Cat Eyed Boy

I have to say that it was a struggle to complete this manga, but I did so just because it was so short. I'd say that it nails the horror element. This is an older manga and the visuals interested me as they are pretty grotesque and it does well in the element of shock value. The art style to me doesn't scream the typical "anime style", and in fact a lot of it reminds me of the western style, which isn't a bad thing, just something to note due to it's age. The main character, the Cat Eyed Boy, is interesting, as he comes acrossas somewhat of an anti-hero. He isn't fully human, but does have human-like characteristics. Throughout each tale, he is seen as a "bad omen", as all of the horrors happen wherever he happens to go. He often acts on self-interest, but does intervene from time to time to help someone in need. He also isn't afraid to retaliate either, though. The series in my opinion is very over-dramatised, as there are pretty much shock bubbles on every page, and the stories to me get a bit predictable. I like the horror element but I tend to prefer series that have more subtle climb to the climax of the story while in Cat Eyed Boy, things are made pretty obvious. There are some good messages within this manga. It's filled with monsters and strange creatures and some of them are evil, but in certain cases this manga reflects on the shallow nature that much of society has on judging people based on appearances, when the "beautiful" people are in fact much more ugly on the inside. Overall, the series is short and dated, it has great horror visuals but I wasn't really drawn to the series and it in fact was quite boring and predictable for me. In some respects it can be sexist with an old-timey attitude which doesn't age well, and the story wasn't something that drew me in. It's a great visual experience if you're into horror, and that would be the highlight of the series for me.