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Ichi the Killer (Koroshiya Ichi)
Gap within gaps
Author
Hideo Yamamoto
Plot Summary
Kakihara is the oldest son of Anjou; the leader of the Yakuza gang, Anjougumi. Anjou suddenly disappeared with all the gang’s money. People speculate that Anjou ran away with the money, but Kakihara insists that his father is being kidnapped and the kidnappers took the money. Kakihara took over command and lead Anjougumi to find his father with only one clue, the number 1 (Ichi).
Personal Opinion
Most reviews I read about this manga had the tendency of mentioning Ichi (the protagonist) and Kakihara (the antagonist) as their main interest. I have to admit both Ichi and Kakihara had unique personalities that I’m sure most -if not all- of us have never met in real life. Both of them shares similar pleasure from violence in extremely different form.
As the story unravels, we will get to know more about Ichi’s and Kakihara’s background. What is the cause of their current psychological state is an interesting point in this manga. Simply by being bullied, Ichi has managed to become so deadly with his super-human martial art skills. He had become a killing-machine with perverted personality as in being aroused after successfully killing his target.
Kakihara’s background is equally interesting. How did a person managed to get a Glasgow smile and scars all over his face? What kind of torture did he survived from? How is he able to enjoy pain so much that he could masturbate with? More questions should pop-up in our heads as the story continues. These are characters beyond our imagination. It is natural if we develop an intense curiosity in this manga.
As I stated above, this manga is all about Ichi and Kakihara from the start to the end where these two arch-enemies finally encounters one another. The story develops smoothly that we can easily keep up without confusion. The characters aside from Ichi and Kakihara should be able to boost the quality of this manga.
That being said, I still think the real value of this manga lies in Jijii’s plot to find “gap within gaps”. The best part of Koroshiya Ichi -in my case- is how Jijii’s strategies managed to tear down the huge Yakuza fortress. It is amazing to see how one person could pit one Yakuza group with another that results in no group surviving the war.
It is true that he who holds information holds power. In this case, Jijii holds great power by being able to manipulate information and led astray those people who believed in him. It’s like playing chess but not as the players who control the pawns. Jijii acts as the one who controls all the chess players. To describe this completely, I think 10 paragraphs would not be enough.
Another thumbs up in this manga lies in its explicit sexual and violent graphics. Not that I condone sex dan violence, I simply think that this is a story evolved around Yakuza. I don’t think we could expect any less explicit than what Koroshiya Ichi has to offer. This might go the opposite for the faint at heart and the weak at stomach, but I guarantee that you would not regret reading it no matter how many times you puke or fell unconscious. Nevertheless, you’ve been warned.
Last but not least, this manga has a disturbing plot. I personally can’t even imagine being able to live in such a world where Ichi or Kakihara exists. In my case, Koroshiya Ichi really opened up another perspective in my life. At the very least, I learn that it is possible to have the twisted personality of a perverted human killing-machine while looking like a wimp.
Personal Rating
8/10
[Reviewer: Amir Syafrudin]
Solanin
To be free is never easy
Author
Inio Asano
Plot Summary
Inoue and Taneda decided to quit their typical life and earn their long-awaited freedom. It turns out freedom is not as they expect it to be. Their freedom went from being happy to being bored. The further they go the more they struggle within their so-called freedom leaving a harsh life at the palm of their hands. Will they retain their freedom?
Personal Opinion
What is freedom? This is the basic question that evolves within the life of Meiko Inoue and Shigeo Taneda in Solanin. Inio Asano took us on a 2 (two) volumes journey on a typical definition of freedom; what it is, how it is achieved, and how it is basically something you can’t handle just by yourself.
GOTH
Morbid desires!
Author
Story: Otsuichi
Art: Kenji Ooiwa
Status
1 Volume – Completed
Plot Summary
Kamiyama and Morino share the same interest in crimes; especially murders. Fate unites them in cases related to crimes that are committed around their neighborhood. Using his analytical skills, Kamiyama manages to solve these cases and put an end to the crime in his own peculiar way.
Personal Opinion
This manga is worth reading; especially for readers who enjoy mysteries and thrillers. It’s a manga where the protagonist acts like a detective to solve cases throughout the story. It shares similar traits as other mystery manga where its readers join the protagonist in revealing the criminal. That is if these readers chose to do so.
Duds Hunt
The network survival game!
Author
Tetsuya Tsutsui
Status
1 Volume – Completed
Plot Summary
Nakanishi left reform school to start over in life. His boss couldn’t care less and made use of the fact to taunt him. Knowing he has nowhere else to go, Nakanishi withholds his complaints. Luckily for him, he has someone to share his pain; a virtual friend whom he knows nothing about, except the nickname. This virtual friend introduces Nakanishi to a game to help him relieve his pain. Nakanishi was lucky enough to have such comforting friend, or is he?
Dead End
There’s more to this universe than what you allow yourself to feel.
Author
Shohei Manabe
Status
4 Volumes – Completed
Plot Summary
Shirou was a typical construction worker living the same routine day by day. He lived a meaningless life; a life not worth living for. But that simple life changed for the better after an unexpected encounter with Lucy. Lucy brings light to Shirou’s life. Shirou began to appreciate life. Everything life has to offer made him happy. He’s happy living with Lucy. He can’t let her go. He refuse to let her go even though he doesn’t know anything about that girl.
Happiness comes short. That’s what happened to Shirou. Shirou introduced Lucy to his apartment neighbours. After a casual dinner with Lucy and his friends, Shirou’s out to buy cigarettes. He came back only to find his friends murdered and Lucy gone. Standing next to the corpse was a big man telling him that everything’s okay. The big man suddenly pulled Shirou out of his apartment just before the building explodes. He’s trying to save Shirou. Shirou was told to go down the sewer system to meet someone. Amidst the confusion, Shirou decided to listen. Thus he begins the journey through a dark world to find Lucy and unravels the mystery of his slaughtered friends.
