons. The demons are grotesque, some looking more like the standard demon or monster but with many more having extremely creative, very different character designs. As cartoon-y as some of the normal human characters might be, the demons are not. They’re scary. They’re frightening.
A few sections did become a bit info-dumpy. The world building was fantastic in itself, and these sections did hold my attention. However, the characters weren’t doing much of anything except talk back and forth with does make the art just a little boring. Even so, the demons, their history, and the history of the earth itself is very interesting, and I enjoyed reading these sections. They didn’t turn me off from the story at all.
There are plenty of fight scenes in this manga. We get to see Devilman fight back against the demons. We get to see the human characters, mostly Ryo, fight as well. These sections are scattered with fantastic one and two page spreads. The demons are shown in all their horror.
The ending of volume one saw my attention waning as well. While each new adventure in this section was fun in itself, it did feel like the plot was a bit lost.
Even so, I will absolutely be reading the second volume in this series. It was fun, with some very interesting character designs, and remains one of the most influential horror manga. If you like horror manga or classics I would highly suggest checking out Devilman: The Classic Collection Vol 1 by Go Nagai.
This manga was obtained from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
This review originally found on Looking Glass Reads.
In the beginning, demons ruled the Earth. Beings devoted to survival of the strongest, devouring lesser creatures and each other in a never-ending hunger for greater power. But then the Earth’s climate changed drastically (possibly due to a conflict with beings from space later known as angels) and most of the demons were trapped in polar ice. But now in 198X, anthropogenic climate change is melting the icecaps, and the demons are beginning to rise….
This highly violent and disturbing manga first appeared in 1972, and has numerous animated adaptations, sorta-sequels and spinoffs. It’s one of Go Nagai’s signature works. No surprise, then, that it’s now getting a premium collection format.
Akira Fudo is a shy, sensitive boy known as a bit of a crybaby. Currently he’s staying with his classmate Miki Makimura’s family as his explorer parents are on an expedition to the Himalayas. They haven’t checked in for a while, and he’s starting to get worried. Miki’s a quick-tempered girl, and teases Akira about his lack of macho.
When a gang of delinquents appears, Miki tells them what for while Akira freezes. Unfortunately, Miki’s mouth has written a check her combat skills can’t cash. Just then, Akira’s buddy Ryo shows up. The bullies aren’t too impressed until the stoned-looking Ryo reveals he’s brought a rifle to a fistfight. The delinquents run off, but Ryo has bigger things on his mind and pulls Akira away.
Turns out Ryo’s father is dead, a suicide. Ryo explains about demons, and how they threaten humanity. But Ryo has a plan. If a human with sufficient purity of heart and strength of will allows himself to be possessed by a demon but maintains control, he’ll have the powers of darkness, but still have a moral core. And Akira is the only other person Ryo trusts to undergo the process.
One incredibly violent orgy/mass murder sequence later, Akira has merged with the powerful demon warrior Amon, and become Devilman! He uses his powers to fight demons, though to be honest, in the early part of the story he doesn’t have to search them out as they are coming to him.
The merging also affects his human form, making him more muscular with a bolder personality. He easily defeats the delinquents in a rematch. Miki is thrilled that Akira has “manned up” and digs his new bad boy vibe. (She might be less thrilled if she knew why.)
After several chapters of the original series, we abruptly cut to the adventures of Akira and Ryo in time and space as they are for reasons not made clear in these chapters detached from their timeline. Presumably this is done because these adventures written later take place between chapters of the original.
We see how demons have interfered with the timeline of various famous figures, such as Joan of Arc and Marie Antoinette. Devilman acts to set the timeline aright, but there are some tragedies that can’t be avoided. (Content warning: The demon in the Adolf Hitler story deliberately mimics anti-Semitic propaganda.)
As previously mentioned, this series is full of violence, including sexual violence, presented in loving detail in Go Nagai’s visceral art style. Nudity is common, often in a sexual context. The series is nevertheless aimed at teenage boys, which is reflected in some immature humor which hasn’t dated well.
There’s some questions brought up about the true nature of humans, and about whether evil is an outside thing or inherent in our nature.
Recommended to fans of horror manga, and especially those who’ve enjoyed one of the animated adaptations.
This highly violent and disturbing manga first appeared in 1972, and has numerous animated adaptations, sorta-sequels and spinoffs. It’s one of Go Nagai’s signature works. No surprise, then, that it’s now getting a premium collection format.
Akira Fudo is a shy, sensitive boy known as a bit of a crybaby. Currently he’s staying with his classmate Miki Makimura’s family as his explorer parents are on an expedition to the Himalayas. They haven’t checked in for a while, and he’s starting to get worried. Miki’s a quick-tempered girl, and teases Akira about his lack of macho.
When a gang of delinquents appears, Miki tells them what for while Akira freezes. Unfortunately, Miki’s mouth has written a check her combat skills can’t cash. Just then, Akira’s buddy Ryo shows up. The bullies aren’t too impressed until the stoned-looking Ryo reveals he’s brought a rifle to a fistfight. The delinquents run off, but Ryo has bigger things on his mind and pulls Akira away.
Turns out Ryo’s father is dead, a suicide. Ryo explains about demons, and how they threaten humanity. But Ryo has a plan. If a human with sufficient purity of heart and strength of will allows himself to be possessed by a demon but maintains control, he’ll have the powers of darkness, but still have a moral core. And Akira is the only other person Ryo trusts to undergo the process.
One incredibly violent orgy/mass murder sequence later, Akira has merged with the powerful demon warrior Amon, and become Devilman! He uses his powers to fight demons, though to be honest, in the early part of the story he doesn’t have to search them out as they are coming to him.
The merging also affects his human form, making him more muscular with a bolder personality. He easily defeats the delinquents in a rematch. Miki is thrilled that Akira has “manned up” and digs his new bad boy vibe. (She might be less thrilled if she knew why.)
After several chapters of the original series, we abruptly cut to the adventures of Akira and Ryo in time and space as they are for reasons not made clear in these chapters detached from their timeline. Presumably this is done because these adventures written later take place between chapters of the original.
We see how demons have interfered with the timeline of various famous figures, such as Joan of Arc and Marie Antoinette. Devilman acts to set the timeline aright, but there are some tragedies that can’t be avoided. (Content warning: The demon in the Adolf Hitler story deliberately mimics anti-Semitic propaganda.)
As previously mentioned, this series is full of violence, including sexual violence, presented in loving detail in Go Nagai’s visceral art style. Nudity is common, often in a sexual context. The series is nevertheless aimed at teenage boys, which is reflected in some immature humor which hasn’t dated well.
There’s some questions brought up about the true nature of humans, and about whether evil is an outside thing or inherent in our nature.
Recommended to fans of horror manga, and especially those who’ve enjoyed one of the animated adaptations.