It’s time for a manga oneshot that came out recently. It’s got a pretty interesting premise and definitely succeeds at setting up a full length series down the road if the author ever wants to go there. The artwork is pretty solid and the characters are on point. The adventure also sticks the landing so this one makes all of the right choices throughout.

The title starts off by introducing us to a guy who hasn’t made up his mind on what he wants to do with his future. In a way you could say that he still has some time since he is in high school but everyone else have already decided on their plans. Azumi may fall behind if he doesn’t decide soon. The whole school also idolizes a girl named Shijima who has a nice laugh. People are constantly giving her things for free as a result of her positive energy but Azumi feels like something is wrong about this. Just 1 week ago everyone had been bullying her for the way that her teeth looked. What has changed?

The chapter goes through a whole conspiracy with the town basically deciding to be collectively evil. It’s the kind of experience that would be hard for anyone to accept. Azumi has to deal with the knowledge that he can’t trust anyone and that if he wants to save Shijima, it will pit him against everyone. That’s not an easy choice to make but Azumi is ready for this and has also been in love with her for a long time. Yes, at its core you could say that this story is part romance as well. There is a whole lot of horror along the way as well.

That’s where the art gets to show off. The visuals get really crazy and you almost wonder why Azumi hasn’t gone crazy yet. He’s one of the only ones who is able to see the weird demons running around. There are others who can see them as well but they refuse to talk about it. There is a very eerie atmosphere throughout the story and so I can say that the writer really understands the horror genre well. This is still part Shonen so I wouldn’t expect anything too crazy but to me that was a really fair mix.

Azumi also just works as a great main character. He knows that what the town is doing isn’t right and so he sets off to stop it. He is heavily outnumbered and is making powerful enemies but doesn’t care. He will save Shijima no matter what price he has to pay. The ending even doubles down on this as he will continue trying to save as many people as possible. If this ever did get a full length series I bet it would really be a lot of fun. The world building is already set up really well.

As for Shijima, I get the feeling that she wouldn’t really return. This oneshot was revolving around her but I took it as an example of the kinds of people that Azumi would be helping. She was a solid enough character. While I disagreed with her actions, she was grown up and raised in a way where she wouldn’t have known enough to fight back. From Shijima’s point of view she was doing the right thing so it is hard to fault her for that. She was essentially brainwashed from the start. Shijima still never complained about her lot in life and just went forward as best she could.

A side effect of this is that all of the adults look terrible of course. They are all on board with the corrupt system plaguing the series and don’t bother to ask any questions. They have even created a whole system of money and power around this. Now with a full series I imagine we would get introduced to people who are against the system and those who would rise against it. That’s a good thing but still won’t let these guys out of the woods. No matter what twists and turns come up, we know they were all willing to sacrifice Shijima for what they considered to be the greater good.

The kid also look equally bad. They’re in high school so that’s old enough to know better. I was glad that Azumi didn’t remain friends with the rest of the crew after he found out the truth. Some things are just way too far to ever come back from. As for what this thing is? Well you’ll have to read the oneshot to find out. I’m mainly avoiding mentioning what it is that the whole town/city is complicit in but I’m confident you’ll agree that they are all crazy.

The story isn’t defending it in any way either. It’s really just showing how nobody was ready to stand up to this situation before Azumi showed up. I also wonder if a series is already being planned because you have more characters introduced at the very end of the story who are poised to play a role later on. Definitely an interesting thing to do if this was truly a oneshot adventure right? I’ll be rooting for it to continue at the very least. We can always use more classic hero stories like this one about one guy having to fight to destroy the system.

Overall, This was a pretty good story. There were no weaknesses to it. The story, artwork, and characters were all very good. I can definitely understand why it is getting a lot of praise. The ultimate goal of a oneshot is to get you excited for a full series around this concept and the story absolutely succeeded with that. Every part of it was super interesting and the groundwork is already there. I think Shonen Jump could have a really fun title for the next generation here. In the meantime, read this one so you can get that view count up.

Overall 8/10