Reviews

Ax Volume 1: A Collection of Alternative Manga by Takato Yamamoto, Seiko Erisawa, Einosuke, Takashi Nemoto, Akino Kondoh, Paul Gravett, Yuichi Kiriyama, Kataoka Toyo, Kazuichi Hanawa, Hideyasu Moto, Yusaku Hanakuma, Takao Kawasaki, Koizumi Tomohiro, Shinichi Abe, Shigehiro Okada, Keizo Miyanishi, Shigeyuki Fukumitsu, Nishioka Kyodai, Hiroji Tani, Kotobuki Shiriagari, Imiri Sakabashira, Toranosuke Shimada, Mimiyo Tomozawa, Atsuko Saisho, Otoya Mitsuhashi, Minami Shinbô, Spencer Fancutt, Ayuko Akiyama, Yunosuke Saito, Namie Fujieda, Osamu Kanno, Katsuo Kawai, Mitsuhiko Yoshida, Yuka Goto, Shinya Komatsu, Sean Michael Wilson, Mitsuhiro Asakawa

electra_reads's review

2.0

If you like comics by people that can draw well and aren't deeply misogynist, this is not the book for you.

dantew's review

challenging dark funny reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault

kesseki's review

3.0

Interesting collection. A wide range of art styles and stories are told here, and as with any compilation from multiple authors there is a wide range in quality (both in terms of art and story telling). Very weird but worth checking out, I think.

bloodravenlib's review

2.0

This book was mostly "ok." I had high expectations given it bills itself as a collection of alternative manga. Aside from a couple of stories that were pretty good and even made me think a bit, most of the stories in this collection are the kind of artist sketch that should have stayed in the sketchbook. They seem incomplete and often half-baked. As if the artist was having some kind of brainstorm thought, but then he never followed through. If this is what is defined as "underground," it can stay there. As I said, there are a couple of stories that are worth reading, but aside from those, most of the volume is pretty forgettable. This one is one to borrow, not buy.

philipf's review

2.0

I should stop buying anthologies of alternative comics. There are some good stories here, but most of the artwork is unskilled, and the stories are either nonsensical or designed to shock for shock's sake.

arealhuman's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

A fun collection of short manga stories which never disappointed. Just all manners of nonsense and sense. Some of the most ugliest and prettiest manga is all in this collection. Give it a try!

lolosadcat's review

adventurous medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

2.5

weird as hell. there were some cool and interesting stories, but a lot more cartoon 🍆s than i expected

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body horror

mooniemushi's review

too sexist to start

steakhusband's review

I’m really not sure how to rate this! This was such a weird anthology of manga, ranging from gorgeous and thoughtful stories to “what the heck am I even reading?!”

I did appreciate the wide range of stories, even if I didn’t like quite a few of them. I tend to gravitate towards pretty slice of life or action/adventure manga, so this really broadened my horizons and introduced me to artists I wouldn’t have known about otherwise.

I’ve been trying to list content warnings in reviews, but there are Quite A Lot for this anthology, so if you’re interested in this, I’d suggest looking those up. There’s a fair bit of nudity and sexual imagery, and also some imagery is just... sort of gross, haha.

Unrelated to what’s actually inside the book, the cover is gorgeous and it’s what drew me to the book in the first place!

jameseckman's review

2.0

A collection of bizarre and perverse alternative manga shorts. There were a couple of good ones but no standouts.