Shuujin Riku

Shuujin Riku was a major manga on my list. With 38 volumes, it's a pretty quick read. The reason? Much of the manga is excellent, and it's hard to stop. You've probably guessed it from these few words, but yes: the manga is really very good. The manga shines in a variety of ways, but the one that stands out for me is the character development. The work is made up of a panel of really excellent characters. The author, Shinobu Seguchi, has taken great care to develop each character introduced in the story. Whether in the foreground or secondary, each person has a roleto play. This contributes to the solid plot. I also found that the characters had really excellent interactions with each other, and that the dialogue had a huge impact on the story's apprehension. In the course of the story, we witness all kinds of moments that take us from laughter to tears. I really enjoyed seeing these moments of brotherhood between prisoners, and seeing real relationships being forged. It's unusual in more recent manga. I was talking earlier about the plot. I found it rather original. It's quite modern when it comes to the prison environment, but also in political manga. It's a sort of hybrid between underground and dramatic manga. The author's timing is perfect, and the story progresses at just the right pace. If you take the time to read the manga, I think you'll come to a conclusion similar to mine: the narrative is perfectly conducted and there's little room for chance. You can feel that a lot of work has gone into the plot. On a technical level, the author's style is interesting. He perfectly idealizes important moments, both in the drama and in the action and doesn't hesitate to use original devices to best describe the action. The way it's divided up also offers some interesting ideas. One point that did bother me though, was the last few volumes. He let himself go a bit and I didn't really like the facial expressions of some of the characters. Speaking of the last few volumes, that's the black spot of the manga for me. It's a shame, because I felt that the ending wasn't at all up to the standard it had previously offered. By way of analogy, a balloon would have been much more convincing and iconic than the last two volumes. To avoid spoilers, I'll leave you with this. However, I think it's still a very good manga and a major piece of prison manga. The first part of the manga is excellent, with no down-time and no concessions. There are some intense moments, particularly with the character of Renoma, which I won't soon forget. I really think the manga deserves a little more attention, as it's refreshing in many ways and takes an interesting approach. It's a far cry from binary shonens and phony plot devices. Thanks to the author for proposing this kind of story. Take the time to have a look at this work if you get the chance.