Rosy's scrawled manga recommendation: Area D by Nanatsuki Kyoichi

Area D
Nanatsuki Kyoichi

Blurb

The "prison survival action" story is set after the sudden emergence of special powers in certain pockets of humanity. To deal with these so-called "Altered," a mysterious remote island prison named "Area D" was built.


Alternate names

Area D
Area D - Inouryouiki
Area D - Inoyouiki
AreaD

Status
Ongoing

Manga reader sites (free)
Manga Reader

Rosy's scrawlings on Area D
Ever wonder what would happen after the mass fear, curiosity, bible thumping and 'medical' experimentation that would occur after the appearance of those with superpowers? This manga starts at that point and the picture isn't a pretty one, although I'd have to admit it is one of those I'd consider highly like. Especially considering how humans often treat those with characteristics deemed, for one reason or another, special or unwanted. Some basic psychology is at play in the writing of Area D and for those at all familiar with human history none of what happens will comes as a shock. It will, however, leave you with a bitter taste as you realise we might just treat all super humans in such a manner and disregard any good deeds, mild and acceptable behaviour or helpfulness.
To accentuate this bitter taste we see their experiences, be they good, bad, ugly or intent on world domination, through the eyes of a young boy by the name of Satoru Ida who's mostly innocent, grieving and hating of himself, and possessed with the power to dismantle anything he touches. In coming to grips with his power he is the instigator of a personal tragedy and he can't forgive himself for that. Despite this and all the horrible things that occur to him from there on in he tries his best to have faith in others, extend a hand and survive. Few are willing to be so nice back but he keeps trying even as he's being beaten to a pulp. And it is because of this that he's a touch of a hero and someone you want to know more of.
Despite this, much of what is focused on concerns the character pictured above: S-class Jin Kazaragi. He's both incredibly strong and weak, depending on the power he's absorbed, and he's a man on a mission. To complete it he intentionally gets himself captured and sent to Area D or Island D. He himself has many an issue to deal with, mainly a heavy dose of guilt which has yet to be properly explained. No matter, because what focusing on Jin does is bring an endless flow of action to the mix. And that's what you want to read about where super humans are concerned.
Area D is, for all this, both fun and interesting to read while it is a little mortifying to realise that the worst monsters are often just average humans. It is quick paced and working on a global scale even though the majority of scenes concern the inhabitants of Area D. 
The art of Area D, created by Yang Kyung-Il, is enticing. It is dark and gritty with lots of detail but the most appealing thing about it is that there's a certain flow and smoothness to it that just pleases the eye. There's plenty of action scenes to look at and enjoy as they bring this flow out in the forms of fire, weaving thorny vines, void creation and other super human abilities. Also, the faces, while appealing or ugly, reveal expressions that can only be described as reflections of insanity and for some strange reason they are like salt on hot chips. 

I'd recommend this manga to: those interested in action based fantasy as well as superpowers and all that comes with them. This is highly likely to appeal to boys/teens more than girls/teens but there is something in it for all these groups, and some besides.

Notes on manga reader sites
The quality of manga readers can vary. The uploads are often done cheaply or as a serious hobby by a collective. Be aware that sometimes licence hasn't been given but the sites noted above, Manga Fox in particular, are extremely careful about adding and pulling mangas according to license agreements. So you shouldn't have to worry too much about the material being pirated. There are also translated works and non-translated. Amongst the translated works you will find that the quality of translation may vary according to the skills of the translators. Usually the works are perfectly readable anyway, with only a few added or dropped words or a word in the incorrect tense or with/out plurals. But sometimes the text becomes gobbledygook. In which case, either seek another version or give up and buy an official copy once a printed translation comes out. The other issue of note is you may need to expand the screen to read the text easily as sometimes the scans are minimised a little.
I find that if a page doesn't download properly or some other issue occurs (too slow or someone ordered the pages incorrectly etc.) with one reader then skipping across to another reader and picking up where I was is quite easy and rarely annoying.
Otherwise, enjoy and watch out you don't get too addicted you forget about the necessary things in life.

