Reviews tagging 'Death'

#DRCL – Midnight Children 1 by Shin'ichi Sakamoto

5 reviews

justcallmeemily's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Misogyny, and Sexism

Moderate: Bullying, Blood, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Pandemic/Epidemic

ezragold's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I initially read the preview of this that Viz Media posted on their Twitter account prior to the book’s release and knew I needed to read it the moment it was available. The art was the initial draw, along with the dank, disturbing atmosphere it created. To say I was pleased with it was an understatement. It was so much more than even that impressive preview could have expressed. 

Sakamoto’s art is so ethereally gorgeous it borders on the grotesque, which makes it a perfect vehicle for this surreal retelling of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. It’s definitely the stand-out feature of the book, as the storytelling itself can feel murky at times (a side effect of a surrealist narrative), and the vast majority of the cast are (purposefully) vile little snots. As a fan of the original, I found it easier than I would imagine most would to follow the story beats, but if someone comes into this seeking a traditional narrative, they may find themselves a little out of their depth and overwhelmed. 

One last negative, but the price of these books is astounding. Currently, the books are published exclusively in a high-quality, hard-back cover, though in all other aspects are the same size as a typical single volume of manga. At $27 a pop, I can’t help but wince. When I was a kid getting into manga in the mid/late 2000s, manga was $8 per volume. The rare hardback manga could get up to $12. If I didn’t love the contents of the book so much, the price would ward me away immediately. Consider requesting them at your local library, or wait to see if a paperback version is announced in the future before taking out a loan for these. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Deadnaming, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Blood, and Classism

Moderate: Dysphoria

Minor: Religious bigotry

vixenreader's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.75

More style over substance, the awe-inspiring visuals more than makes up for the poor plot points and well-meaning subversions that need up backfiring. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Gore, Misogyny, Sexism, Torture, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Classism

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Minor: Ableism, Toxic relationship, Grief, Cannibalism, Stalking, and Toxic friendship

Be aware that there is body horror involving plant life, ginger hatred, trans identity being repressed, and body horror involving metamorphosis.

charliewoodgya's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Death, Misogyny, and Blood

grayreadsmanga's review against another edition

adventurous dark medium-paced

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

2.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Misogyny, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Bullying and Blood

Minor: Sexual content