Manhole

So, this is one of those very random unknown manga with surprisingly good art, only racking in 29 chapters, it's a very interesting ride through a pretty disturbing, impending doom kind manga, the start absolutely hooks you, presenting one of those out of context "what is going on" type moments of distress, of looking at something unpleasant, a horrifying sight that gets your hand into this world. The characters were very well-rounded and constantly engaging, they had a clear-cut personality that one can instantly get invested into, even with such a small length, it felt like watching a good movie, but while it has great moments,I can only describe it as "Solid", not as great, or amazing, just doing everything well enough to be solid but never too impactful. This kind of story does have a great understanding of structure, motive, consistency, but it should've had more time, just a bit more time seeing the villain plot enough, some more planning, some more clashing; there are many moments you get engaged with and that promise so much more than what you get, but I don't really have anger towards it, just a bit of disappointment, it could've been so much more with enough time and the usage of the latter tense moments, no stretching, it would've just worked. But the thing I respect the most is the climax of the story, being the most logical way to finish something like it, any other story would've pulled something like a monologue, a weird point where it gets unnecessarily stretched, but not this one, this one ends the way it should, of course you could've had a different longer route, exploring more of the pandemic aspect, not just the pre aspect of it, still, as I said, super solid, and I really respect this story for having actual balls to end how it did.

I think I expected something far more visceral from Manhole as it was my first horror manga. What I thought to see from a title marketed as horror, was something messed up, gross, and genuinely terrifying. What I found instead was a mystery-thriller with a psychological horror undertone that, frankly, felt a bit mild. It’s not a bad manga by any means, but it sits in that middle-ground where the conceptual brilliance is occasionally undercut by a lack of bite and some questionable narrative shortcuts. The core premise is undeniably strong, however, for a story that tries to be smart, it can be frustratingly convenient.The detectives, who are fun enough (though not particularly deep), manage to track down the mastermind through a series of hacker leaps that felt A BIT like a stretch. They track the orders of a specific thing the villain ordered, and they do manage to filter down the suspects to the exact right person. The reason? The mastermind, who is supposedly a genius capable of orchestrating a biological reset of humanity, decided to put his actual age in the order form. It’s hard to stay intimidated by a villain who is that meticulous with ideological bioterrorism but that sloppy with basic safety measures. The characters follow a similar pattern of being just okay. Aside from the two lead detectives, the cast doesn't have much room to breathe or develop. This is largely due to the manga's length. Manhole feels too short to create something truly meaningful. The social commentary is there but it never gets the deep dive it deserves. Because of this the ending feels rushed and ultimately consequence-free. Aside from one character losing an eye, the world essentially resets to the status quo. There’s no lingering moral dilemma and no real questioning of ANYTHING. Visually the art is serviceable. It has some creepy panels that land well, but it isn't the kind of stellar, atmospheric work that sticks with you long after you close the book. It does the job of moving the plot forward, but it doesn't elevate the horror to any particularly high level. Overall, Manhole is a fine "mystery-lite" experience, but a disappointing (for me) first foray into horror if you're looking for something that will actually haunt you. It’s a well-crafted threat and a solid concept, but the execution feels too fast and too convenient to leave a lasting mark.

For a manga that is only 29 chapters long, the plot moved a little slow. The premise of the manga, a biocontamination crime thriller seemed apropos during our current pandemic of 2020-2021 and so that attracted me and perhaps it would you as well. I enjoyed the characters in the manga, especially the two main detectives -- I cared for their well-being and felt that their personalities were nicely fleshed out and three-dimensional. The biggest draw-back for me about this manga is that it seemed to drag on a bit. For example, when the main antagonist committed a crime in one chapter, it felt likethe entire following chapter was just about explaining to the reader what had occurred. It had some interesting ideas in there, but it didn't grab me in suspense to eagerly read the next chapter. If it wasn't for it's short length I probably would've dropped it. I don't mean to come off as harsh; I did enjoy the manga, but in my opinion it was alright, not great. I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys crime narratives as long as they are aware that it is slower-paced.