Rosy's scrawled manga recommendation: Break Blade by Yoshinaga Yunosuke

Break Blade
Yoshinaga Yunosuke

Blurb

From Manga Abyss:
Which to choose, the country or my friend--!? The "Continent of Cruzon", a world where people are born with magic. Lygatto, one of the rare people "without magic" in this world, is getting swallowed up in the whirlpool of a massive war. With Lygatto as the core, four close friends are connected by cruel fate in a spectacular war tale!!!
In the continent of Cruzon, an impending war between the Kingdom of Krishna and the nation of Athens is brimming. The people of this land are able to wield the crystals from the ground for whatever purpose they desire. Yet one person, Lygatto Arrow, is not. He is an "un-sorcerer", a person unable to wield the crystals. But this characteristic will enable him to pilot an ancient mecha, one strong enough to put up a fight against the invading army of Athens.

From Baka-Updates:
Rygart Arrow is the only one in his world who lacks the inherent ability to power up quartz, the energy source that makes all of the machines run. Nevertheless, he's pretty well connected. The King and Queen of his country of Krisna happen to be old college friends. But so is Zess, the guy who is leading the army of a neighboring kingdom in an attack on Krisna.
How did it comes to this? There's little time to ponder the implications as an army in giant, mechanized battle suits attacks. Arrow just feels like he's in the way - until he comes across a powerful, ancient mech that no one has yet to be able to figure out how to run. But his natural affinity for the suit's operating mechanism may just turn Arrow into the most important player of all.


Alternate names
ブレイクブレイド
破刃之剑
Bureiku Bureido
Broken Blade
Espada Rota
Espada Quebrada
Bruten Klinga
Сломанный меч
Pedang Butut

Status
Ongoing

Manga reader sites (free)
Manga Fox, Manga Reader, Manga Anime

Rosy's scrawlings on Break Blade
Break Blade seems at first like its portrayal of war and heroism will be fairly fantastical, following the lines of a young man coming good, defeating foes and winning the day. Break Blade isn't like that at all though. There's a realism to the way war progresses, the situations that force people to make difficult decisions, the desperation, the cruelty and the useless casualties. There's also a fairly believable portrayal of the horrific glee some feel in dividing up a country's wealth, subjugating people, manipulating others into becoming cannon fodder for a cause they're unaware of and many other things besides. Even the mentally ill and the psychotic are given their roles within the war of Break Blade. And for all this, Break Blade is worth reading as it is worth knowing just how horrible people can be and how bitter heroism can be.
The story follows Lygatto and his friends, some divided by politics, as they try to survive and stand for what they believe in. Their beliefs and causes aren't grandiose of for the greater good but rather for the survival of themselves and their friends, loves and family. The reasons they fight are some of the most common aside from patriotism when it comes to real wars and only by dumb luck and bloody mistakes do they all manage to make it so far, even if the friendships are fracturing.
Aside from this realism there are mechanoids or golems to enjoy, castles, a regency system or two, and a simply magic system based on controlling quartz energies. The magic is mostly used for guns, communications and lighting etc. and there's no sign of black magic or spell slinging at all, something that likely wouldn't work within the tech-based war story.
The art of Break Blade is stark, tending to be light, which seems unusual for a war story until you see the desert/arid landscape of Lygatto's country Krishna. The starkness and light of the illustrations force you to see that there's little romance - dark or otherwise - in the war, even with the interesting weaponry to look at. While the style isn't blast-em-away original the subject matter of the artwork makes the manga pleasing to the eye. The flow is smooth and close ups on battle scenes and landscape views are both created with equal skill.
Break Blade, while a pleasure to read is also a little painful. But no good war story is a calm one. You might not come away happy but you will come away feeling more cynical and in touch with reality, which, as far as I'm concern, is a good thing to hang on to.

I'd recommend this manga to: anyone who likes alternate world fantasy, war stories and historical fantasy.

