| For many years I have heard people refer to the fact that comics and manga are an art form that can affect you personally; giving you an experience you will carry with you forever. For many years I have smiled and nodded my head never believing that anything Alex Ross, Dave McKean or Clamp did, no matter how well drawn, no matter how well scripted, was anything more than entertainment. That was before I encountered a manga by Tokyo Pop titled "In The End".
"In The End" is a single volume Shonen-Ai manga presented by Pink Psycho (also known as 'Heath & Nheira'). Unfortunately this is their only work available in North America to date, hopefully we will see more soon.
Quick reminder: Shonen-Ai is when the main romance storyline occurs between two male characters. Not to be confused with Yaoi, which has very openly pornographic scenes occur between two male characters.
The biggest hook this book has to draw you in is the art. Those that I have spoken to that have viewed this book agree universally that the art is a cut above almost everything else in the industry. The characters have proper proportions, the lines are crisp without feeling too fake or sharp, and character design is head and shoulders above the competition.
The general theme of the book is very goth/punk (hold back the flaming torches and pitchforks till later). Though not everyone in Kaito's world are into ripped jeans and mesh shirts. Every character no matter their style of personality or dress is well designed and unique unto themselves. Though used rarely, backgrounds tend to be simple yet highly detailed affairs that know to stay in the background and not detract from the characters in the frame, which is a boon unto itself. Most manga tend to either not employ backgrounds at all or end up cluttering the frame so much it detracts from the overall experience.
In The End`s art has won over people ranging from your standard high school student to art majors who are making art their livelihood.
Nothing is ever perfect though and art is only half of the sandwich that is the manga experience. You can tell that Pink Psycho really wanted In The End to be a two-volume story. There is a huge amount of work put into all the minor characters, most of which has been edited away but sometimes tiny snippets crop up as you are reading making you pause for a moment; worried you missed something along the way.
The main story is very clearly laid out, with many quirks and emotional insights along the way. The main character is Kaito Niikura who is a non-conformist even in a society of non-conformists. (Now would be the time to have your flaming torches and pitchforks at the ready).
Kaito isn't your standard Goth though; he tends to have a very good understanding of his situation, and of those around him. The world is not a vampire for the young protagonist nor does he truly believe that everyone is against him. Though yes he is very confused about some things including his purpose in the world and what he actually wants out of life. We, the reader, walk along side Kaito as he deals with his family, friends, school and the workings of romance and friendship. We also get to be there when Kaito finds happiness, the consequences that occur and how he either moves on or emotionally stumbles.
You are now ready to hunt me down with those torches and pitchforks for getting you to read this far or your curiosity has been peeked. In The End is a spectacular experience for those who are a fan of the drama genre. This is not a book for the whole family though; the book does deserve the Older Teen rating it receives from Tokyo Pop. It also deserves some consideration the next time you are in the store and are looking for something that has the potential to be an actual experience.
(Hey guys any constructive criticism would be greatly appreciated on this review. Thanks in advance.) |
Extra Punctuation
Experienced Points
First Person
MovieBob: Intermission
Miracle of Sound: Encore
Loading Time
Hexproof
Ask Dr Mark
Backchat
Drinking Games
Escape to the Movies
Escapecraft
Escapist Podcast
Feed Dump
GinxTV
Jimquisition
LoadingReadyRun
Meatbag and Co
Media Sandwich
Miracle of Sound
No Right Answer
Pro-Gamer Gauntlet
Reviews
Tales from the Table
The Big Picture
The Escapist Presents
Trailers
Unskippable
Zero Punctuation
The Darkness II Review
Reckoning Review
Exodus Review
Final Fantasy XIII-2 Review
Scarygirl Review
Amy Review
Critical Miss
Name Game
"In The End" is a single volume Shonen-Ai manga presented by Pink Psycho (also known as 'Heath & Nheira'). Unfortunately this is their only work available in North America to date, hopefully we will see more soon.
Quick reminder: Shonen-Ai is when the main romance storyline occurs between two male characters. Not to be confused with Yaoi, which has very openly pornographic scenes occur between two male characters.
The biggest hook this book has to draw you in is the art. Those that I have spoken to that have viewed this book agree universally that the art is a cut above almost everything else in the industry. The characters have proper proportions, the lines are crisp without feeling too fake or sharp, and character design is head and shoulders above the competition.
The general theme of the book is very goth/punk (hold back the flaming torches and pitchforks till later). Though not everyone in Kaito's world are into ripped jeans and mesh shirts. Every character no matter their style of personality or dress is well designed and unique unto themselves. Though used rarely, backgrounds tend to be simple yet highly detailed affairs that know to stay in the background and not detract from the characters in the frame, which is a boon unto itself. Most manga tend to either not employ backgrounds at all or end up cluttering the frame so much it detracts from the overall experience.
In The End`s art has won over people ranging from your standard high school student to art majors who are making art their livelihood.
Nothing is ever perfect though and art is only half of the sandwich that is the manga experience. You can tell that Pink Psycho really wanted In The End to be a two-volume story. There is a huge amount of work put into all the minor characters, most of which has been edited away but sometimes tiny snippets crop up as you are reading making you pause for a moment; worried you missed something along the way.
The main story is very clearly laid out, with many quirks and emotional insights along the way. The main character is Kaito Niikura who is a non-conformist even in a society of non-conformists. (Now would be the time to have your flaming torches and pitchforks at the ready).
Kaito isn't your standard Goth though; he tends to have a very good understanding of his situation, and of those around him. The world is not a vampire for the young protagonist nor does he truly believe that everyone is against him. Though yes he is very confused about some things including his purpose in the world and what he actually wants out of life. We, the reader, walk along side Kaito as he deals with his family, friends, school and the workings of romance and friendship. We also get to be there when Kaito finds happiness, the consequences that occur and how he either moves on or emotionally stumbles.
You are now ready to hunt me down with those torches and pitchforks for getting you to read this far or your curiosity has been peeked. In The End is a spectacular experience for those who are a fan of the drama genre. This is not a book for the whole family though; the book does deserve the Older Teen rating it receives from Tokyo Pop. It also deserves some consideration the next time you are in the store and are looking for something that has the potential to be an actual experience.
(Hey guys any constructive criticism would be greatly appreciated on this review. Thanks in advance.)