The "Demon Slayer" manga series was quite a wild ride. From beginning to end, this series had some of the most intense battles and satisfying characteThe "Demon Slayer" manga series was quite a wild ride. From beginning to end, this series had some of the most intense battles and satisfying character arcs in any manga. This final volume is especially great at tapping into the desperation and horrific losses of battling the demons. The series concludes appropriately. Do not expect a lot of characters to survive all the way to the end. Muzan is simply too powerful of a final boss, so the end of the Demon Slayer's fight with him inevitably results in quite a large body count. As sadistic as it may sound, I wouldn't have had it any other way.
While the end of the series does hit most of the correct beats to make it a good conclusion, I can't help but feel that a lot of this series felt rushed, particularly the aftermath of the battle. There are also several ideas and characters that I think were thrown to the side a little in favor of intense battles for the majority of the manga's run. This is why the rating that I have given this volume is also how I feel about this series as a whole. It is a good series, perhaps one of the best Shonen manga in recent memory. I would love to revisit the series at some point in the future, and I am sure most manga readers would feel the same way, too. I'm looking forward to seeing what Koyoharu Gotouge does next....more
A very strong start to what many claim to be one of the best manga serials of all time, "Akira" impressed me with some fantastic panel design, excelleA very strong start to what many claim to be one of the best manga serials of all time, "Akira" impressed me with some fantastic panel design, excellent framing, and an engrossing Cyberpunk world that I can't wait to dive back into. I wish I could dive as deeply into the characters or the plot, but so far both of these key characteristics of a storyline have yet to manifest themselves. Most of "Akira" is non-stop action or thrills with a rare moment or two of character or plot development to keep us going.
It is apparent that this volume is meant to be looked as film rather than as a graphic novel. The manga artist, Katsuhiro Otomo, was not shy about his abundant love for film, and it definitely shows in this volume. Every panel feels like a camera position. The cuts between panels, in a similar manner, induce a frenetic pace that I think mirrors modern film editing. This is all to say that the volume has a grandiose and explosive realm for the action to take place. Only a few moments of stillness or emptiness allow us to breathe before the next hurried action set piece. Unfortunately, this is where I find fault with this volume.
None of the characters have shown themselves to be likable or even fleshed out in most cases. A few characters have moments of heart wrenching poignancy, but they are very short and barely in the volume at all. Therefore, I found myself carried to the volume's conclusion by the art, action, paneling, and the promise of absorbing storyline further down the line. As it stands, for a volume with biker gangs, shadowy corporations, and ultra powerful psychics as its primary focus, this is a good start. I look forward to seeing what Otomo has in store for me in later volumes....more
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