Notes on manga reader sites
The quality of manga readers can vary. The uploads are often done cheaply or as a serious hobby by a collective. Be aware that sometimes licence hasn't been given but the sites noted above, Manga Fox in particular, are extremely careful about adding and pulling mangas according to license agreements. So you shouldn't have to worry too much about the material being pirated. There are also translated works and non-translated. Amongst the translated works you will find that the quality of translation may vary according to the skills of the translators. Usually the works are perfectly readable anyway, with only a few added or dropped words or a word in the incorrect tense or with/out plurals. But sometimes the text becomes gobbledygook. In which case, either seek another version or give up and buy an official copy once a printed translation comes out. The other issue of note is you may need to expand the screen to read the text easily as sometimes the scans are minimised a little.
I find that if a page doesn't download properly or some other issue occurs (too slow or someone ordered the pages incorrectly etc.) with one reader then skipping across to another reader and picking up where I was is quite easy and rarely annoying.
Otherwise, enjoy and watch out you don't get too addicted you forget about the necessary things in life.

Rosy's scrawled manga recommendation: Shinrei Tantei Yakumo by Kaminaga Manabu

Shinrei Tantei Yakumo
Kaminaga Manabu

Blurb
Fateful Encounters:
Based on novel by Kaminaga Manabu. Shinrei tantei yakumo aka psychic detective yakumo tells a story about a college student, Saitou Yakumo who born with different eye colors. His red left eye gave him a special ability to see ghosts and spirits. He believes ghosts and spirits are bound to earth because of a certain 'cause' and simply by eliminating that 'cause' will those spirits rest in peace. Being asked for help by Ozawa Haruka, together they began the investigation.

Alternative names
心霊探偵八雲
Psychic Detective Yakumo
Shinrei Tantei Yakumo
Investigatore Sovrannaturale Yakumo
ยาคุโมะ นักสืบวิญญาณ
Detetive Psíquico Yakumo

Status
Ongoing

Manga reader sites (free)
Manga Fox, Manga Eden, Manga Park

Rosy's scrawlings on Shinrei Tantei Yakumo
This manga is slow paced in comparison to many other stories containing ghosts or focusing on hauntings and it is so because the stories are approached from a detective angle rather than a thriller or suspense one. This means that the slow picking up of clues and the pondering of spirit problems takes precedence to running into a building and sending all the ghosts over to the other side, whether that be heaven, hell or some other derivative of the other side. There is something rather engaging that comes from this slow progression in the story line and that is the slow building of disquiet and tension. Nowadays it is more common to find oneself slammed into a tense situation, complete with battles and gore, right from the get go as this is what is deemed the most engaging, style-wise at least. Here though, you'll see an ancient form of story telling only recently left for dust return with gusto. Here are ghost story told in whispers and with a subtleness that will leave your skin crawling as you wait for the final scare, knowing full well it is coming but not being able to do anything but to progress onwards to find out what it is all about. As such, you'll find yourself thoroughly addicted and pulled through the story arcs, unable to stop reading until you reach each ending. Personally, this addiction became bad enough that I couldn't start a new story arc until the entire editions for each had been uploaded (I now have another arc to enjoy after reading this).
Yakumo is a quiet man, sneaky and amusing at times, who likes to put on a dramatic front in order to encourage business. It also heightens the atmosphere as well as the hammishness of the old melodramatic detective/psychic image. At first, I found his melodramatic nature a little irritating but I quickly learnt to smirk and laugh at it. You really don't have to take it seriously, as even he doesn't at times. Otherwise, Yakumo is a little rude, a lot abrupt and rarely speaks when he doesn't trust someone. Only those close to him get to see anything of him but his facade of psychic. He's also rather clever.
His character is also balanced out nicely with that of Gotou who's openly abusive and brash and more the stereotypical rough detective than Yakumo is, and that of Ozawa Haruka who's your average open and capable college girl except with a regretful past and a lot of misery. Gotou provides detective and police support, manning what is essentially the unofficial X-files wing of the department, while Ozawa provides more personal support and allows Yakumo to open up, speak and sometimes even do things that are personable and nice.
The three of them, sometimes joined by others, join together to discover the reasons for the hauntings and dispel the ghosts. The ghosts are often menacing but there are a few who guard the living and help the three to stop the more vicious ghosts. In all, the most interesting aspects of the hauntings aren't always the hauntings themselves but rather how they came to be and luckily for us, these stories are explained in full.
The art of Shinrei Tantei Yakumo is by Oda Suzuka. It is full of shades of grey and has a certain graininess to it that emphasises the detective aspects of the story. The ghosts are mostly boldly drawn, often inky black, as is the new trend for Asian ghosts likely to cause harm. There are a few white ghosts, their colour reflecting their innocence, but there aren't any of the more traditional styles. This helps to make Shinrei Tantei Yakumo appeal to young readers. The most amusing part of Oda Suzuka's are is the darkening of Yakumo's dramatic sentences. It is spot on for carrying the mood and makes me smile. All in all, the art is appealing, subtle and well done.

