Kagijin

At this point in time, Yasuki Tanaka has earned critical acclaim for his work 'Summertime Rendering' and probably has another traditional hit in the industry to his name if all goes well; that hit being 'Ghost Fixers'. It is understandable that his developing fanbase would have an interest in their professional trajectory on their rise. That being said, I personally came across this piece by accident via a search recommendation and decided to check it out. Well, I must say, for a oneshot in his earlier days, Kagijin did not disappoint. While I have concerns about checking out the full manga published in Weekly ShonenJump due to its relatively low score compared to the oneshot on this site, I strive to keep my expectations in check. Before getting into details, I want to emphasize how brilliant this oneshot is. While it's no masterpiece, it is miles ahead of several oneshots of similar length. It has a captivating beginning, climax, and resolution that would shine even without a full-length manga. One might question how such a promising piece could fail, especially from a mangaka we now know to be capable. I'd simply put that, being his first full-length manga, the author found it difficult to keep up with weekly deadlines, thus losing his magic in producing consistently enjoyable chapters. Take this with a grain of salt, as I had not started the manga itself at the time of this review. Now let's begin: The story is set in a deserted future, specifically a barren wasteland. The key hook follows a typical shounen formula, leaning towards Full Metal Alchemist tropes. The art to some extent seems to follow this style, though not distractingly so, as the premise has its own flair. The writing structure is well above average, excluding the absence of character development - a minor disappointment that, with just one more developed character, could have made the 'cool factor' even more exquisite. The pacing and dialogue are the highlights of the writing aspect of this oneshot. A few pages or panels could have used more polish in flow, especially considering this oneshot serves as a trailer for the final piece and that deadlines are a little more lax here. However, it shows the author mostly understood how to effectively communicate action sequences even in his earlier days as these were rather few if not none which could be due to either my incompetence or competence to expect perfection. There's no extreme emotional portrayal, but this lack actually elevates the harsh nature of the setting, which I believe was well executed. While we don't learn much about how the world became this way, the great use of mystery ties into the curiosity to learn more about this mundane yet interesting lore. As some animals seem present and well-known while others aren't, revealing more would mean attaching spoilers. One could say this is just another mill shounen oneshot, but it shines in its style of not trying to be more than it is while showing promise of potential expansion. It's an effective oneshot for a future manga. However, in terms of being special in its category, I would say 'NO'. The paneling isn't particularly special, and the art style and character designs reminiscent of Magi, HunterxHunter, and FullMetalAlchemist are highly derivative without the mangaka's own polish. Also worthy of speaking one is that, one major theme, 'freedom', isn't fully explored to sway the audience in terms of impact hence lowering it's appeal to stand out. As an enjoyable read, it provides insight into what to expect from this mangaka - the ability to create a good, above-mediocre shounen-type manga. A rating between 7.13 and 7.42 out of 10 seems fairly standard. I personally wanted to give it an 8/10, but after consulting my evaluation criteria, this was the conclusion. I recommend this to anyone interested in Tanaka-sensei's humble beginnings and to shounen enthusiasts looking for a quick, one-chapter, easily explorable plot. It's a get-in-fast, get-out-fast piece that leaves you wanting more. ENJOY! ✌🏿