Hideout

Story: Predictable, yet sufficient. It's also a little infuriating, and while it follows the basics of popular horror cliche's, it still comes across rather naive. The real issue comes with the fact that the characters are unlikable, which makes progression through the narrative arduous, even with a short chapter count. Art: Absolutely fantastic. The real strength of this narrative. It's turned me on to Masasumi Kakizaki, and now I can't wait to read some more works he's assisted with. I did find it difficult to discern what was what with a few panels, as the balance of blacks wasn't very understandable. However, this is so unbelievably minor as,within a second of looking, I quickly understood the perspective of the image. Never did it pull me out of the incredibly average narrative. Character: As mentioned before, nobody is likable. Everyone in this story is scum. If there's no one to root for, there's nothing to look forward too. In a way, I did root for the protagonist, but it's hard to root for someone doing something so sinister. At least, that's the case for me. Beyond this, there's also the rest of the supporting cast that fails to pique my interest. It's all a bunch of schlock, but the art is fantastic, so I kept reading. Enjoyment: I'm glad I read this as it introduced me to the art of Masasumi Kakizaki. Beyond that, it was nothing special. The narrative is uninteresting, the characters a chore, and the finale a real cop-out. If it weren't for the excellent artwork, I don't think I would have enjoyed it as much. ((If you liked this review, friend me for new reviews on other works, both manga and anime!))

“How long was I locked up in that room? A day? A week? I could no longer tell. On top of driving you crazy, the darkness and isolation also robbed you of all your sense of time.” Kirishima Seiichi’s life has so far been full of ups and downs— recurring letdowns in his career as a writer, the tragic death of his son and to top it all, the cold and distant attitude of his wife. With the alleged intention of overcoming the loss of their son and starting over a new life, Kirishima takes his wife on a peaceful island vacation. However, behindthe façade of the doting husband, his idea of ‘starting over’ is different and when his plans go wrong, things take an unexpected turn. And then begins the nightmare… somewhere deep inside a cave there is a savage beast with a craving to feed on the flesh of those who stray into the cave, having no clue of what awaits them there. Hideout is one of those manga that knows how to pull its readers into it from the first page itself. It begins on an interesting and slightly disturbing note that quickly managed to pique my curiosity and kept me glued to it until the very last page. The entire story is narrated from the point of view of our protagonist, accompanied with brief flashbacks now and then. The series is pretty short, consisting of nine chapters. This length is apt taking into consideration the storyline for if it was any longer, it would have only felt draggy. That said, while I personally liked the twisted and unpredictable ending, I’d have preferred if it was elucidated a bit more but then again on another thought, if it did, it would have probably lacked the same impact. Even in a manga as short as this, the characters have been depicted quite well. Kirishima Seiichi, the protagonist, comes across as an ordinary writer who only wished to make a decent living out of his writing and live happily with his family but then things start to topple over. His wife Miki adds to his despair by repeatedly reminding him of his failures and that he is at fault for everything. And then there is the ‘beast’ whose sole purpose of existence is to create terror. Actually, where Hideout shines is the brilliant artwork. The sharp, dark tones complement the horror and uneasiness evoked by this manga. Every page and panels are so finely detailed that sometimes I paused reading just to take a closer look at the art. Kakizaki Masasumi is mostly notable for his artwork in Rainbow but since I haven’t read it, I’m not going to make any comparisons between this and that. I might as well go as far as to say that Kakizaki is one of the best manga artists I have come across solely judging his work in Hideout. To conclude, I’ll gladly recommend Hideout to anyone who is looking for a short, intriguing horror tale. The story is concise, the art is outstanding. It is undoubtedly worth giving a shot.

This story is very reminiscent of something you might see from a Hollywood horror film. The story is simple and relatable, with amazing dark art. I mainly mean to complement the illustrations of this series. The storytelling is a bit superficial and abrupt, however satisfying enough. The art is the real meat of the series. The art is grotesque at times, dark and crusty most of the time with very freighting character designs. This story is an early work of the author and I can applaud him for making an average story with exceptional art. The beginning and ending of the story is nicely tunedto the shortness and abruptness of the book. I don't recommend it for most people, although if you enjoy short stories give it a try.