This review is of the first volume alone, so please keep in mind that is how I am judging the story at this point. It's not often a story can get an immediate reaction out of me. Within a single chapter I had an idea of what the story was going for and realized to my horror that the first volume was basically what would become one of the most difficult but fast reads I have done with any series. I blew through the first volume within an hour or so. It's engrossing but mainly because of how well one can relate to it. As an anime and manga fan I was not a cool kid in middle school or high school. It's unlikely that those interests would ever allow for a "popular" kid in that age. So, bullying isn't something I'm unused to. I have also been working with troubled youth and those with learning disabilities for the past 2 years so this story is a painful reminder of what kind of things adolescents will do to one another in their ignorance.
It's not difficult to relate to the story of someone being bullied but this story actually takes place from the perspective of someone who is the bully, a non-traditional setup. If you're anything like me, you may have a hard time getting through the story knowing that the main character you're following is the bully in this particular story. While that dichotomy changes a bit as the volume goes on this first volume isn't an easy story to swallow. But the fact that it is so important is what makes it truly shine. The characters are all real and it's not hard to see how many of these people exist in everyday life, even outside of the Japanese culture. The voices of shame of and guilt that resonant after the ignorance and bullying are given light are all too common and when enough becomes too much it really hits home to see how the dynamic of the story changes up.
The art for this particular series is beautiful. In fact, in a day and age where stories like this tend to focus on pretty yet great drawing, this particular series has a bit of grit to it which makes it that much more appealing given the tone of the series.
Since this is only the first volume it's hard to say where the story will go from here in terms of quality. As far as beginning volumes though, this one definitely has lasting impact even without the continued plot. I'll be very interested in reading what comes to follow.
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Reviews with images
AMAZING!
I LOVED IT! I just finished it and of course, I had to order the 2nd and 3rd! I loved this as much as I loved the anime!
