The Tree of Death: Yomotsuhegui

Incredibly poignant, amazingly drawn, does not overstay its welcome. What a manga. This one basically grabs the typical shonen trope, “the monster inside”, and extrapolates it into a maturity I haven’t seen with it. Most times it leads to a massive story, with things which can control the power, all the jazz, and no hate towards stories that do that, but the freshness of this one earns it so many points. This is more complex than just kill big bad, become hero. It’s about understanding what’s lost in immortality. I love the questions the story asks. Our lives are made to be short for a reason,but what if it was just all unfair? What if nothing made sense, and the fickleness of life was nothing but a stupid, horrific joke. We’re born as good people, led to lose everything, young lives, old lives, all lost in meaninglessness. Should it be that way? Should the story never have happened? Is it okay to sacrifice many tragic lives to make way for a few fulfilling lives? Should we take that into our hands? What right do we have to do that? I love even more how the story uses the ideas quietly, subtlety. Visually. Show-don’t-tell. The author knows how to land a beat without explaining everything to you, it trusts you. The battles and the art are out of this world, coupled with proper pacing and paneling. The characters are so distinct, and their stories are given to you just at the right time. Look, you can make a movie out of this one, easily. Nothing beats a story that’s so tragic, yet so hopeful. About why it’s a beautiful thing for a child to be able to live normally. That was all this story needed to be, and it was. It told its ideas; it managed to state them with perfection. Did it the story need a little time to breathe at the end? Sure, can’t deny that. The ending wasn’t rushed, but it sure as hell tightened a little too far to wrap up quickly. I wish we got more about the monster, but the final moments of the story got tears out of me. Not to nitpick, but I would’ve bawled my eyes out if given a little more time with it. The inklings of a perfect story, but as it stands, it’s almost perfect as a small, concise package of greatness. 8.5/10. Please read it, this thing has less than 1000 fans in here (as of me writing this).