Gamon Sakurai

My introduction to the Ajin series was when I first saw it as an anime on Netflix. The "black ghost" shown on it's blurb kept catching my attention until I eventually watched it. All of it, both seasons, in 2 days. Needless to say, I really enjoyed the anime. And like I figured, the black ghosts are my favorite part about it, though I do have many favorite parts. I had read that the anime was based on a manga and when I saw that this manga had 9 volumes and was still in the process of more, I was super excited! I loved the idea that I could get more story out of this series.

First thing I was extremely grateful for: the anime is not the manga basically frame by frame. There is more story to the manga that wasn't included in the anime and I love that because it means that I can enjoy both without having to feel like I'm just going over the same thing again, just on paper. I also love the extra pieces of story that are given because they completely fill in information I wish I had while watching the anime. The manga shares more backstories to characters and it also shows a bit more of the black ghosts, which of course I loved. While still on the topic of anime, I think they did a brilliant job of translating from page to screen while still keeping a uniqueness to each that allows fans to equally enjoy both while getting some more stories from this world. The style of the animation also perfectly captured the characters' appearance and expressions, as well as the reanimation of the Ajins and the "summoning" of their black ghosts.

Moving on from comparisons to the anime however, this story is just amazing. I love so many of the themes that run through this series. I think it's perfect how the Ajins themselves are feeling a lot like the humans still because they always have been but also in the way that both beings really don't understand what being an Ajin means yet. This means that there is both hope and fear lingering between the humans and Ajins. A fear of the unknown and a possible clash of two species, and yet a hope that perhaps they can learn to live alongside each other.

Kei's character is brilliant. And I mean that as in literally brilliant and also just plain awesome and well suited to the story. The reader is left to ponder on whether Kei's unique personality might somehow be related to the fact he is an Ajin, and how that might shape his Black Ghost. It also sets up for the struggle between human vs. Ajin by showing that though Kei seems so calculating and cold most of the time, he does have people he is loyal to and actually cares for and he has breakthrough moments where he seems to empathize with people. Does he allow being an Ajin turn him into a monster? Or does he accept his role as Demi-human and capable of actions, thoughts and feeling that encompass both beings? I believe this is something Kei struggles with the most throughout even this first installment to the series. The characters already all have such complexity and a complete uniqueness to them down to their distinct movements, ticks, ways of speaking, relationships to other characters, motives, backgrounds, etc.

The artwork is stunning. I particularly enjoyed the full spread drawing that was half Kei and half his black ghost. I spent a lot of time on each page just looking at all the details and the interesting art style. I feel like even details down to what shirts characters are wearing are important to the story. For instance, part of Kai's character is that he always seems to have something on him with a smiley face on it, and it really represents the atmosphere he brings to the page as well. The movement created in this volume was also something that stood out to me. The art style combined with the sound words and the zooming in and out on different aspects in different panels really made the whole thing seem more action-y and also more suspenseful. And seeing as Ajins are kind of forced into a position to be on the run a lot of the time, this is a very important part that they were able to get down.

There is seriously not a thing I would wish to change about this book and I am so glad that Netflix made the anime because it is amazing and also because it introduced me to the original material of this Manga series. I excitedly and somewhat impatiently look forward to seeing more of this artwork, more of these complex characters, more story, and more arcing themes which tie everything together.… (mais)

Once again, this series entrances me. Everything I wrote in my review of the first volume applies to this second installment as well. The artwork, attention to detail, movement of the work, character development, world building, themes, background stories, suspense, character relationships, and action of the story is just as present in this second volume as it was in the first. I keep getting more and more story that was not included in the anime and I'm so excited about it! I was particularly thrilled in this volume to get the story of Shinya Nakamura, which has been alluded to in both the anime and the first manga volume but has not been revealed in the way in which it is at the end of this volume. I really hope to see more of his story and also the story which began on Kei's old high school friend in this volume. Seriously, this manga does such a good job at character development and uniqueness that I can't wait to see more of everyone's stories! Even characters barely shown. The artwork is as stunning as usual and the grittiness of it, which is even more apparent in the manga medium than in the anime, fits the tone and story perfectly. Have just ordered the next volumes so I can binge read this slowly and soak in all the details of this series.… (mais)