I'd recommend this manga to: those interested in supernatural detective stories, ghost stories and psychic stories. I'd also suggest it to anyone who hasn't as yet tried any of these sub genres as Yakumo is one of the best fictional psychic detectives about, even if he likes to ham it up on occasion. 

Notes on manga reader sites
The quality of manga readers can vary. The uploads are often done cheaply or as a serious hobby by a collective. Be aware that sometimes licence hasn't been given but the sites noted above, Manga Fox in particular, are extremely careful about adding and pulling mangas according to license agreements. So you shouldn't have to worry too much about the material being pirated. There are also translated works and non-translated. Amongst the translated works you will find that the quality of translation may vary according to the skills of the translators. Usually the works are perfectly readable anyway, with only a few added or dropped words or a word in the incorrect tense or with/out plurals. But sometimes the text becomes gobbledygook. In which case, either seek another version or give up and buy an official copy once a printed translation comes out. The other issue of note is you may need to expand the screen to read the text easily as sometimes the scans are minimised a little.
I find that if a page doesn't download properly or some other issue occurs (too slow or someone ordered the pages incorrectly etc.) with one reader then skipping across to another reader and picking up where I was is quite easy and rarely annoying.
Otherwise, enjoy and watch out you don't get too addicted you forget about the necessary things in life.

Rosy's scrawled manga recommendation: Dendrobates by Ishiwata Youji

Dendrobates
Ishiwata Youji

Blurb

Sengawa's day job is as an accountant working for the police. But at night he transforms into a ruthless assassin bringing death to anyone who deserves it. Meet and hire the man with 1000 guns.

Alternative names

デンドロバテス
罪滅行者
罪灭行者

Status

Ongoing

Manga reader sites (free)

Manga Fox, Manga Reader

Rosy's scrawlings on Dendrobates
This manga is just fun to read, if a little shocking or disgusting at times. In order for a vigilante prone to shooting people to bits to become the good guy, or at least the better choice, in the reader's eyes the bad guys have to be significantly worse. This is where the shocking and disgusting often comes in as what Sengawa avenges can range from drug deaths through to rapes. So if such reading material will turn you off don't read this. That said, there's something fun in seeing the perpetrators slaughtered so if you can handle the violence of the crimes then you'll probably enjoy seeing the criminals get their comeuppance.
Sengawa is a character that reminds me at times of the darker and more insane side of Batman or possibly the Joker. I don't know where this impression comes from but it could be the obsession factor or the destruction of his own life for others or even his disregard of dying himself. Whatever it is though, what does easily come across is his reckless disregard for the system, his brutality and the steadiness of his own perspective of life. He's a man with a mysterious past, one unlikely to be good (the hints of which are just being given to us), and with a singular purpose of his own making. And that is to avenge crimes, for which he can be hired for as little as a lolly. He obviously sees little value in life but once you read the stories you find that he has a deep respect for and desire to protect the innocence of others. This may be related to his past, or maybe not. We have yet to find out.
In the beginning the stories are, so far, generally short. The arcs spanning 1-3 (approximately) editions, which are also fairly short. The story arcs are, however, starting to lengthen and include enemies with the potential to kill Sengawa. I currently take this to indicate that the character introduction is over and that the deeper aspects of his story will start to emerge. Like most mangas that are likely to run for a fair while, the beginning of the Dendrobates is slow but it is fun to read nonetheless.
The art is by Yamane Akihiro and is fairy dark. It reveals the ugliness of people and delves into the starkness of the landscape. It also focuses on the eyes and evil smiles in order to reveal the true nature of the beast called man. Ugliness isn't only on the outside. There's plenty of gore too, to highlight the brutality of the murders but it isn't too over the top. Rather, there's an emphasis of the darkness of blood rather than the amount of splatter. The art is harsh but because it reflects the character of Sengawa and the cruelty of the world it comes across as pleasing to the eye. In fact, you start to revel in the evil smiles and the gun smoke and the two different personalities Sengawa utilises to make his way in the world. 

