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ćăźăă€ă
71
10
Finished
Jul 8, 2009 to Apr 24, 2013
8.0/10
Average Review Score
100%
Recommend It
4
Reviews Worldwide
Vigilante justice. It's a topic that's frequented by many pieces of fiction, often glorified, painted black-and-white, oversimplified, or accompanied by sociopathic characters. The moral and psychological nuances that are tied with this subject are likewise dumbed down, leading to stories that feel both unrealistic and emotionally distant. It's a tragedy among storytelling that I've seen repeated far too many times, and going into Kimi no Knife, I certainly didn't have the highest of hopes. Luckily, the manga demonstrated through its more mature and thoughtful take that it wasn't going to be your average Joe action narrative. This becomes apparent right from the first murderscene. Shiki took up the lucrative but dangerous job as a hitman to pay for his sister's cancer medications, but despite the target clearly being described as an unforgivable criminal, Shiki couldn't bring himself to 'deliver justice' for his mysterious informant. Yes, there's something fundamentally disturbing about killing another human being, a simple concept that so many stories have entirely ignored. Even as he would eventually get used to his job through the course of the story, there's always a specter of guilt and hesitation weighing on both his actions and his conscience. There will be no excuse-making, no 'siding with justice' drivel: Shiki understands the weight of his actions, however overwhelming. Each bounty becomes a test of Shiki's ethical boundaries, as the information of the targets starts to seem less reliable, and actions start affecting bystanders around the targets, including friends, family, and witnesses to the murders. Are they guilty by association? How should Shiki handle the innocents who could very well have him jailed or even killed after seeing his crimes? Life doesn't always go his way, and when he's forced to make such tough decisions, they strongly reflect on how he develops as a person, and it's freaking excellent. You start to notice these subtle but increasingly relevant changes in his mindset, and by the end of the story, there's nothing but respect for his character. Yes, he's made mistakes. Yes, he's done some terrible things. But he tries time and time again to do the right things amidst all his wrongs, and it's that nuanced portrayal of the human aspect that counts for the most. Then there's his partner-in-crime Kuzumi, a local police detective and undercover hitman. Employed by the same clandestine agency as Shiki, Kuzumi fights for his own brand of justice, as his previous passion in crime-fighting became overtaken by disappointment for the legal system. That being said, once again, Kuzumi does not try to paint himself as some kind of righteous hero; he knows that his circumvention of the law has its own flawed implications, and he's admitted to acting out for his own peace of mind than anything else. His character is a perfect complement to Shiki's, the foremost reason being his starkly different judgment and moral compass. This guy is decisive and resourceful, always thinking rationally about how to execute their plans in the most efficient and effective manner, thwarting any police action, and setting up each crime scene with the intent of misdirecting any legal agents. Naturally, this includes brutal suggestions of killing off any witnesses, as witnesses tend to be the single worst loose end to any crime. But the qualities of his character don't just end there. Oftentimes, his suggestions are simply devil's advocate to Shiki's more compassionate nature, and even when he logically doesn't agree with Shiki's judgment, his own emotions and respect for Shiki lend him to acquiesce to the messier, but more humane alternatives. This has landed them in disastrous situations far too often, but he adapts accordingly, laboriously playing risk management and damage control of the group. Kuzumi's dynamic with Shiki is a fascinating relationship to follow, and his personality is much more nuanced than meets the eye. In general, the characters of Kimi no Knife tend to be competent, multifaceted, and realistic. There are many that I haven't mentioned, some who stay throughout the scene and develop impressively, others who make a strong impact despite their short-lived appearance. Detective Hosaka in particular presents a very well-written character in his frustrations and efforts at bringing both yakuza baddies and the main two protagonists to justice, and the police department offers a passionate cast of characters who enrich the narrative through their actions and personalities. There are bystanders of the murders who end up joining Shiki and Kuzumi by choice or by circumstance, and the inclusion of these characters (including the cover girl, Itsuki) effectively add yet another dimension to the issue, while providing precious and revealing character moments in what slice-of-life the manga has to offer in downtime. All that said, Kimi no Knife isn't a perfect story. The second half is paced a tad too fast for its own good, blazing through plot developments while offering shaky-at-best foundations for said events. It does build an effective sense of suspense and edge matching the desperation of the situation, but some events become hard to follow, and the ending in particular is a bit tough to accept. Certain elements of the story remain unexplained, and Itsuki's supernatural ability of being able to perceive another's mindset is never really used to great effect. This begs the question of why the author even bothered adding that element into the story, but for you guys who dislike the use of supernatural elements in fiction, it may be a relief. Don't let the flaws deter you from reading this story though. Kimi no Knife offers a powerful experience, and a surprisingly character-driven one, as its characters are written with excellent foundation and thought in mind. The question of morals is explored very meticulously, and many characters possess intricate moral compasses and ideologies which change over time. Each crime scene is presented with increasingly strong weight and suspense, and even while the work carries significant momentum throughout, it also doesn't shy away from engaging on an emotional level when its characters break down or support each other through poor situations. Most importantly, this work's tone feels human: balanced, nuanced, and natural. In this aspect, it has completely surpassed my expectations. Seriously, seriously consider giving this work a fair chance.
