Scan barcode
mmmlysaght's review against another edition
3.0
Very basic tale of decadence and moral decay in the 20s. A quick read with a quicker end, redeemed by the lush art.
glecharles's review against another edition
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Weird, shallow, but beautifully illustrated.
leila's review
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
How crazy! the art here is phenomenal and I would love to read the story this was adapted from
hereforthefunofit's review
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
so freaky i might just give it 5 stars but i have to sleep on it.
28.02.24
I can a 100% tell you that I was not expecting to have this book impact me the way it did. It's ony been a day so maybe I am pushing it, but why do I keep thinking about this manga. It made me so uncomfortable, but constantly was making me question. Just how far will a person go for wealth? How do a person's convictions and morals play a part in their decision in the pursuit of becoming filthly rich? At the end of it all, is it even worth it?
28.02.24
I can a 100% tell you that I was not expecting to have this book impact me the way it did. It's ony been a day so maybe I am pushing it, but why do I keep thinking about this manga. It made me so uncomfortable, but constantly was making me question. Just how far will a person go for wealth? How do a person's convictions and morals play a part in their decision in the pursuit of becoming filthly rich? At the end of it all, is it even worth it?
inesgodinhopereira's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
clatterreads's review against another edition
3.0
I found this book a little confusing… half way through reading it I learned it is based on a famous 1926 Japanese novel. I will be helpful to read the original.
cesspool_princess's review against another edition
4.0
4.5, loved this, so pretty, so vibey, the island rly captured such a surreal feeling very effectively, t he main character is such a fucking mad lad, respect
600bars's review against another edition
5.0
I checked this book out from work because it was just mesmerizingly pretty… It is kinda expensive but now after reading it I feel I have no choice but to buy it because I know I will want to look at it again. I didn’t know what it was about, it's just so pretty! The plot is less important than the images, but it is one of my fave kinds of plots: a double taking over someone’s life. A failed writer who looks a lot like a rich guy fakes his own death and impersonates the rich man so that he can fulfill his dream of making a luxurious pleasure island.. The translation was a little wonky and I honestly wish it had been longer to draw out the suspense of people catching on that he was an imposter. The best part of the book was just the pages where he shows Chiyoko around the island. It was truly breathtaking. I wish I could go there. I haven’t had a moment of jaw dropping awe upon witnessing something of immense grandeur in a while. I mean I am lucky and privileged to have had so many moments in the first place. I felt this way when going to TeamLab in Tokyo or seeing the Taj Mahal. I wish I was around to see the World’s Fair’s back in the day. Basically I am craving a massive spectacle of beauty.
I am loving this genre that I keep stumbling across accidentally, of mangas that are heavily influenced by dark surrealist western artists. Like Aku No Hana & Odilon Redon/Charles Baudelaire, and now this book with Edgar Allen Poe. I would like to look more into the artists and short stories mentioned in this book and read it again. Which I will be able to do as many times as I want because I’ve resigned myself to forking over the cash.
The eyes of every character were something else. Idk what he is doing, drawing extra eyelashes or something, especially the main character. Very hypnotic effect.
Everything is so lush and decadent and surreal and majestic I wish I could go inside the pages, especially the underwater tunnel. It is so fucking bleak to me that the rich guys of our era, the guys with the resources to make something like this, like Elon Musk or Bezos or Zuck, are lame as hell with no imagination. Ugh this was so beautiful and I’m like nauseated thinking that Jeffrey Epstein definitely imagined his island being as majestic as this but instead it’s populated by fucking sweaty prince Andrew ew ew ew. If we have to live in a hellscape I wish it could at least be beautiful instead of the fucking metaverse. (I mean it goes without saying I would rather none of this, in Panorama Island he displaces the fishermen who lived on the island, the young servant girl being one of the nymph mermaid workers is eyebrow raising given the history of rich guys being disgusting freaks etc etc.) But still it’s lame as hell thinking about how kings of earlier ages did shit with their exploitation that have jaws on the floor for generations to come such as building the Taj Mahal while the equivalent powers in our age have made a worse version of second life it’s just all so fucking pathetic.
Lol that makes me think about the Crypto Island video hahahahhahahaha
The whole thing is so luxurious and full of sensory pleasure but there is an uneasiness that pervades. Part of that is worrying that Hitomi’s true identity will be revealed, but there’s definitely something else that gives it a darkness underlying all the beauty. Wish I hadn’t abandoned reading society of the spectacle, I really need to be more disciplined because if I were doing my Vegetable reading I could probably be telling you why in my Candy reading how simulacrum and simulacra applies to the Panorama illusions and I could understand everything going on in this book on another level. There’s something depressing about all the beautiful women and men milling about, everyone being essentially paid to be at your party/orgy, none of it is real. It’s empty and fake in a way Dan Bilzarian must feel inside his heart.
I absolutely have to read some work by the person who wrote the story this is based on, Edogawa Rampo, and need to read more manga that this artist has made!!! This was more of a 4.5 star book for me because like I said I could’ve used a bit more plot but it was more of a sensual experience anyway. Gorgeous and Unsettling, nothing is Real or maybe it's hyPPERRREAL
I am loving this genre that I keep stumbling across accidentally, of mangas that are heavily influenced by dark surrealist western artists. Like Aku No Hana & Odilon Redon/Charles Baudelaire, and now this book with Edgar Allen Poe. I would like to look more into the artists and short stories mentioned in this book and read it again. Which I will be able to do as many times as I want because I’ve resigned myself to forking over the cash.
The eyes of every character were something else. Idk what he is doing, drawing extra eyelashes or something, especially the main character. Very hypnotic effect.
Everything is so lush and decadent and surreal and majestic I wish I could go inside the pages, especially the underwater tunnel. It is so fucking bleak to me that the rich guys of our era, the guys with the resources to make something like this, like Elon Musk or Bezos or Zuck, are lame as hell with no imagination. Ugh this was so beautiful and I’m like nauseated thinking that Jeffrey Epstein definitely imagined his island being as majestic as this but instead it’s populated by fucking sweaty prince Andrew ew ew ew. If we have to live in a hellscape I wish it could at least be beautiful instead of the fucking metaverse. (I mean it goes without saying I would rather none of this, in Panorama Island he displaces the fishermen who lived on the island, the young servant girl being one of the nymph mermaid workers is eyebrow raising given the history of rich guys being disgusting freaks etc etc.) But still it’s lame as hell thinking about how kings of earlier ages did shit with their exploitation that have jaws on the floor for generations to come such as building the Taj Mahal while the equivalent powers in our age have made a worse version of second life it’s just all so fucking pathetic.
Lol that makes me think about the Crypto Island video hahahahhahahaha
The whole thing is so luxurious and full of sensory pleasure but there is an uneasiness that pervades. Part of that is worrying that Hitomi’s true identity will be revealed, but there’s definitely something else that gives it a darkness underlying all the beauty. Wish I hadn’t abandoned reading society of the spectacle, I really need to be more disciplined because if I were doing my Vegetable reading I could probably be telling you why in my Candy reading how simulacrum and simulacra applies to the Panorama illusions and I could understand everything going on in this book on another level. There’s something depressing about all the beautiful women and men milling about, everyone being essentially paid to be at your party/orgy, none of it is real. It’s empty and fake in a way Dan Bilzarian must feel inside his heart.
I absolutely have to read some work by the person who wrote the story this is based on, Edogawa Rampo, and need to read more manga that this artist has made!!! This was more of a 4.5 star book for me because like I said I could’ve used a bit more plot but it was more of a sensual experience anyway. Gorgeous and Unsettling, nothing is Real or maybe it's hyPPERRREAL
zorpblorp's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5