I'd recommend this manga to: teen boys and men mostly. Or anyone into a bit of illogical violence masquerading as extreme vigilante violence.

Notes on manga reader sites
The quality of manga readers can vary. The uploads are often done cheaply or as a serious hobby by a collective. Be aware that sometimes licence hasn't been given but the sites noted above, Manga Fox in particular, are extremely careful about adding and pulling mangas according to license agreements. So you shouldn't have to worry too much about the material being pirated. There are also translated works and non-translated. Amongst the translated works you will find that the quality of translation may vary according to the skills of the translators. Usually the works are perfectly readable anyway, with only a few added or dropped words or a word in the incorrect tense or with/out plurals. But sometimes the text becomes gobbledygook. In which case, either seek another version or give up and buy an official copy once a printed translation comes out. The other issue of note is you may need to expand the screen to read the text easily as sometimes the scans are minimised a little.
I find that if a page doesn't download properly or some other issue occurs (too slow or someone ordered the pages incorrectly etc.) with one reader then skipping across to another reader and picking up where I was is quite easy and rarely annoying.
Otherwise, enjoy and watch out you don't get too addicted you forget about the necessary things in life.

Rosy's manga recommendation: Bloody Monday by Ryuumon, Ryou

Bloody Monday
Ryuumon, Ryou

Blurb
A virus deal clinched in Russia on the Christmas eve. Purpose: unknown. Two clues: a mysterious lady "Maya", one of the reasons it happened, and "Bloody Monday", the keyword for the project.
Then an incident happened in far-distant city of Tokyo. Fujimaru Takagi, a second year student at Mishiro Gakuin high school, is commissioned to find out the truth by the Public Security Intelligence Agency, for his great ability as a super hacker. Now, Maya approaching to Fujimaru as his high school teacher.

Alternate names

ブラッディ・マンデイ血色星期一Bloody Monday Ver. 0블러디 먼데이Lunes sangriento
Madugong Lunes
รหัสมรณะ

Status

Series 1 complete. Series 2 ongoing.

Manga reader sites (free)

Manga Reader, Manga Fox

Rosy's scrawlings on Bloody Monday

This manga starts in a rush and just doesn't stop. It is addictive for it but also rather tiring as you just want to know when each story arc is going to end. If you're going to read this manga I will say this: brace yourself as there is no break until you're through all 96 editions. The characters run about like headless chickens the entire time, so much so that there's a collapse from stress scenario. This scenario does not halt the action though.

With this said, in this manga we are treated to a litany of IT information, a flood of insanity and fanaticism, some cold-hearted greed, several secretive organisations with spies to-boot and a group of teen heroes out saving the day, lead by the computer 'wizard' Fujimaru Takagi. There is IT babble galore from him as he just has to explain how he did everything, which is fair enough I suppose as most of us not so IT knowledgable readers do need such magic explained to us. Personally, having sat through more IT babble conversations than the average person not delved into the IT industry in some way, shape or form, it all sounds like more of the same. Except, I can point out that the speed in which Fujimaru does anything, particularly the hacking and coding, will make IT enthusiasts raise their eyebrows at the very least. In fact, most involved with IT will likely find this as incredulous as most other science-fiction and crime shows simply because although many of the methods used are possible (to some) they certainly aren't at the speed with which they're done in the manga. This just goes to show that as informative a piece of fiction can be it is still complete fiction.