Shiki Yukitaka is desperate for money, but he makes way too little as a long term substitute teacher. While drinking one evening, a pretty woman asks if he would be willing to assassinate people for 5 million yen a kill. Although Shiki is hesitant, he grudgingly admits that he might do it, provided all the targets are serious evildoers. He soon finds that her offer is deadly serious, when she introduces him to the rest of the team and points them towards their first target. The driver, Yan, is doing this for the money as well. Shiki's partner, Kuzumi, is a cop. He doesn't appear to be interested in the money, but he seems to be driven by a deep anger. On Shiki's first mission, things don't go quite as planned. They didn't count on their target's 18-year-old daughter Itsuki being locked up in the house. She's been confined for 10 years, due to her spooky ability to read things from people's minds when she touches them. She claims to want to be their ally, and Shiki is reluctantly made responsible for her care. With the police investigating their crime, is keeping her alive too dangerous? How long will the team be able to get away with continuing their highly paid vigilante murders? (Source: MangaHelpers)
It took close to two years to reach the end and I wanted to put a little something in here because it was worth the waiting. As I'm writing, I'm waiting for last chapter which I'm sure, will be a fair ending. First, the plot was interesting. A young substitute teacher in need of money to live and to pay his sister's hospital few, becomes a hitman, partnering with a cop called Kuzumi. Reading this, it had to be interesting as soon as a cop is involved because sooner or later, the cat will be out of the bag and it will be bad. Where the mangagets great is when seeing the psychological evolution of the main character Shiki. As you all guessed, at first it is hard, then killing is a little more common and then it is regret (because he is still a good guy), imagining dead people everywhere we go. To add up with this, cops will be meddling with their business. The manga is a centered around this teacher character but we have focus, in some chapters, on co-characters which are interesting too because each one has his own connection with Shiki and his own way to live with it. What I liked about the story was its real aspect. We are not in an easy-going, unrealistic manga where everything's fine and happy ending, children, etc. The writer is fair by staying on the right tracks, delivering an interesting, realistic plot. With this story, we have cool art, nothing astonishing but enough to have an easy reading. Though it took some time (Ok, you'll tell me that some mangas last forever before getting a new chapter), without being insanely deep, I enjoyed reading this story and hope you'll appreciate this review written in so-so English.
Kimi no knife has a good plot line, it is secure and constant throughout the whole story. Although it has a good plot, parts of the story made me feel anxious. Usually, you'd think that's a good thing. While reading, it caused me to have an anxiety attack. I gave the story an 8/10 because it was well written and played out. I have the art a 9/10 because it was clean and polished. I gave the characters a 9/10 because I really enjoyed how each main character developed. Enjoy meant was an 8/10 because I enjoyed it the entire time even though my anxiety.Overall I rate it a 9/10.
