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自殺島
168
17
Finished
Nov 14, 2008 to Aug 26, 2016
6.5/10
Average Review Score
50%
Recommend It
8
Reviews Worldwide
Heavy incorporation of author's own sensibilities into an already sensitive topic makes this a questionably preachy journey. As far as believability is concerned it suffers from fluctuations; at some points, the raw realism resonates stupendously only to be dulled by the timeworn twists any experienced reader will be able to predict. Ironically, a major positive element is the lack of any sort of unorthodox turnaround, sort of teases one's expectations but always remains down to earth in that respect - as opposed to its philosophical innuendos. Infamously drawn "clones" offer distinction on a personality basis at least, but more or less are victims of youreveryday survivalist devices. They do succeed as proxies of the author's own standpoints, even make you ponder over some existentialistic dilemmas and sanctity of life itself. However, their naivety is pushed to the extreme for the sake of convenience and therefore drowns in absurdity. At a certain point, it feels as if they'll free themselves from the author's moralistic clutches, develop autonomy to break the fourth wall, and ask the reader: "Do you really believe this?"
In a story evoking both Lord of the Flies and Battle Royale, a young Japanese man, Sei, is transported to the mysterious, remote Suicide Island after a failed suicide attempt—where he must live the rest of his days or figure out how to die! With society turning its back on many suicidal citizens, the island fills up with haunted, driven characters, often in conflict with each other and sometimes barely holding onto sanity! (Source: Dark Horse)
Coming from a fan of Mori Koji's Holyland (favorite of mine) I expected Jisatsutou to be a great manga, but unfortunately the symptoms that slightly hampered my enjoyment of Holyland (still a favorite) killed Jisatsutou completely. You might as well say it plagued the manga completely turning it into a dying zombie waiting to be killed. Story 3/10 The story starts with our mc attempting suicide but ultimately failing to do so; He then wakes up in an island with a group around him most of them consisting of people who failed to commit suicide as well. The bad pacing of the story begins atthe start of the story with extremely irregular pacing. The story begins to truly shine after chapter 20 all the way until 60. The problem is how the author forgets what to do with his characters and decides to prolong it all the way to 168. The pacing starts to really weigh down on the reader after chapter 60 to the point I didn't even want to continue reading this abomination (rarely happens). Horrible decisions one after another perplexed me. Granted, I read this in one sitting, but I have done the same with many other great manga namely Mori Koji's other work Holyland. Mori Koji's name was the only thing that carried this abomination all the way to the end in my case. Art 9/10 As expected, the art was brilliant. The art that Mori Koji polished through eight years of writing and drawing Holyland paid off (wish the same could be said for the story and characters). There really isn't much complaints here to be said about the art. Undoubtedly, this is a preference since some would complain about the weird art style. Character 2/10 Good lord almighty the characters really got on my nerves. You do not know the amount of times I wanted to smash my head with a brick because of how naive or stupid the characters were. The mc is the worst sinner in this category. I don't think I have ever hated a mc more than this one. It is surprising at how one quality could truly make or break a story. Specifically, in this case it is the mc's hesitation. Wow, at times I really felt like the author was doing this shit on purpose. At the story's most critical moments the mc made the worst choices. Naivete and hesitation also affected a few other characters but not the degree of our mc. There was perhaps one notable brilliant development of a character that carried me to finish the story. There were also a few other plot issues which really made me question whether or not a certain decision made by a character was really a choice that character would make. Enjoyment 5/10 Even though I absolutely German Suplexed the shit out of this manga, I would be lying to you if I said I didn't enjoy this manga at some point. After chapter 20 we had signs of a characters reform which truly made me smile and will most likely be the only thing I remember of this dumpster. After around chapter 60 my enjoyment dipped horribly due to terrible choices by the author. I truly wonder what was the author thinking while writing this. I suppose after eight years of drawing this manga he probably forgot his sense of direction of this story and began repeating the same actions and behavior patterns of nearly all characters. Overall 5/10 I read this manga, so you didn't need to. If you want something survival or psychological, go read the author's only good work holyland, homunculus, or kokou no hito
Set in a time when the government has given up on saving repeat suicide attempts, the titular island is made. The island’s purpose is to serve as a dumping site for those who have repeatedly tried to take their own lives. They’re left on the island without any resources. They only have what they are wearing, and all means of communication to the outside is barred. Kouji Mori, Sousei no Taiga’s creator, is also Jisatsutou’s creator, so a great story line is already a given. Jisatsutou’s distinguishing feature is how it depicts gray areas. The protagonists aren’t necessarily the good guys, and the bad guys aren’t necessarily thebad guys. At the end of the day, everybody’s just a cut from the same paper. Everybody is ironically just trying to survive.