IT magic aside, the story involves a blood thirsty cult lead by a young teen who's determination to kill so many Japanese is a little odd. There's some attempt at justifying everything by siting that Fujimaru had previously defeated them while they were in Russia using his IT wizardry but other than that it is a little odd. But I suppose that's what you get from the insane. And the leader of the cult is certainly that. Insanity is everywhere you look in this manga but a lot of it is instigated and controlled by the cult leader. In this Ryuumon did really well. With the creation of a diabolically insane genius for Fujimaru to go up against all Fujimaru's skills suddenly seem more plausible. The fictional scales of good and evil are balanced and so Fujimaru can become the hero we need him to be, his wizardry passed over just enough as we grasp for someone to stop the madness. Luckily, Fujimaru also has the backing of several capable characters, from his friends to secret service agents to spies, skilled in various areas so that any action he can't take as he's essentially an IT geek and not an action hero are covered by others.

All in all the manga is extremely fun as long as you get past the IT babble and the speed at which IT wizardry is performed. There are a range of characters to identify with, some tragedies, plenty of red shirt deaths, fanaticism to get angry with, cliff hangers everywhere and a giant puzzle to try and work out before the characters do. Kouji Megumi's art is rock solid and for the boys there's plenty of breasts and close ups on women's lips. For the girls, you'll likely just have to try to ignore that, but there are a few characters of worth you'll enjoy seeing on the page, some action heroines and some handsome young men (albeit grinning evilly). The style used to draw the manga falls within the normal parameters of mangas but it is very well done and there's aren't many emoticon-type faces included. The continued seriousness and tension is reflected well by restricting the illustration style while keeping it sharp and focused on movement. There is one thing of note though, that stands out straight away, and that is the eyes of Fujimaru and some other characters. In close ups we are treated to beautifully drawn eyes with versions of slip pupils. Sometimes it seems there's a double iris, a double pupil or singular for both but no matter what whenever the slit pupils appeared it was particularly stunning.

I'd recommend this manga to: anyone interested in thrillers, high tension fast-paced works and possibly IT if they're interested in a bitter laugh or two. I'd also suggest it to anyone who likes action, adventure and detective stories.

Notes on manga reader sites
The quality of manga readers can vary. The uploads are often done cheaply or as a serious hobby by a collective. Be aware that sometimes licence hasn't been given but the sites noted above, Manga Fox in particular, are extremely careful about adding and pulling mangas according to license agreements. So you shouldn't have to worry too much about the material being pirated. There are also translated works and non-translated. Amongst the translated works you will find that the quality of translation may vary according to the skills of the translators. Usually the works are perfectly readable anyway, with only a few added or dropped words or a word in the incorrect tense or with/out plurals. But sometimes the text becomes gobbledygook. In which case, either seek another version or give up and buy an official copy once a printed translation comes out. The other issue of note is you may need to expand the screen to read the text easily as sometimes the scans are minimised a little.
I find that if a page doesn't download properly or some other issue occurs (too slow or someone ordered the pages incorrectly etc.) with one reader then skipping across to another reader and picking up where I was is quite easy and rarely annoying.
Otherwise, enjoy and watch out you don't get too addicted you forget about the necessary things in life.

Rosy's scrawled manga recommendation: Benkei in New York by MORI Jinpachi

Benkei in New York
MORI Jinpachi

Blurb
Manga doesn't get much more noir than this. Benkei is just another expatriate Japanese arist living in the Big Apple. Or so it appears. As there "diabolical hard-boiled stories" show, surfaces aren't always what they seem. Flashbacks delve into sordid, secret past lives, and old scored, long festering, emerge without warning, asking to be settled.
And Benkei's secret? Maybe it's just that he's the only artist in town who isn't having fantasies of being a hitman-for-hire. He is one.
Each self-contained episode in this complete "Benkei" collection is a tighly plotted, beautifully rendered, psychologically harrowing ride into the heart of urban darkness. Hard-boiled tales of revenge, rendered in the tight-lipped, fine-line style of Taniguchi Jiro, one of the creators of Viz's "Hotel Harbour View".