tl;dr: A pretty good thriller with a mixed bag in terms of characters and a pretty annoying ending. âWould you kill someone for 5 million yen? What if they were a murderer?â This manga is the story of the protagonist, Shiki, getting pulled into being a hitman in order to pay for his sisterâs medical bills. Shiki is just a substitute teacher, but his partner in crime, Kazumi, is an experienced police officer who doesnât care about the money but rather seems to be taking part solely to vent his feeling regarding evildoers. With the targets being bad people and a skilled cop helping out itmay seem like things wonât be that difficult, but murder is always complicated, both physically and psychologically. This manga is pretty well written in terms of being a thriller. The murders themselves generally arenât that complicated. The plans are incredibly simple and straightforward to carry out. What makes things interesting is the complications that occur during the plans and how theyâre dealt with in the aftermath. Whatâs suspenseful isnât the crimes, but the coverups. Shiki and Kazumi are doing their best to stay under the radar of the police, mainly the detective pair Hosaka and Itou, and this results in a cat and mouse game. Kazumi being a police detective makes hiding considerably easier, but they still have to thread the needle pretty often. Itâs definitely a page turner. Itâs also well written in fleshing out many of the key characters. Shiki goes through very complex development, wherein heâs incredibly unsure about what heâs doing from beginning to end but feels he has to go through with it anyway. His thought process and motivations are conveyed incredibly clearly so itâs really easy to sympathize with him and get invested in him and his goal. Hosaka is also fleshed out well as he goes through his own character arc, as is another major character, Ei, who is the best friend of one of Shikiâs victims. The three ultimately have a very complex relationship, despite the pair essentially being a criminal, a police officer, and a victim. The dynamic is very unique and handled surprisingly well. Unfortunately, a lot of characters are also pretty badly written. The most prominent example would probably be Kazumi. He doesnât really get fleshed out at all. His motivations are never really explained either. There are a lot of small hints regarding what could be driving him, such as him seeming to have a very negative opinion regarding his coworker having a family, but nothing is made clear. The mysterious atmosphere works well with him to a point, but I feel there should have been some explanation eventually. Thereâs also Utaka, who is a minor character who could easily have been taken out of the story with essentially nothing important changing. Though what little presence she has is anger inducing so I strongly question why she was included in the first place. The most bizarrely badly written character was Itsuki. Despite being the main heroine, sheâs really just⊠not. She seems like a key character early on due to her having a supernatural power that could be really helpful. However, early on itâs only used for things that it isnât really all that necessary for. And when the plot proceeds in a direction where her power actually could have a major impact on the way things progress, she mysteriously loses it. An explanation for where she got her power and why she lost is given, but itâs done so quickly and casually that the only reason Iâm taking it seriously is that no other explanation was provided. She doesnât really do much in terms of things not involving her power either, nor does she have a character arc. She felt kind of like a mascot character that was there just to keep the atmosphere from getting too dreary. She has some romantic development with Shiki, but it isnât fleshed out all that well and overall was pretty dissatisfying. The ending I have complicated feelings on. The final stretch of the manga definitely gets much messier and is rushed. However, I feel that worked well in conveying the feeling of everything quickly falling apart. The ending also certainly isnât exactly happy, but I kind of feel that it became incredibly obvious pretty early on that for a lot of the cast a perfectly happy ending was impossible, so that didnât faze me too much. For the most part, I think the manga did a decent job at hitting the notes it wanted to regarding its core themes. These themes are incredibly simplistic, essentially just the morals âkilling is badâ and âwhat goes around comes aroundâ. But the way things flow, with both of these feeling incredibly obvious early on, being mostly heavily muddled in the hustle and bustle of things, only to be once again be openly in your face in the ending I think was handled well. The biggest problem I have with the ending is how much it leaves unexplained. An epilogue that elaborated on what happens afterwards I think could have helped considerably. As it is, I think it intentionally leaves things ambiguous while leaving hints that suggest a final twist that significantly sours me on the ending. I feel it doesnât really fit at all with the themes I previously mentioned. And while I wasnât expecting a happy ending, I was hoping for the happiest ending possible, and I feel like this was trending strongly towards that only for it to be pulled away at the last minute. The fact that this is done subtly only makes it worse because while logically I really canât see it as just a coincidence, emotionally I just want to ignore it. The art is decent enough in terms of style and quality. Character designs are solid enough considering the setting. Thereâs a lot of symbolism like the Furies and Shikiâs box cutter, but most arenât used very well. The exception to that is showing certain characterâs seeing or interacting with dead characters in order to help convey characterâs mental states to the reader, which was pretty intense.