Kasane

If there was a way to simply describe Kasane, it would be that it is hauntingly beautiful. At first, I was interested in its uniqueness from other manga. It was cruel, twisted and honestly unbearable to read sometimes but it reflects most of what life is. You find yourself sympathising and, perhaps, seeing yourself in Kasane. As a reader, you are first repulsed by her, as are most of the characters in this manga but as the story blossoms, I found myself loving her and supporting her. As the manga drew to a close, I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding,it was quite literally breathtaking. Kasane holds such a precious message in that beauty is often a privilege that many do not have but that doesn't make them any less of a person or a "monster" as Kasane was described. I'm genuinely glad I took the time out of my life to read this manga. It was an absolute blessing.

When I read the first chapter, I wasn't expecting much. A character who is as dark as she is dangerous, who I sympathize with, but actions can't condone, with amazing art and maybe one or two interesting plot points. Instead I read about characters who are different and layered, all beautifully drawn with a macabre tone. The main character really is dark, yet you cheer her on, as her view of things makes you wonder about your own life, and what could be with another face. The Art is amazing, a bit dark and unconventional maybe, fitting the story. Although some moments in the story make you go "Huh?"they get solved, or aren't solved intentionally, in order to make you think a bit more. I really enjoyed this manga, as its theme fits the question:"What if I had a prettier face? What if I am held back by my face?" The manga ended on a great note too.

Just personal scratch. Advised, possible spoilers. Opinion & Informal Art: 8/10 Anatomy and proportions checked out when they were supposed to look real. I liked how Kasane's proportions would get wild during moments of despair or deep self-loathing. Nature wasn't really showcased at all. Backgrounds looked fine. Supporting details were here and there; they looked fine too. Impact shots were used sparingly which I feel was a slight letdown. I feel this manga could have gained a lot of mileage if it used more impact shots especially during resounding moments of self-pity, regret, and resolve. Facial expressions were nice; they were strong and were able to convey a senseof what the characters were most likely feeling. Kasane's sad face made me pity her. Her resolute face made me really get behind her decisions. Her emptiness also felt apparent during miserable moments too. Overall, I thought the art was good because of the above average supporting details, the believable expressions, and interesting presentation. The representation of beautiful suffered from same-face though. "Beautiful" characters all looked the same. Panel Progression: 7/10 The panel layout was thought-out and kept the narrative interesting by its use of panel-cutting, asides through stage-play elements, and choice of how certain ideas were presented. The overall panel progression was clear enough and I didn't have to double-take on anything. There wasn't too much or too little dialogue...well maybe the sections where segments of the play were being done...yeah those felt a bit drawn out. Maybe those could have been executed differently. The pacing was alright. I felt that this manga started getting drawn out at some point. Characters: 6/10 Regardless of whether or not the intention of the narrative was to get the audience to like, dislike, pity, etc. any of the characters, I did not like any of them. However, if I were to chose, I can sympathize (not emphasize) with Kasane's plight. I'll go into more detail on why I never really took a liking to any of the characters later. The character designs were fine. Habuta looked scruffy and the consistency of the manga to stick to that vibe no matter his outfit was able to say a lot about his character. Likewise, the differences of how thickly drawn the eyes were for certain characters and certain moods was a nice touch. Overall, character designs were realistic style and didn't leave much to remember. Plot: 7/10 The first few chapters were really good at hooking me and the initial plot setup was unique that I ended up binging quite a lot of chapters in the first day. The plot and its setup set the stage for the slog that would come. Development: 6/10 Character development wise, Kasane was probably the only one with any decent development (well, the manga's title is her name). Habuta's development was basically 15 or so pages out of the 120+ chapter manga. Nina never got enough screen time to make her downfall more impactful, sure, the whole vegetable state and "kill me" bit with Kasane's sister (Nogiku) definitely made me a bit sad, but it would have really been moving if we got a bigger foundation for her ultimate fall. I would have liked more development into her character prior or during her involvement with Kasane. Nogiku was lame, just lame. Her only redeeming moment in the whole manga was her decision to do something about her situation with her father. If she has the resolve (regardless if it's an act of desperation, it's still a decision to act...she seemed pretty resolute to me with those expressions and all) to go that far, why does she go down the self-pity, I hate the world because everyone takes advantage of me route. If she hates selling her body so much, I'm sure she could find a manual labor job or a part time job at a shipping yard or convenience store considering how easy it apparently is for highschoolers to get part-time jobs...Maybe she could go back to the huge mansion she just up and left and flip some things for cash? Heck, she could have used her father's bank book. I understand it's a place of terrible stress for her, but I don't see why anything but selling her body never crossed her mind. Furthermore, Nogiku never really develops out of this phase for the entirety of the manga. She more or less remains the same static person up until the end of the manga. The avenues which could have been used to develop her redemption or growth were shunted for more edgy Kasane plot. I was really disappointed, not by the tendency to fall back to the same line of plot development such as Kasane reaching for the light, by how it was done. Time and time again the plot always fell back to step 1 because of the "so and so isn't going my way because I'm ugly" or "I can't develop as a person and neither can the people around me because that's just what ugliness entails." Overall, I felt that this manga became way too drawn out because the "ugly plot" was used too much as a device for progressing the story; it ended up doing the opposite and made the story feel stagnant. Instead of losing Nina as a partner, going through the Iku V2 phase, and the Nogiku phase, why not focus the manga around Nina and develop the execution more around the identity and self-worth elements that were vaguely introduced then dropped around that time. Conclusion: 5/10 The conclusion was obviously rushed. Or, I'm pretty sure it was. What was up with that out-of-nowhere and abrupt ending? What was up with the decision to have Kasane suffer that kind of punishment? I mean, it's an appropriate punishment for reasons that I don't have to spell out, but why was that whole segment done in the span of two pages? Disappointing conclusion to a way too drawn out manga. Overall: 6/10 An excellent exercise in self-pity, depressing vibes, and how much the world sucks when you're ugly. This is NOT something you should recommend to a pubescent teenage girl. Disappointing execution of self-identity concepts and character growth.

Kasane is an unobserved masterwork, lightning in a bottle, one of the most hauntingly beautiful and devastatingly horrifying character dramas ever put to pen and paper, in literary work or manga all the same. Both beautifully composed through the dark depths and radiant highs of the characters and their dialogue and paced so desperately that a cold sweat forms in the reader, begging "Just one more chapter. Just one more volume" till its sudden spectacularly dire conclusion, Kasane is apologetically, ruthlessly, stunningly haunting. This manga will make your heart race, your brow sweat, your soul ache, and your blood boil. The sheer gravity of thetragedy, a train wreck in slow motion, all beautifully exposed on the page as it is on the stage, will leave you hollow, gasping for more as if it was the air that you breathe. There is nothing I could recommend more than that you read Kasane, all at once, because once you start, you won't stop till you crash headlong into the ending.