Alternate names
New York no Benkei

Status
Completed

Manga reader sites (free)

Manga Traders 

Rosy's scrawlings on Benkei in New York

This manga comic, which I'll just refer to as a manga, is short, anything but sweet and brutal in its body horror realism. Blood doesn't fountain, young gangsters don't sneer and stick their tongues out while their eyes roll with madness and the weapons are as functional as real weapons, with none of that "his sword is too big to even lift let alone wield" reaction to tangle with. In the blurb it is said that Benkei In New York is noir and it truly is. In terms of noir though, I was a little disappointed but in terms of a brutal and realistic tale of a quiet and calm (generally) middle aged hit man in New York I was mesmerised. Hard-boiled is absolutely the right way to describe this manga and it was a shame it ended so soon. Even though I have read many stories in between this one and now I still want to know more of Benkei's story. If wishes were horses...

Benkei, as mentioned, is a middle aged man who seems to be cut off from almost everyone. There's a chance meeting with a lady of the night and they do form a bond of sorts but otherwise, he's a loner who wanders in and out of people's lives and leaves a trail of bodies behind him. He's got scruples when it comes to taking on a job but they aren't what you'd expect. Benkei, overall, is a fascinating man, and you only get a glimpse at what might have been for him with the flashbacks. To be honest, seeing such potential for good and then such brutality from the same character is shocking and that, I suppose, is all part of the darkness that makes this manga hard-boiled and noirish.

As to the art, created by Taniguchi Jiro, at first I was a little discontented as the artwork is a series of stills. There's little movement or flow involved and I believe this is where some of my disappointment with regards to the noir description came int play. I was expecting more flowing darkness and depth, with lots of movement and 'soul'. What you get though does perfectly match a hard core, hard-boiled hit man story where the hit man is slow and steady as he goes, deadly in intent. It captures the stillness that's come over him and his personality since a particular incident in his past (I refuse to reveal too much as the story is short - you need surprises). So when I rid myself of those modern noir expectations I was left with a darkness of atmosphere rather than art, a reflection of a character rather than a city and a realistic style that graphically portrayed the far more than necessary realism in the deaths. So, my advice for this, get hooked on the hard-boiled description and leave the noir bit for dust, despite how close it comes.

I'd recommend this manga comic to: lovers of stark, realistic and horrific stories, noir, hard-boiled characters, hit man stories and even old detective stories. This will probably appeal more to men but I'd still recommend it to anyone capable of dealing with realistic violence.
The unrealistic violence spoon-fed to kids doesn't cut it as precedence. Please give this only to those who know a little medical knowledge and can accept such things happening to people. This is not for kids or unknowledgeable early teens, in other words (although I would have read it by age 14 or so if given the opportunity because I was thoroughly steeped in medico by then).

Notes on manga reader sites
The quality of manga readers can vary. The uploads are often done cheaply or as a serious hobby by a collective. Be aware that sometimes licence hasn't been given but the sites noted above, Manga Fox in particular, are extremely careful about adding and pulling mangas according to license agreements. So you shouldn't have to worry too much about the material being pirated. There are also translated works and non-translated. Amongst the translated works you will find that the quality of translation may vary according to the skills of the translators. Usually the works are perfectly readable anyway, with only a few added or dropped words or a word in the incorrect tense or with/out plurals. But sometimes the text becomes gobbledygook. In which case, either seek another version or give up and buy an official copy once a printed translation comes out. The other issue of note is you may need to expand the screen to read the text easily as sometimes the scans are minimised a little.
I find that if a page doesn't download properly or some other issue occurs (too slow or someone ordered the pages incorrectly etc.) with one reader then skipping across to another reader and picking up where I was is quite easy and rarely annoying.
Otherwise, enjoy and watch out you don't get too addicted you forget about the necessary things in life.