No spoilers! 3 reasons you might want to check this manga out: 1. If you're interested in the survival - adventure genre. It's surprisingly realistic and the story is good. The characters (almost everyone) are unexpectedly relatable and likable. You might find yourself cherishing them. 2. They are people, who despite being suicidal before, try their hardest to cling to life. Together, they once again look for the answer to the question of "What is the point in living?" 3. You might learn a thing or two about the world. It contains a lot of great information. The manga changed the way I've always taken thingsfor granted. It changed me.
*Minimum Spoilers* What if you decide to end your life, and the universe brings you something worse? This is Jisatsutou, an outcast survival manga that brings you a unique theme for survival series. TLDR: Jisatsutou is a survival manga that tells the story of an island where people who have attempted suicide are sent. The story and character development are solid, and the conflicts between them make it engaging. The artist does a good job of drawing backgrounds and nature, but the character design could be improved. While the manga has over 150 chapters, each chapter is not too long, and the writer still manages to develop thestory and characters effectively. Story 8 The story is wonderful and presents a new premise to the survival genre. The main plot revolves around an island where people who have attempted suicide are sent. What's amazing is that at first, going there doesn't seem like a big deal to someone who has attempted suicide, since they think they're going to die anyway. But that's the clever part. The hardest part of feeling hopeless and thinking of dying anyway is when you're forced to keep living. It's great when people on the island discover the meaning of life through experiences like this. Additionally, as is typical with survival island themes, there is a lot of dynamic conflict surrounding the resources necessary for their survival. Seeing how they try to figure out how to survive and fulfill their everyday needs is very interesting and varied. The plot and its progression are very solid. However, as a reader, I have mixed feelings about the ending. (So I leave it to your opinion.) Character 7 There are many characters you'll encounter throughout the story, including the main character Sei. He's a high schooler who was in critical condition in the hospital and decided to end his life, which led him to end up on the island for the first time. His development throughout the story is impressive. At first, he is hopeless, but he later gains a strong will to live. His creativity in solving daily needs is remarkable, and his personality is wonderful. The other members of the gang have unique personalities and skills that contribute to the progression of their survival story on the island. Each side character or secondary character has their own uniqueness and different personality, making the whole story more dramatic and engaging. As it is a survival-themed story, there is a basic antagonist, a selfish character, and another survival group. The conflicts between them, driven by their different visions, make the story engaging. Despite being over a hundred chapters long, the author still manages to develop each character besides the main character. Additionally, learning about the background of each character adds richness to the story. Art 7 The artist of Jisatsutou does a good job of drawing backgrounds, animals, and nature, but the character design is a downside. The old-school manga style with exaggerated features doesn't look like real life, and the facial features are composed in a weird and unnatural way. I have mixed feelings about the characters. The artist used an old-school manga style, with exaggerated features that don't look like real life. However, I feel that the facial features are composed in a weird and unnatural way. Additionally, some of the face angles are also oddly drawn. However, the artist's drawings of faces are effective at conveying emotions, and the anatomy and movement of the figures are well-drawn. The panels are well-composed, but the many speech balloons in each chapter can be overwhelming due to the involvement of multiple characters. Overall 7 In the end, I enjoyed Jisatsutou. It has a well-developed plot that is both dramatic and dynamic throughout the story. Even though I don't typically read manga with a survival island theme, I would recommend this one. Despite having 150+ chapters, each chapter is not too long, and the writer still manages to develop the story and characters effectively.
