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sarrahchang's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
vysrath's review
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
bangchanstan_1's review
adventurous
dark
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
rereader33's review
4.0
Wow, ANOTHER series I was thinking of skipping that turned out to be great. I must be losing my edge...
Anyway, I had a lot of fun with this introductory volume. Gabimaru is equal parts terrifying, hilarious, and adorable and Sagiri is a phenomenal character as well. I absolutely LOVE the monsters and overall look of the island. Really lulls you into a false sense of security and the way the bodies morph when touched adds to the creepiness factor. I'm also looking forward to learning more about the other criminals and already like the bandit king and kunoichi. The action was pretty solid for the most part, though sometimes it was a little hard to tell what was happening.
If there's any complaint I have, it's that some of the transitional scenes either cut content or were slightly confusing. For example, when Gabimaru fights the Living Armor criminal, the final panel of the page shows them gearing up to fight, but the very next panel shows him dead by Gabimaru. There's no fight sequence and while I imagine it was to save time (which I definitely understand), it was really jarring to go from getting ready to fight to fight's over, moving on. These transitions didn't make it difficult to follow the story completely, but they were frequent enough that I needed to bring it up. Oh, and there were a few scenes where Sagiri was grappling with fear and metaphorical bloody hands were attached to her body and of course there was always one on her boob. Can't tell whether that was some kind of metaphor for "fear" being represented as sexual assault or whether we "needed" boob-grabbing in the volume, but it was off-putting. Not enough to ruin the volume, but again I felt the need to bring it up.
Anyways, this was a great first volume that has me intrigued. I definitely want to learn more about he criminals and the island, as well as see more of Gabimaru's relationship with his wife. Can't wait to read more!
Anyway, I had a lot of fun with this introductory volume. Gabimaru is equal parts terrifying, hilarious, and adorable and Sagiri is a phenomenal character as well. I absolutely LOVE the monsters and overall look of the island. Really lulls you into a false sense of security and the way the bodies morph when touched adds to the creepiness factor. I'm also looking forward to learning more about the other criminals and already like the bandit king and kunoichi. The action was pretty solid for the most part, though sometimes it was a little hard to tell what was happening.
If there's any complaint I have, it's that some of the transitional scenes either cut content or were slightly confusing. For example, when Gabimaru fights the Living Armor criminal, the final panel of the page shows them gearing up to fight, but the very next panel shows him dead by Gabimaru. There's no fight sequence and while I imagine it was to save time (which I definitely understand), it was really jarring to go from getting ready to fight to fight's over, moving on. These transitions didn't make it difficult to follow the story completely, but they were frequent enough that I needed to bring it up. Oh, and there were a few scenes where Sagiri was grappling with fear and metaphorical bloody hands were attached to her body and of course there was always one on her boob. Can't tell whether that was some kind of metaphor for "fear" being represented as sexual assault or whether we "needed" boob-grabbing in the volume, but it was off-putting. Not enough to ruin the volume, but again I felt the need to bring it up.
Anyways, this was a great first volume that has me intrigued. I definitely want to learn more about he criminals and the island, as well as see more of Gabimaru's relationship with his wife. Can't wait to read more!
booksofbelwood's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
yliana's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
the anime was so amazing and I'm loving the manga just as much. The concept of the island is so cool and the art?!?! It's so beautiful, I love how monstrous but beautiful everything looks it's just *chefs kiss*
bhall237's review
4.0
“THAT MONSTER
KILLED 20 MEN
BEFORE THEY
MANAGED TO
CATCH HIM!”
“HE'S
BEYOND
DANGER-
OUS!”
Hell’s Paradise is so strong in introducing the readers to our main players and what the story will be about, in this, we follow Gabimaru the Hollow, who, along with other bandits who have been sentenced to death, are send on a mission to find the “elixir of life” for the Shogunate. It’s so simple and so quick in its setup, but once we get to the island, we learn that the task is not going to be an easy one for our crew. The characters, both the Asaemon and the Bandits, are all strong and individual, with no one feeling like a background character. This one ends with landfall on the island and immediate action, something that doesn’t stop once it starts. The fight keeps going from here.
KILLED 20 MEN
BEFORE THEY
MANAGED TO
CATCH HIM!”
“HE'S
BEYOND
DANGER-
OUS!”
Hell’s Paradise is so strong in introducing the readers to our main players and what the story will be about, in this, we follow Gabimaru the Hollow, who, along with other bandits who have been sentenced to death, are send on a mission to find the “elixir of life” for the Shogunate. It’s so simple and so quick in its setup, but once we get to the island, we learn that the task is not going to be an easy one for our crew. The characters, both the Asaemon and the Bandits, are all strong and individual, with no one feeling like a background character. This one ends with landfall on the island and immediate action, something that doesn’t stop once it starts. The fight keeps going from here.